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A Zebra’s life

Theorising migration Actress Deepti Naval represented her father Uday C. Naval at the launch

Time never was when Man was not a migrant… Let’s therefore raise a toast to Man the Migrant – forevermore the builder of braver, newer worlds.”

These lines from “Striped Zebra – The Immigrant Psyche” carry the essence of the book as well as the inspiration behind it. Released at New Delhi’s India International Centre by Vylar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Affairs, recently the book, is co-authored by Uday C. Naval – former President of the Society of Indian Academics in America and professor of English and Linguistics at Lehman College – along with Soofia Hussain, professor of sociology at the State University of New York. Based on research done by the authors on the immigrant experience, the book finds its edge in statistics, facts and real life episodes. The striped zebra theory is the result of an empirical study administered to more than 700 students of varied ethnic and linguistic groups.

Uday Naval’s daughter and noted film actress Deepti Naval spoke on behalf of her father who was not present at the launch. She revealed that it was Naval’s fascination with the minds of immigrants and the instinct which made them want to explore other lands that led to the creation of the book. “Having been a product of Partition and again being uprooted and spending life in an alien land…he understood the pangs of being an immigrant. The book contains all the strife and tribulations he went through, as well as heart-warming stories of people refusing to give up,” she said. She felt, “It is a significant book for the youth who want to move abroad for studies or work. It will make them better prepared for the experience.”

Deepti explained her father’s striped zebra theory by using the concept of ‘seed’ values – the ones that the immigrant brings from the homeland and ‘feed’ values – the ones that are acquired in the host country. “These two value systems make them lead a parallel cultural life,” she stated.

Also present at the launch was Kiran Bedi, a school-time friend of Deepti. Bedi, who is involved in a number of activities at present – writing, television, radio, travelling and working with her two NGOs – said that migration could also be forced, as in the case of Hindus leaving Punjab during the 1980s.

Deepti revealed that her father was now working on his next book, a spiritual one named “Do Good.” Asked about her own work, she said that she was beginning the direction of her first film on the 22nd of this month. The movie, which moves around the relationship between a prostitute, a gay song writer and a disabled child, stars Manisha Koirala and Rajat Kapoor in the lead. It is imaginatively titled Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Char Aane Ki Baarish. She expressed her desire to make a movie which draws its script from her father’s book.

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