Reliving History, Culture and Resilience of My Community through Texts in English

Abstract

This paper explores the complex dynamics of cultural and historical transmission within diaspora communities experiencing significant linguistic shift and script attrition. Specifically, it investigates whether the foundational norms, intricate historical narratives, and collective memory of a heritage community can be effectively conveyed and sustained through literary texts written in a dominant, adopted language, such as English. Focusing on the experiences of the Sindhi diaspora, a community profoundly displaced following the tumultuous 1947 Partition of British India, this study meticulously examines how English-language literary productions engage with and articulate critical themes of forced migration, the enduring challenges of refugee status, and the compelling imperatives of accommodation and assimilation in new homelands. Through a rigorous close textual analysis of the contemporary novel Tryst with Koki, this paper argues persuasively that such narratives, despite their linguistic medium, serve as vital and indispensable conduits for intergenerational cultural knowledge. They foster a deeper understanding of community resilience, a connection to a rich literary heritage, and a robust sense of socio-historical identity among younger generations who may have lost proficiency in their ancestral ethnic language. The findings illuminate the critical and often overlooked role of English literature in actively preserving, re-interpreting, and re-articulating diasporic consciousness and cultural continuity in the face of profound linguistic and geographical transformation.