Review
Immigration, the word as complex in form as in essence, also means a big bag of challenges awaiting those who seek their dreams on foreign shores. Missing the 'sweet chaos, incessant chatter, daily woes shared in animated conversations', which the homeland provides, is not easy; it's not only about immigrating, but settling in an alien society and understanding sensibilities nurtured on a different soil. Choosing allies, 'the ones adhering to values', is a tough call.Post the 2016 elections in America, immigration laws have become stricter and the author keeps that in the backdrop of the stories. She carefully suggests the way though: 'Mindfulness is very important... it's the key to being where you want to be emotionally'. In the opening chapter, the author brings all the characters together as they pursue their America dream; quite an ingenious ploy indeed, which holds all stories together.
Another theme explored is that of loneliness, a killing emotion in a place where life is a challenge at each step and identity at stake each day. Yet in one of the stories, the author says, 'there was a connection, a type of togetherness in the loneliness here'. Hope pervades, despite the struggle.
Tanushree's writing flows and is easy on the senses, which makes the reading pleasurable; it is devoid of unnecessary jargon and verbose commentary. Intelligent comments are sprinkled all over; some of them really impressive; 'life is mostly grey, but somehow we tire ourselves trying to paint it black or white' or 'time is known to be forgiving and forgetful, but the human mind is intricate and tortuous'.
Emotions and situations are understood well, expressed even better. There is a smart play of words in the title itself, where a hyphen affords an intelligent tweak to the inherent meaning.
'There is nothing wrong in wanting a better life'... the author writes in one of the stories. True; something that will keep 'The American Dream' alive.
- The Tribune
Tanushree Ghosh's From An-Other Landunabashedly challenges our notions of personal and cultural identity, withcharacters who seek to define themselves in an intercultural setting that isless and less sure of itself. Ghosh isn't afraid to poke her characters with astick to see what they're truly made of. From a family man who succumbs to theforbidden temptations of white-water rafting, to a woman torn betweenpreservation of self and the confines of old-world traditions, to a pair oflovers thwarted by cultural divides, Ghosh's stories are alternatinglyhilarious and heartbreaking--and undeniably relevant.
- Dog Patch Writer's Collective, Dear Writers
From the Author
To all those who dream of a world without borders some day for all the children of the human race
When I came to the US, now fourteen years back, I did so in search of freedom. I wanted to be whomever I wanted to be, in every sense of the phrase possible. And the US didn't disappoint. The US allowed me to become a lot of things that I couldn't have in any way back in India. A lot of this has to do with the civic and economic infrastructure and law and order. The things we all imagine to fall into places by moving to a nation like the US - really do. But that's not all of it. As a woman particularly, it is hard now to trade this life of tremendously enhanced simplicity back. The energy saved from not having to debate temple entrance and purity can be expended in doing other things of pertinence. The blanket of safety that I need to really feel free, the US provides. The daily consternation, from small things to big, are non-existent.
But the US also opened my eyes to what we are becoming as a race. My first exploding exposure to men and women from diverse nationalities caused me to realize how stupid we can be as a race, irrespective of the nation. I realized here how prosperity doesn't necessarily open hearts or brains, and in fact, can often close them. I also realized how propaganda works everywhere. I realized that education is not awareness. And that awareness is a choice. But most importantly, I realized how we as a race, are wasting the tremendous potential we have at our disposal (even at the cost of lives) with petty bickering in which we let selfish, illogical insecurities flourish over common sense. This has very little to do with nationality and has a lot to do with greed and ignorance. Our fear of the unknown, our biases towards the unfamiliar, make us shout nationalism - without understanding what is really best for the nation or if really anything is ever best for any nation if it goes against the interest of the human race.
A picture is worth a thousand words they say. Let me try to paint a picture with examples. In the last months, ICE (the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) has raided Tigertown in Texas (a primarily welding community) and rounded up high number of immigrants who were working those jobs illegally. Several of them are facing now deportation or struggling to front bond money while unemployed after slogging for years in jobs that are now unable to be filled. No legal immigrant, let alone US citizens or residents, want to work those jobs. They are too gruesome. So as desolate faces without much education or resources get rounded up in courtrooms or get pushed out to places they are desperate to escape, the welding plants risk shutdown owing to worker shortage and consider moving the entire operations off-shore. And some folks will cheer in all this praising the tough policy enforcement that will allow 'making of America great again' by making sure only US citizens hold US jobs.
In Sept 2018, US unemployment was marked at its lowest in five decades with over 6 million unfilled jobs (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). Imagine this against faces of folks who'd do anything for a job. Or engineers, software professionals, teachers and such who have the skill sets but no access. Or a labor force who aspire for higher skilled jobs but have no economical route to the right education to avail and instead of bridging that gap, are brainwashed into believing that somehow their outdated skillset will still remain viable to allow them the same conveniences which outsiders are coming in to snatch from them. They don't understand that even if all doors are closed and no one is let in, they won't be able to take a seat.
I don't write this here to portray the US - or any nation for that matter - as flawed. On the contrary, my hope in sharing this is to enable viewing of issues through a human, not national, lens. I believe the US to be one of the most tolerant, advanced, multi-cultural, and welcoming home that can be found on the face of this earth. There is a reason why millions aspire to be Americans day in and out, and it is beyond just economics. And as I have said on my op-eds several times, pointing out a flaw has nothing to do with allegiance and love for a nation. Fronting that argument has the same problematic nationalism behind it which might undo the human race soon.
I write the above here to point out just one example of the wasted opportunity for the humankind. We have figured out a path into space, but not through the borders here in this earth, even in the most advanced, resourceful, of nations.
When I started writing this book I wanted to bring the human stories of acculturation following immigration into a new country, especially of the disadvantaged sections of the society, into light to identify the motivations and limitations borders cause. Then, as immigration to the US and immigration as a concept became a target in face of rising nationalism worldwide (the recent headlines in the US on H1B, H4, zero tolerance to name a few renderings of the same), the book slowly morphed into a manuscript exploring social issues in the US (e.g. Black Lives Matter, isolation, bias) and the interplay of immigrants in such narratives. This book, through connected stories of people who have both legally and illegally immigrated to the US and have either chosen to stay or return, looks into all the dilemma and discontent around immigration through personal stories with one goal: through the struggles and ambitions that are very similar no matter who we are, recognition of humanity. The most beautiful thing that traversing national borders did for me is clearing me of the baseless associations that were limiting me from opening my heart. I wrote this to celebrate human race through an understanding of immigration using that learning because we need to reach the realization as a race that we have much bigger issues to deal with than borders.
- Tanushree Ghosh, From An-Other Land
About the Author
Tanushree Ghosh currently works in the technology sector in the US. She has a Doctorate in Chemistry from Cornell University, has worked at the Brookhaven National Laboratories and is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Presidency College Calcutta. She is also a social activist and writer. Her blog posts, op-eds, poems, and stories are in an effort to provoke thoughts, especially towards issues concerning women and social justice. She has been a regular contributor for the Huffington Post US and has published several posts on topics that affect the under-represented and lesser privileged, whether that's a population, a nation, or an individual. She is also a regular contributor to several popular media and e-zines (incl. The Logical Indian, Youth Ki Awaaz, The Women's Web, The Tribune, Thrive Global and Café Dissensus with her own segment called Black Light (satiric short fiction on social causes)). Her literary resume also includes poems and stories featured in national and international magazines (including Words Pauses and Noises, UK; TUCK, Glimmer Train honorable mention) and inclusion in seven anthologies (through winning national and international contests) including Defiant Dreams (Oprah 2016 reading list placeholder) and The Best Asian Short Stories 2017 (published out of Singapore by Kitaab).
She has held different leadership roles in International non-profits and has affiliations with several women's organizations. She is also the founder and director of Her Rights (herrights.website), a 501(3) c non-profit committed to furthering the cause of gender equality and supporting victims of gender violence. She has served on several leadership panels (both corporate and non-profit) and is often an invited speaker or panelist speaking on gender roles, the workplace for women, navigating biases and cultures, and resilience through pursuing inner causes.
She can be connected with through her social media handles (@thoughtsnrights, twitter) or at thoughtsandrights.com
