Published Paper Details:

Diasporic literature has always been associated with the loss of identity, the quest for self, nostalgia, and uprootedness from culture and tradition. Home away from home has always been difficult, and now in this 21st century with all the technological advances, it still feels the same. With all these developments in science and technology, it is not always easy to come back to our homeland. With all the adjustments made by us away from home, we somewhere try to create our own identity in a new land. On the verge of creating our own identity, we tend to lose ourselves more. Diasporic writers such as Kiran Desai, Rohinton Mistry, V.S. Naipaul, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni have spoken about identity loss, and their stories are always about identifying and creating one's own identity. The Mistress of Species (1997) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the story of Tilo and her transformation into Maya, where she identifies herself. This paper will focus on the journey of Tilo and her experiences with other characters who are all lost in a foreign land. The magical effects of the spices helped the characters deal with their problems. When Tilo stepped out of her store to assist someone, she broke free from the chains tied to her which represents the society and the role of women who are always guided by society. It is true that in today's time we have come far away from these situations, but doesn't it still feel the same when a woman suddenly does something that she was not expected to do? Globalisation has made us all come together and has helped us to reach a post-modern world, but still creating our own identities and discovering ourselves will always be a continuation for all the upcoming generations.