Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Spring 2015
Journal
India in English
Abstract
This paper examines “un/authorized interjection,” written by Canadian author Renée Saklikar. The poem is part of a compilation titled Children of Air India, which deals primarily with the crash of Air India Flight 182 in 1985. “un/authorized interjection” is the only poem in the anthology that focuses on Inderjit Reyat, the bomber of Flight 182. The poem presents a juxtaposition of Reyat’s childhood and adulthood, which we analyze in the context of the larger narrative of Children of Air India. We argue that the author uses this focus to discuss the consequences of the attack and the extent to which it affected Canada. Aside from causing the suffering of the crash victims and their families, the attack also led to marginalization of the Canadian immigrant community and tarnished the historical reputation of the country as a welcoming, multicultural society. In addition, we also examine how the poem’s focus on Reyat presents a unique opportunity for those individuals especially affected by the event to come to terms with the Air India crash.