Diaspora Literature: Voicing Concerns through Poetry

The paper is an attempt to analyze the poetic works of Ajmer Road, a leading poet, an established playwright and translator and Surjit Kelsey, a poet, short story writer and translator who has made a mark in the literary field. The Punjabi community records a significant place as a part of the worldwide Indian diaspora. Immigrant writers of Punjab origin initially addressed the issues of migration and resettlement in a new land reflective of their experiences and concerns such as racism, cultural differences, and nostalgia. The contribution of writers of Punjabi diaspora is immense towards the Punjabi literature as well as English literature. Ajmer Rode's contribution to the literary world is indeed remarkable. His poems paint pictures of Indian culture and society in all its shades. He foregrounds complex social issues with great ease and presents the grim reality of the society. His poems under discussion are taken from ‘Poems at My Doorstep' and ‘Blue Meditations'. Rode seems to have a strong dedication to exploring cruel realities of society. Poet Surjeet Kalsey has established herself as one of the leading writers of Punjabi diaspora in particular and Indo-Canadian community in general. Her works encapsulate the tribulations of Indian immigrants especially women. The poems selected for the analysis have been taken from: ‘Shakti's Words: An Anthology of South Asian Canadian Women Poets', ‘In this Solitude' and ‘The Geography of Voice'. Besides dealing with the issues of assimilation, racism and gender bias there are echoes of feminism in her poems