WHY IS NIGERIA ADICHIE’S LOWLAND? A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF JHUMPA LAHIRI’S THE LOWLAND AND CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE’S HALF OF A YELLOW SUN

The two most promising, inspiring, well-marketed and popular women authors of the milieu of post- colonial/commonwealth transnational writings are Jhumpa Lahiri and Chimamanda Adichie. It is interesting to note that both women belong to nations which had the same imperial masters; however, they are more interested to depict the post- colonial conditions of their respective homelands. It is not the struggle of independence that the native people faced under their colonial lords that incites and excites their pens; it is the post -colonial internal politics and conflicts and complexities that sing the song for them. There is a typical blend of History and Fiction in both their works. The historiography used by both these writers gives an authentic catharsis which traces existential issues. One of Lahiri's recent works, The Lowland traces the development of characters through the troubled times of the Naxalite movement. She uses the historical setting which influenced the several youths of the country to engage in intellectual and armed battles with the existing government. However, Lahiri focuses on the effects it had on the people who were indirectly involved with the movement. The story is not only about Udayan, who was an active member of the Naxalite brigade working underground in Calcutta, it is about Subhas, Gauri, and Bela too. Similarly, Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun deals with the turmoil breathing in Nigeria during the Biafra war. The story relates the experience of five characters- two twin sisters, a professor of mathematics, a British citizen and a houseboy. It is interesting to note the similarities in the treatment of the post-colonial situation dealt by the two authors and no wonder we could see that Nigeria turns out to be Adichie's lowland as Calcutta is to Lahiri. Furthermore, the genre of young adult literature is not only about entertainment, it has its own perspectives. And one of them is a revolution. The seeds of revolution that grow best in the young mind have found a common niche in both Lahiri and Adichie. Hence, this article is meant to discuss their similarities and differences of approach towards their respective post-colonial situations.