THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL CREED AND INCONGRUITY IN THE NOVELS : SALMAN RUSHDIE

The Indian diaspora in time spans a period from the 1830s to the present time and in space covers over a 100 countries. There are over 25 million Indians in diaspora today and it is the largest diaspora after the Chinese one. Included in this diaspora are those who were displaced in the 19th century in the colonial period when they were taken as indentured labour to other British and even French colonies. They were transported across the Kala Paani, the black waters of the oceans, in ships and by self-definition call themselves the 'jahajis' today. By the end of the 20th century the term 'diasporic' in the context of Indians had expanded to include the 'cyber coolies', i.e., IT professionals who hefting their laptops on their shoulders also crossed the Kala Paani, but this time in jets rather than in jahajs, to work as 'outsourced labour' in companies around the world which need their expertise. I. Cultural Creed Definition and Aptness in today’s world Intermingled in these categories are also the professional and academic diasporas, which began also in the colonial period and continue to this day. To problematize matters further we now have a breed of global Indians who set up shops big and small-around the world and trade in commodities, small and heavy industries and buy and sell huge corporations. These include the Tatas, the Ambanis, the Mittals, the Bhatias and many others who in real and virtual spaces live and trade across borders. The global Indian is basically an economic creature who might have roots and homes in many countries around the world. Keywords: Diaspora, labour, countries, shoulders, colonia