Tomski is taking account of a very traditional and common understanding of diaspora.

One of the main definitions is some sort of nostalgic longing for the ancestral home; this longing is usually a coping mechanism for the diasporing individuals. Leela -> does not wish to leave Bangalore or even the house; the house that her father-in-law died peacefully in. She feels in this moment that she too could die in this house. Having been uprooted and placed in Canada is very disrupting. She uses the home in India and Bangalore as a coping mechanism. Tomski is saying that diaspora very much relies on the imaginary and abstract; ex. The Sikh wish of Khalistan. Very much of what happens in the novel is based on the imaginary Khalistan. Connects back to Cynthia Sugars to the common idea of diaspora. Whole notion of Tomskis text is addressing diaspora. Tomski says the novel helps us see that there are other ways of thinking about diaspora.