SOURCE: Gaur, June. “Beyond Personal History: Zulfikar Ghose's Confessions of a Native-Alien.” Literary Criterion 31, nos. 1-2 (1996): 63-70.

In the following review of Ghose's autobiography, Confessions of a Native-Alien, Gaur draws parallels between Ghose's feelings of displacement and alienation and the diaspora of people from lands that were once part of India, as well as Indian nationals who live abroad.

My first strategy was to be excused the trial: I wasn't a voluntary participant and why, I asked, should I imperil my existence. …

It was worse than making a fool of oneself in a quiz game on T.V. For which the prize was a microwave oven. …

(From “The Counter-Riddle” by Zulfikar Ghose)

Almost anybody who has had the temerity to talk about a book in the presence of its author, will appreciate what is like to be in such a situation. Zulfikar Ghose himself was somewhat apologetic—“Lord...