Degrees of Aversion: English as a marker of Identity in the novels of Rohinton Mistry
Dr. R. Latha Devi
Abstract:
Language is a medium of communication and is more influenced by the ideologies of society. One’s culture gets reflected in language and it forms one’s social identity too. One’s thoughts as well as their values occupy the space of one’s language. No wonder that the language is the carrier of culture and the social exchanges can be done by means of language. The formation of social groups and institutions are insurmountable without language. The ethnic group has their own languages keeping them aloof from the dominant and they make every effort to retain their culture, tradition, custom and thereby try to assert their identity. But their struggle seldom offers success. The question of identity has always preoccupied them in their mind. Their efforts in preserving their tradition, culture and custom often yields no result. In most instances, with no choice, they have been forced to forget their language and hopelessly, they volunteer themselves in adopting the language of the majority group. Generally, the ethnic groups use more than one language in their everyday life. This multilingual system has strengthened the minority conscious among the ethnic communities. It is to note that certain ethnic groups try hard to foster their language for cultural or religious purposes. Yet, they have not succeeded in achieving it. The paper attempts to focus the deep reflections of the migrant Parsi people, ethnic minorities of India pertaining to the adoption of foreign languages in the alien soil.
Key words: Survival strategy, Anglophone, dead language, post colonial, Pahlavi script
Introduction
Multilingualism is found among the minority groups in most of the parts of India, particularly in Northern India. As most of the Parsis, an ethno-religious group, are residing in places in North India like Mumbai and Gujarat, they are familiar with Hindi, the national language of India, Marathi, the official language of Maharashtra and Gujarati, their enforced mother tongue. Being multi-linguals, the Parsis view language acquisition as a social / survival strategy.
Originally, the Iranian ancestors of the Parsi people followed Old Persian. It belongs to the family of the Indo-European languages and its’ oldest form is Avesta. Avesta which is noted for its antiquity is similar to Sanskrit, the Indian classical language. Thornton echoes the significance of Avesta and says thus “it is related closely to Vedic” (32-33).
Socio-cultural Alienation
Avesta is different from Old Persian to some extent. The modified version of Avesta is known as Pahlavi and it was once acknowledged as the official language of the sassanid Empire, one of the great empires in Persia. Initially, the Iranians followed Avesta and in due course, they followed old Persian and pahlavi. But the forced settlement of the Parsis in India not only changed their heritage but also their language. One of the conditions put forward by the Indian King Jadhav Rana to give them refuge was that they should adopt Gujarati rather than their own tongue.
Regarding the Parsis’ adaptation of the Indian language, it has to be proclaimed that the process is imposed, not inherent. Due to the fear of social isolation, the Parsis have accepted the Indian languages. No human being possesses the utmost inborn talent to acquire a language without being exposed to the learning environment. He should train himself from his infancy to follow the language. It is proven that learning a language requires proper training and practice. Besides, language is passed down through traditional practices and there were less chances for execution, the emigrant Parsis felt hard in the alien land and same is the case with the adoption of an alien language in the unfamiliar territory too. The process of passing a language from one generation to the next is known as Cultural transmission. Dan Liu quotes George Yule ‘s concept in ‘The Study of Language’ regarding the process of cultural transmission in line with language reflects the following idea: “languages will not remain stable, but that change and variation are inevitable” (222).
Acquisition of Speech Skills
The act of acquisition of speech skills in first language / mother tongue begins at infancy and a foreign language is plausible at a later stage. Buth the Parsis who were migrated to India were a mixed population comprised of adult and children. They were forced by the King to adopt Gujarati. Since Avesta and Gujarati are two entirely different languages belonging to Ancient Iranian and Indo-Aryan family of languages, they have their own identities with different origins, scripts, and grammatical structures. They faced several challenges including language anxiety, identity crisis, and loss of social status. Consequently, the hostile attitude of the Parsis towards the Gujarati language reflected in their ready and willing adoption of English language during colonization. When the British came to India, the Parsis did not show any protest against the colonizers. Instead, they were exceptionally polite to them. Above all, they identified themselves with the British because they have a striking similarity with the British in certain physical features with their Roman nose and protruding chin. The Parsis thought that instead of talking in “down-to-earth Indian language”, they could adopt English language, which seemed more appealing for their “Persian glory”.
The Parsis adopt English, the language of the alien rulers on the spur of the moment, thinking that it was the only language which would be suitable for their rich heritage. It testifies the fact that the Parsis are anglophile and they take pride in using the language of their oppressor of the oppressor. It is arguable that the Parsis’ unwarranted assimilation of the English culture and language is born out of their intense aversion for India and her culture. Since they are loyal to the British, they are loyal to English language also.
Anglophone Community
The Parsis’ love for English culture is evident from the fact that they always supported the British rule in India. During the Sepoy Mutiny, they supported the British, ignoring the fact that the Britishers were the conquerors of India. It evoked the sentiments of ordinary Indians and as a result, they had to face many anti-Parsi riots in most of the towns in Gujarat. Since their advent to India, they have served the rulers with great fidelity. The Parsis were in close proximity with the British when the latter ruled India. Unlike the other Indian communities, they wanted the British to rule India because they thought that if the British left India, they would definitely lose their independence and once again they would become an insignificant minority in India.
During the year 1780-1840, Gujarat faced severe famine. Consequently, a large number of Parsis left Gujarat and flocked the city of Bombay. They were introduced as traders to the Britishers and soon they earned the hearts of the then rulers. Later on, a large number of them secured jobs in the British administration. They were appointed as agents and mediators. These positions united the two non-natives and the Parsis began to consider themselves as English rather than Indians.
Most interestingly, the Parsis are the first Anglophone community in India. Their Anglomania is finely illustrated by their easy acceptance of their language, culture and food. As far as the Parsis are concerned, English language is the language of the elites, whereas Indian languages like Hindi and Gujarati are the languages of the ordinary folk. It is to note that the Parsis talk in English while they are at home and outside. They speak Hindi with their subordinates and house maids. By talking in English, they try to pose as if they had close link with the British. This is evident from the writings of the Parsi writers. The Parsi characters in their novels express their hatred for Indian languages and love for English language and English culture and customs. The Parsis neither speak their native language, Avesta nor the language of the adopted home Gujarati. It is alleged that the Parsis assumed that the culture of the west was superior to the Indian culture and therefore they attempted consciously to assimilate western culture and its language. The present paper while highlighting language as an assimilation strategy simultaneously discusses the attitude of the Parsis towards the western culture.
The Britishers cast mesmerizing spell on the Parsis. They wished to mimic the colonizers in their way of “talking, eating, and living”. Their love for everything English led them to love English language. They were eager to be thorough with English ways of life. The Parsi novels especially those of Rohinton Mistry show clear- cut evidence of their extreme love for English. His works illustrate the Parsis’ undue inclination towards English ways of life. The Parsi parents entertain their children to read English novels and short stories rather than the stories of India. During the colonial period, Indian streets were named after British names. After their departure, the streets renamed with the names of the Indian leaders. But the Parsis wanted to live in British India, with all the ‘so called’ British identity. Dinshawji’s reaction to the name change exposes the psyche of whole Parsis and their love for the ‘everything’ British. He hisses through clenched teeth: “…Names are so important. I grew up on Lamington Road. But it has disappeared, in its place is Dadasaheb Bhadkhamkar Marg” (Such a Long Journey, 88).
Mistry conducts experiment in linguistic hybridity with Parsi coinages. His writings are replete with Parsi slangs and English-based creole. The creolization of Gujarati, Hindi and Parsi has led him to give new prominence to English language. Mistry’s novel ‘Such a Long Journey’ is replete with Parsi slangs and obscene dialogues and abusive terms. Mistry tries hard to make the text a Parsi text.
Code Language
The Parsis are skilled in fusing English and Gujarati to coin a separate code language called Asmai kasmai. This code language helps communicate among themselves secretly. In ‘Such a Long Journey’ the Parsi characters do have a code language and they create such a language either to keep their conversations private or to safeguard themselves against racial derogations. Bilimoria sends ten lakhs to Gustad. Gustad hides the money in the kitchen. Later on, with the help of his friend Dinshawji, he deposits the whole amount in the bank. Gustad who is a pious person, spends his nights in fear. In the meantime, one morning Gustad finds a headless bandicoot at the base of his vinca. Gustad is shocked to see the bandicoot and enquires of the baag gurkha(watchman) about it. Now Dilnavaz talks in the code language, so that the gurkha does not comprehend what she is telling. “Masmaybisme hisme wasmas sleasmepisming beasmecausmause ismit wasmas raismainisming” (Such a Long Journey, 161), which in plain language means: “Maybe he was sleeping because it was raining”.
One day, on the brink of war, Gustad finds light in Tehmul’s room. To warn him, he hurries to Tehmul’s house but to the shock of Gustad, Tehmul is busy with enjoying sex with Roshan’s doll. With a feeling of pity, he leaves Tehmul with the doll. When Dilnavaz enquires about him in front of her children, Gustad replies in Asmai Kasmai Gujarati code “Nosmot in frosmont of the chismildren” (Journey 359) which means ‘not in front of the children’.
The Parsis focus more on English than to their own language, Avesta. It is a complex language and very hard to learn. The religious texts of the Parsis are written either in Avesta, or in Pahlavi script, and the Parsis in India a how to read them. Nowadays, these languages are used only by the Parsi priests for the purpose of prayers. It is ironical that even the Parsi priests are struggling to read and recite the ancient texts and in worst cases, they do it without knowing the meanings too.
Gustad openly confesses his ignorance of the language of his ancestors without any sense of guilt. He is stunned to attend the funeral of his friend Dinshawji. Because the priest recites the prayer in Avesta and he couldn’t understand “the dead language” (Such a Long Journey 293), yet the prayer entices him.
Conclusion
As is widely understood, English has become the national language in colonial countries. Yet, many writers in these countries hesitate to adopt the English language, as it is the language of the colonizers and better suited to European tradition, their manners and their culture. Those who write in indigenous languages feel that writings in English fail to bridge the gap between native culture and people, and unwittingly allow them to focus on the culture of the English. Ngugi Wa Thionga, a Kenyan novelist gave up writing in English and started writing in Gikuyu language, one of the African languages, with the intention of establishing his views in his native language. Postcolonialism allows the writers to use more words from the native language. Mistry, a Post Colonial Parsi writer writes in English language. Yet, his English is sprinkled with words from Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Persian. He neither translates the words nor gives glossary for the words. However, his likeness for English is mirrored everywhere in the novel. This paper highlights the Parsis’ committed love of the English culture, tradition, and language and it depicts how their voluntary adoption of English language isolates them from the ordinary Indians.
References
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