The skilful use of hybridity and its use to signpost diverse kinds of negotiations between binaries in

Amitav Ghosh's novel The Hungry Tide.

Ans :- In The Hungry Tide, Amitav Ghosh seamlessly blends elements of history, politics, folklore and
ecology. It deals with cultural exploration and clash of different indentities which results in Hybridity.

All the three protagonists of the novel - Piya, Kanai and Fokir comes from different background. Piyali
Roy despite being Bengali, is an American. Her parents moved to Seattle when she was a year old.
Elements of diaspora comes into play which is equal to hybridity. Fokir is a fisherman who represents
the voice of the nature. Kanai becomes a translator for Piya and Fokir initially. Translation becomes a
center metaphor of communication in a hybrid world.

Kanai knows six languages 'not including dialects'. Ghosh himself was a translator and a multilingual. In
one of his interviews, he said "I think in many languages." Kanai works as a translator and an interpreter
in Delhi. People who translates, brings in their own knowledge and experiences which often results in
hybridity.

The novel, itself, is written in a mixture of languages. Ghosh has creatively inserted Bengali words into
the text - 'are moshai', 'mashima', 'ãchol'. In chapter one, Kanai reads his uncle's writing. Though it is
written in English, the readers are asked to imagine Kanai reading it in Bengali. Nirmal uses an English
translated verse from a German poet, Rainer Maria Rilke to describe the reality of Sundarbans : " we,
who have always thought of joy [..] / when a happy thing falls". An unexpected bridge is established
here between distant worlds.

Sundarbans, called 'Bhatir Desh' by the natives, serves as a tourist spot for people from different
parts of the world. This results in intermingling of cultures. Piya's work as a cetologist brings her to
Sundarbans for the survey of Gangetic and Irrawaddy dolphines. Nilima is able to built the Badabon
Trust in such a place despite "coming from family that are notable for it's attachment to the creative
comforts".

The British Colonization played an important role in the hybridity of the country. Kanai keeps using the
word 'Calcutta' instead of 'Kolkata' while speaking in English. The names of the places are a mixture of
english and Bengali words like Lusibari, Annpur, Emilybari. Piya finds these names strange. Kanai explains
her the literal meaning : 'Lusibari just means "Lucy's House".' Piya being a 'hybrid' have to keep facing
such cultural shocks time to time. She has to locate herself in the conversation as per her identity.
However, Piya's job requires her to talk less and she uses display cards to communicate with the
natives.

In the Sundarbans, a Mohona is where several waterways that divide the islands meet : " There are no
borders here to divide fresh water from salt, river from sea. " This mixing of different waterbodies is
another example of hybridity.

If we look at the bigger picture, the hardships and disasters of people of Sundarbans is intertwined
with the "Morichjhapi incident".
Every character is able to provide some specific insights - Piya brings her understanding of the
ecosystem, Kanai his linguistic expertise, Nirmal, his political and poetic wisdom, Fokir as an experienced
native. This allows the readers to get a diverse knowledge of Sundarbans.

Thus, The Hungry Tide is an excellent example of Amitav Ghosh's use of hybridity. Ghosh focuses on
areas and cultural networks by hybridity. Despite the background being Sundarbans, Ghosh provides an
outsider's perspectives for the readers instead of showing the novel through the lens of a native. For
Piya, India is as foreign as any other country, similarly Kanai is also an outsider but him having past
experience as a child.

Pretty Narjinary

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