Transcendentalism in Darjeeling

As I discussed in a post about Seva and may have implied in another post of Pranab, I sense strong hints of Transcendentalist ideas or morphisms of it in the book-- or at least, in revisiting Pranab's quote on page 294 when he describes himself to Sujata as a changed man who know looks at life objectively and through a different pair of eyes. He has accepted that being "ordinary" does not make him any less individual, and still let him become a part of something. In other words, he has found the balance between the Oversoul, and his own individual soul (which I forgot what it was called.) This is understandably connected to the fact that Transcendentalism, as I also mentioned in the first post (unless I didn't) is based off some ideas in Hinduism.

Emerson's belief that we should examine ourselves through nature is re-imagined through the power of food in the story, as the food cooked by Jahar brings out his soul-- he speaks through how he tweaks his food to his own liking. Also, food revives memories of the past for all the characters, allowing them to reflect back on their past and look at it with a new pair of eyes.The food gives the opportunity for the characters to ruminate, it indicates the passage of time as the characters grow, especially Aloka, Sujata, and Pranab. As they go on, the food change meaning along with them, signifying the flux of personal viewpoints within transcendentalism, which encourages personal growth and constant flux.

It should also be noted that, though this is definitely a bit much, that there are parts where the characters compare themselves or their situations to that of deity, namely Nina, who often prays to the gods and compares herself to them throughout he book, often asking them for forgiveness as she feels responsible for having torn apart the family, even though part of it was due to the anger of Bir, The Gupta sisters' now-deceased father. Then again, this could mainly be a more cultural aspect about religion and being able to atone for your sins, namely, that is, if you are Hindu, if you would like to seek out a better next life.

But back to transcendentalism. This could also go back into Jahar and Aloka's relationship, if Jahar is seen as a symbol for Aloka's heart or spirit. The fact that Aloka gradually comes to accept as she develops and matures as a characters demonstrates her inner growth in a more... well, human form. By rekindling a romance with Jahar, it seems like she is bonding even more closely with her inner spirit in order to get in better touch with herself, instead of pursuing aliases like Parveen and Seva.