M.K. Binodini Devi's Itamacha: Identity, Belonging and Cultural Hybridity

Abstract

Itamacha, a short story by M.K. Binodini Devi, provides a complicated examination of identity, cultural hybridity, and relocation in the socio-political context of post-merger Manipur. The story illustrates the conflicts between resistance and assimilation, rootedness and detachment, via the characters of Itamacha and her family. Whereas Kasturi represents isolation and defies assimilation into Meitei society, Mishralal represents emotional affiliation through ancestral memory and affinity to the Imphal river. Based on Howard S. Becker’s concept of the “outsider,” Stuart Hall’s conception of “living with difference,” and Homi K. Bhabha’s theory of hybridity, the narrative explores how migrant families maintain their social identity in spite of generational assimilation. From feminist perspectives, Kasturi's stance is complex which sees her disengagement as both exclusion and action. Her usage of Hindi echoes Gayatri Spivak's query about the subaltern's ability to communicate, a rejection that further solidifies her marginalisation. Heidegger's existentialist viewpoint, in which Mishralal's move represents an ontological break from his true reality, is further supported by the story. Ultimately, Itamacha reveals the precarious coexistence of diversity and identity in postcolonial countries while highlighting the ways in which memory, cultural practices, and daily disputes form belonging.