Between Roots and Routes: The Evolution of Indian Values in Diasporic Narratives

Diasporic writing has emerged as a vital and dynamic component of Indian English literature, reflecting the complexities of migration, identity, and cultural negotiation. Indian diaspora writers, positioned between their homeland and hostland, reinterpret traditional Indian values through the lenses of displacement, hybridity, and globalization. This paper examines how writers such as Jhumpa Lahiri, Bharati Mukherjee, Kiran Desai, and Salman Rushdie reconstruct Indian ethos in their works. Drawing upon postcolonial theory, particularly the concepts of hybridity (Homi Bhabha) and Orientalism (Edward Said), the study explores themes of identity crisis, nostalgia, cultural conflict, gender, and globalization. It argues that diaspora literature transforms Indian values into fluid, evolving constructs shaped by transnational experiences.