Lahiri Rejects 'Mother Tongue,' Embraces Linguistic Fluidity

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri has declared she has no mother tongue, feeling perpetually outside of all languages. Her comments came during an event in New Delhi, marking her return to India's public stage after 12 years. Lahiri, born in London to Bengali parents and raised in the US, challenges the idea that identity must be tied to a single native language.

She advocates for linguistic fluidity and encourages writers to learn other languages as a radical act of crossing boundaries. While cautioning against linguistic domination and nationalism, Lahiri's own journey includes writing original works in Italian since around 2012. She relocated her family to Rome then, seeking freedom from the perceived "overbearing" perfection of her English works.

Lahiri also questioned the emphasis on belonging, suggesting life is a "positive drift" and a nomadic experience. She finds a sense of home not in a physical place or a specific nation, but carries elements of it with her, like a tortoise, finding solace in libraries, by the sea, and with friends.