Understanding Postcolonial Identity Through the Perspective of Amitav Ghosh's The Calcutta Chromosome and Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss

The multifaceted phenomenon of postcolonialism, which emerged from more than two centuries of British colonial control in India, has had a significant impact on the country's economic, social, and political environment. Through their literary works, Indian writers—most notably Amitav Ghosh and Kiran Desai—strive to reclaim and redefine contemporary Indian identity. This study examines the postcolonial identity as it is portrayed in The Calcutta Chromosome by Ghosh and The Inheritance of Loss by Desai. It does this by looking at the various facets of hegemony, power dynamics, orientalism, economic inequality, and identity politics that are present in postcolonial literature. The Calcutta Chromosome contradicts the prevalent narrative that downplays the contributions made by subalterns to scientific research during colonial India, while also highlighting their aptitude for intellectual thought. Ghosh's story undermines the Eurocentric ideology of hegemony and emphasizes the East's triumph over the West. Conversely, Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss explores the intricacies of identity, hybridity, and cultural assimilation while delving into the interactions between characters who are Indian and Western. The protagonists in the book battle with their Indian heritage while becoming fixated on Western ideals and ways of life, reflecting the socioeconomic inequalities and internal colonialism that pervaded postwar India. Desai's depiction of the characters' psychological turmoil emphasizes the identity conflict brought about by the characters' inherited colonial cultural identities.