The Shrinking Himalayas

Diaspora 2:2 1992 The Shrinking Himalayas Indira Karamcheti Wesleyan University Reworlding: The Literature of the Indian Diaspora. Emmanuel S. Nelson, ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1992. Kashmir shrinks into my mailbox, my home a neat four by six inches. I always loved neatness. Now I hold the half-inch Himalayas in my hand. This is home. And this the closest I'll ever be to home. When I return, the colours won't be so brilliant, the Jhelum's waters so clean, so ultramarine. My love so overexposed. And my memory will be a little out offocus, in it a giant negative, black and white, still undeveloped. Agha Shahid Ali, "Postcard from Kashmir" Fiji. Singapore. Guyana. Trinidad. Kenya. Uganda. South Africa. Canada. Britain. The United States. The Indian diaspora has placed half-inch Himalayas into mailboxes all over the world. And "home" is no longer a geographical place, but the two-dimensionality of memory and nostalgia. In the Trinidadian village of Felicity, at the edge of the sugargrowing plain of Caroni, the East Indian population performs the epic drama of the Ramleela, although none of these descendants of indentured cane-cutters has seen India (Walcott). Ugandan Indians, expelled by Idi Amin as exploitative foreigners—although many of them, born and raised in Uganda, had never visited India—are invited back to Uganda; those deciding to return are advised to provide financial compensation to the Ugandans who had been living in their houses during their absence. A new, pop-music hit in England, titled "Movie Over India," blends reggae, rap, and bhangra (a Punjabi folk dance). Its star, Apachi (variously spelled "Apache") Indian, sports razored designs Diaspora 2:2 1992 on the sides ofhis head and is accompanied on stage by three Asian sisters named Suminder, Parmjit, and Kim Kayla, dressed in Asianlooking clothes and doing a combination ofvogueing, Indian steps, and reggae moves. England also boasts Peter Singh, the Rockin'' Sikh, an Elvis impersonator whose sequined jumpsuits come with matching turbans. He followed his recording of"Blue Suede Shoes" with an autobiographical song entitled "Rockin' with a Sikh." The lyrics proclaim: "Don't smoke no dope, don't drink no bourbon / All I want to do is shake my turban" (Seecoomar). Toronto, Canada, is also experiencing a bhangra boom, a bhangra fever. Indian teenagers dance at bhangra discos advertised in local gurdwaras or temples. Their parents suspect them of indulging in such un-Indian activities as drinking, drugs, and sex. The dances attract some teenage Indian gangs, with names like Pange Lain Wale (Shit Stirrers), Jat Boyz, Fresh Offthe Boat, Khanda Queens, Bitches with Attitudes, Pakis with Attitude (Bindra). In California's Central Valley, you can meet Magyar Singh, alias Miguel, and Isabella, nicknamed Babli. The individuals in their community (called "Mexidus," a combined form of "Mexican Hindus ") are descendants ofPunjabi indentured farm-laborers brought here at the turn of the century and of Catholic Mexican women. Much oftheir energy and money now supports the movement for an independent Khalistan, a Sikh nation separate from India (Jha, "Sombrero Sardars"). The growing Indian community in the United States is becoming increasingly self-sufficient, socially and culturally. Major temples have been built in New York, Pittsburgh, Malibu, and more are on their way. Indian lawyers, jewelers, travel agents, and real estate brokers routinely advertise their services in newspapers and magazines directed to the Indian community. India Today, a widelyread publication aimed at nonresident Indians (NRIs) in the United States, regularly features matrimonial ads: USA resident Maithil Brahmin invites correspondence from non-Kashyap doctors, engineers for slim girl, 22, and graduate beautiful bride for MS computer-engineer boy, 26. Early marriage . Send bio-data, photograph to. . . . Konkany GSB USA-established family seeks extremely beautiful girl with strong Indian virtues, 22-27, for medical doctor, 32/5'7 1/2", excellent credentials and standing. Complete details and returnable photos appreciated. . . . Hindu parents invite correspondence for their beautiful daughter, 25, US citizen, employed medical sonographer. Doctors only. Family important. . . . (India Today) One issue oíIndia Today reports on second-generation Indians who date behind their parents' backs. They feel most comfortable, the article states, dating other American-born Indians: The Shrinking Himalayas Ashok Thakur...