One of the major points of Rushdies Imaginary Homelands is the idea of living in the past. But the difference between this essay and the other works we have read is that he isn’t necessarily sad about the past, he’s more nostalgic. In a lot of pop psychology and Buddhist literature, It is seen that one should only live in the present as living in the past will create a longing that’s not only not based in reality, but is also based from a biased point of view. In essence, you’re living in the past but that’s only in your head.  He also asks a paradoxical question. “What does it mean to be Indian outside of India?” It begs a question thstbRushdie is getting at, everything changes shape based on a point of view that can’t ever be touched, he’s being haunted by identity of past, and even though he doesnt see anythi g wrong with it, he’s self aware enough to know he’s only seeing it the way he wants to see the past.