Migratory Impulses_ Examining the Journey from Gun Island to Real-life Contexts Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh
1. Department of English
Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University
Date: 1 April 2024
Sem 4। Batch 2022-24
Contemporary English Literature
Presentation on
Migratory Impulses: Examining the
Journey from Gun Island to Real-life
Contexts
Presented by Bhavyata Kukadiya
3. Name: Bhavyata Kukadiya
Roll No: 4 Enrollment No: 4069206420220018
Sem: 4
Paper Name: Contemporary Literatures in English
Paper Number: 207 Code : 22414
Topic: Migratory Impulses: Examining the Journey from Gun
Island to Real-life Contexts
Submitted to:Smt S.B Gardi ,Department of English, M.K.B.U.
E- mail: bhavyatakukadiya@gmail.com
4. TABLE OF CONTENTS
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About Amitav
Ghosh
About Gun Island
What Is Migration? Major Reasons
Of Migration
Migration in Gun
Island
Migration in
Contemporary
Time
07
Conclusion
5. Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh is a celebrated Indian author and recipient of
numerous prestigious literary awards. Born in Calcutta and raised in
India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, Ghosh has penned many
acclaimed novels including The Circle of Reason, The Shadow Lines,
The Calcutta Chromosome, The Glass Palace, The Hungry Tide, and
the Ibis Trilogy comprising Sea of Poppies, River of Smoke, and
Flood of Fire. His works have won major honors like the Prix
Médicis, Sahitya Akademi Award, Ananda Puraskar, Arthur C.
Clarke award, and Crossword Book Prize. Ghosh's nonfiction book
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable was
published in 2016. His writing has been translated into over 30
languages and he has served on juries of film festivals like Locarno
and Venice. Among Ghosh's many accolades are the Padma Shri
from the President of India in 2007, the 2018 Jnanpith Award (India's
highest literary honor - the first for an English author), and the 2024
Erasmus Prize.
6. Brief Introduction Of the Novel
• Gun Island is a 2019 novel by famous Indian author Amitav Ghosh
• The story follows a book dealer named Dinanath "Deen" Dutta
• Deen finds an old pamphlet about a merchant's adventures in the Indian Ocean
• This makes Deen curious and he goes on a long journey across the world
• On the journey, Deen hears many old stories and folk tales
• The tales are about mighty floods in the past and the Sundarbans region
• The stories are woven together with issues like climate change
• The novel connects myths/legends with real-world environmental threats
• It uses the device of a quest/adventure to explore serious modern topics
• Ghosh's narrative jumps between different times, places and storylines
• This puzzling, non-linear style builds mystery and symbolism in the novel
• Gun Island uses clever storytelling techniques to discuss migration and nature
7. According To cambridge dictionary ,”the process of a person or people
travelling to a new place or country, usually in order to find work and live
there temporarily or permanently.”(“MIGRATION | English meaning -
Cambridge Dictionary”)
“to move from one country, place, or locality to another”
French or Latin; French, from Latin migration-, migratio, from migratus (past
participle of migrare to migrate ( Merriam-Webster.com)
Migration is the movement of people from one place to another, to settle in a
new location. Migration can be voluntary or involuntary and can occur for a
variety of different reasons, including economic, environmental and social
issues.
What Is Migration ?
8. Major Reasons of Migration
● Social and political factors
Persecution based on ethnicity, religion, race, politics, or culture often forces people to leave
their country, especially due to war, conflict, or government mistreatment.
● Demographic and economic causes
Changes in population and economics affect where people move. People often leave places
with few job opportunities or poor living conditions and go where they can find better jobs and live
better lives. If things get worse where they are, more people might decide to move to places with
more opportunities.
● Environmental and climate migration
The environment can make people move when there are natural disasters like floods or
hurricanes. Climate change is making these disasters worse, so more people might have to leave
their homes.
(“Exploring migration causes: why people migrate | Topics | European Parliament”)
9. Migration In Gun Island
In the Novel Amitav Ghosh talks about how people and animals move from one place to another.
Sometimes, entire communities have to leave their homes because of disasters like floods or storms.
Ghosh mentions a big storm called cyclone Aila that happened in 2009 in the Sundarbans. This storm
made a lot of people and animals have to find new places to live.
Lubna Khala's world was shattered when a devastating cyclone and shifting tides not only destroyed her
home and livelihood but also claimed the lives of her beloved brother and niece due to a fatal snakebite,
leaving her to lament,
"Shob gasé! Everything's gone now."
One day there was a big fight between Bilal's family members. His uncle and cousins attacked Bilal and his
father. Kabir came to defend them and knocked down Bilal's uncle. After that, it became like a riot. Bilal and
Kabir managed to escape, but from then on, they had to keep running and moving from one place to
another to stay safe.
“One day there was a fight. My uncle and cousins attacked my father and me, so Kabir came to our
defence and knocked my uncle down. After that it was like a riot. Kabir and I managed to get away, but from
then on, we had to be constantly on the run.”
Tipu and Rafi faced extreme poverty in the Sundarbans, leading them to undertake a perilous journey. Rafi narrated,
"After spending two weeks in Dhaka, a agent put us on a minibus with other men. We each carried
only a backpack with some clothes, a little food, and around $250, hoping to escape the hardships of our life
in the Sundarbans." (Ghosh, Amitav)
10. Palash migrated to Italy as a student, highlighting that wealth, education, and
opportunities can also drive migration. Unlike many Bengali migrants from villages and
small towns, Palash came from a privileged background in Dhaka, with a banker
father, a high-ranking civil servant brother, and a university degree that allowed him to
work as a manager in a multinational corporation before pursuing further studies
abroad.
'I came to Italy as a student, you see, which sets me apart from most
Bengali migrants. Back in Bangladesh, my circumstances were
completely different from theirs. Most of them are from villages and
small towns, while my father is a banker, in Dhaka. My older brother
is a civil servant, quite high up. I studied at Dhaka University and
even have a degree in management. For some years I worked as a
manager in a multinational corporation. I used to go to work in a car
every day, wearing a suit and tie.'
12. The data shows that in Punjab, around 600 registered cases related to unsuccessful irregular
migration attempts are reported annually on average over the last 10 years. However, the years
2011 and 2007 saw significantly higher numbers of registered cases, with 822 and 804 cases
respectively. A possible reason for the high number in 2011 could be increased efforts by the
police, judiciary, and media in identifying and highlighting such instances, leading to more cases
being registered.
13. There's been a big deal about Indians trying to go to the United States without permission. The
Minister of State for External Affairs said that nearly 1 lakh Indians were caught trying to enter
illegally this year. That's a huge jump from just around 1,500 ten years ago.
14. Most people who enter the United States illegally do so from the southwest border with Mexico. In
2023, about 77% of them were caught there, while only about 6% were caught at the northern border
with Canada. This includes Indian migrants too, but more and more of them are now choosing to come
through the northern border. In 2014, less than 100 Indians entered that way, but by 2023, it was over
30,000, almost the same as those coming from the southwest border.
Even though more Indians are trying to
enter the United States illegally, they still
make up a very small part of all the people
trying to do this. Most illegal migrants are
from Mexico. But recently, the number of
Mexican migrants has gone down. Even
with the increase in Indians, they only make
up about 3% of all the people trying to
cross the U.S. border illegally.
15. Illegal Immigration Crisis in Manipur:
Ethnic Clashes and Government
Response
Manipur government capturing biometric data of
illegal immigrants from Myanmar
Training to local officials in Manipur to address
clashes linked to illegal immigrants from
Myanmar.
Ethnic clashes in Manipur linked to Narco
terrorists
Rally participants aim to end ethnic conflict
Illegal Indian immigrants are blamed for the
Manipur crisis.
Over 160 killed in ethnic clashes in northeast
India
16. Rising Illegal Indian Immigration to UK: Causes and Concerns
Illegal Indian immigrants are a part of the UK's migration problem highlighted by Home Secretary
Suella Braverman.
Indians are the third largest group of migrants using small boats to cross the English Channel.
More Indians are coming to the UK illegally because they can travel through Serbia without visas.
This is made easier by international students.
17. Conclusion
Migration is a major human experience that happens for many different reasons like natural disasters,
violence, poverty, and seeking better opportunities. Amitav Ghosh's novel "Gun Island" explores these real-life
migration stories in an engaging way.
Through the journeys of characters like Lubna, Bilal, Tipu, Rafi and Palash, Ghosh shows how people are
forced to leave their homes due to cyclones, family conflicts, hardships in the Sundarbans region, and simply
wanting a better life.
By using creative storytelling techniques like jumping between time periods and blending facts with myths,
Ghosh makes readers think deeply about why migration happens and how it impacts people's lives.
The novel reminds us that migration is an ongoing challenge, as we still see many Indians attempting risky
illegal border crossings into the US and UK. Ghosh's powerful tale encourages us to have more compassion
for migrants and find responsible solutions to address this complex issue.
"Gun Island" brings the complex realities of migration to life through compelling human stories, provoking
greater understanding of this constant human movement in search of safety, dignity and opportunity.
18. Resources
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“Exploring migration causes: why people migrate | Topics | European Parliament.” European Parliament, 1 July 2020,
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https://amitavghosh.com/about/biography/. —-
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