Aai and Ashima: Subaltern Suffering and Diasporic SilencesinTwoMarginalized Voices in Baburao Bagul's Mother and JhumpaLahiri'sThe Name sake

Abstract

This paper explores the nuanced portrayal of subaltern sufferinganddiasporic silences through two marginalized female voices Aai in BaburaoBagul’sshort story Mother and Ashima in Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel The Namesake. Althoughsituated in distinct socio-cultural and temporal contexts postcolonial rural Indiaandthe contemporary Indian-American diaspora both characters embody thelayeredexperiences of gendered marginalization, emotional isolation, andcultural displacement. Through a comparative analysis grounded in subalternstudies, feminist theory, and diaspora criticism, the study interrogates the intersectionsofcaste, gender, migration, and silence. Baburao Bagul’s Mother is a story of faminevoiceless ness shaped by systemic caste oppression and maternal grief. Thiscontrasts with Ashima’s subdued resistance to diasporic alienation andcultural estrangement. Yet, their silent endurance emerges as a form of agency those subvertsdominant narratives. This paper argues that Aai and Ashima, despitetheircontrasting backdrops, exemplify the silenced yet resilient subjectivities of womennegotiating the peripheries of their worlds. By illuminating these voices, the researchcalls for a broader literary and critical engagement with the quiet resistancesofmarginalized women across geographies and histories.