‘Fo-laat? You want fo-laat?’ Ethnolinguistic Appropriation and Authenticity in Bengali English Diasporic Literature

The present paper aims to shed light on the evolution of the concepts of ‘diaspora consciousness’ (Vertovec 1999) and identity development in the literary production concerning the genre of the Indian student diaspora. Specifically, it deals with the renegotiation of the ‘problem of ethnicity’ (Jayaram 2004) in Amit Chaudhuri’s Odysseus Abroad (2015) by investigating the relational affiliations occurring at the level of language authenticity and appropriation. In doing so, the paper addresses the different ways in which Ananda, the main character, portrays a delicate yet strong ‘Bengaliness’ in his recalling moods and past experiences while struggling with temporary rootlessness and nostalgia.