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Life for
first generation immigrants in Britain was
not as smooth and comfortable as many would
believe. They had to struggle against
economic pressures, the pain of uprootedness,
the humiliation of racial prejudice and
culture shocks. While the women became
increasingly aware of the restrictions
imposed on them by their husbands, the men
feared the impact of Western society on
their wives and the loss of male control
over them. These problems were compounded by
the weakening of family ties on account of
the alienation of the second-generation
British-Asian children from their parents.
These feelings very often form the theme of
the literature produced by the first
generation immigrants in Britain. A lot has
been written from the perspective of the
displaced and uprooted immigrants, who are
homesick and lonely as they try to adjust to
their new lives in a society which was not
always very welcoming and at times
unfriendly.
Two compilations of short stories written by
Asians living in Britain, The Golden Cage
and From Across the Shore, are good
examples of this trend. Both the
compilations contain stories translated into
English from Urdu and Punjabi. They mostly
revolve around the life of immigrants living
in Britain. They reflect the experience of
the Asian community especially the first
generation which migrated from the
Subcontinent.
The stories in The Golden Cage were
originally written in Urdu and have been
translated by Safia Siddiqi - a Pakistani
living in London. The writers selected are
Pakistani women living in Britain and,
except for one, all are Muslims. They
provide an insight into the Asian community,
its behaviour pattern, its double standards,
and the realization that women have to bear
the brunt of it all. In some stories the
theme is that of violence against women.
Thus Perveen Mirza's story "Flame and
fealty" depicts its protagonist ignoring his
own wife and her needs as he takes an
interest in other women. The husband in
Talat Saleem's "Time and place" criticizes
his wife for observing Islamic teachings
while he uses Islam to assert his "right" to
a second wife.
In Feroza Jaffer's "The luncheon club"
people from different backgrounds gather to
share their woes and help each other. They
are elderly and lonely people who are
neglected by their children in a country
that is not native to them.
Other stories focus on the traditional norms
and values which men are allowed to adapt to
the changed circumstances while women are
forced to adhere to them. The role of
religion in the lives of immigrants also
figures in these stories.
From Across the Shores is a
compilation of Punjabi short stories
translated by Rana Nayar. Though a resident
of Chundigarh (India), Nayar participated in
a project in the UK sponsored by the Charles
Wallace India Trust Fellowship to conduct
research and meet the writers whose work was
to be included in this anthology.
The book includes a critical introduction in
which the translator sums up the dilemmas of
the writers. Despite the fact that Punjabi
is the most widely spoken language in
England, second only to English, the writers
were fully aware that their work would not
have a large readership nor would it win
them fame, money and recognition. It is
creditable that they still chose to write in
their native language.
As in The Golden Cage, the stories in
this book, too, carry images of displacement
and the Punjabi immigrant community's
struggle in the UK for a cohesive identity.
The stories are mostly nostalgic and move
back and forth across the two worlds - the
one that they have left behind and the other
where they are yet to gain an identity.
We have Tarsem Neelgiri's "The divided
shores", in which Pakhar Singh returns home
only to find that his family members now
look upon him more as a money making machine
than a human being. He is caught between the
economic demands of his family and the
nightmarish experiences of fulfilling them
in another country.
Though it was difficult, the author claims
to have tried his best to retain as much as
possible of the original style. A compromise
had to be made so that the translations did
not lose their creativity. |
