NEW DELHI: With Partition literature in English almost entirely focusing on the division of Punjab, US-based author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni says she always wanted to honour the stories left out of it, especially those of the shock and horror of Direct Action Day and the Noakhali killings.
After she completed her novel, “The Last Queen”, about Maharani Jindan Kaur, who in the 1840s fought with all her might against the British to preserve the kingdom of Punjab, of which she was the last queen – but she was unsuccessful, largely due to treachery among her nobles and generals, Divakaruni wanted to continue the story.
“It was a heroic but tragic story, and I was depressed after I finished it. I felt the need to continue the story, to write another book in which India finally becomes free of the colonial yoke and the British are forced to leave,” the author told PTI in an interview.
And that book became “Independence”, Divakaruni’s new offering which brings to life the sweeping story of three sisters – Priya, Deepa and Jamini – caught up in events of Partition beyond their control, their unbreakable bond, and their incredible struggle against powerful odds.
Asked about the accounts of loss and heroism from Bengal almost absent in mainstream Partition narrative in English, she said, “What you point to is very true and was in the back of my mind as I researched and wrote Independence. I, too, had felt this lack while reading Partition literature in English.”
Growing up in Kolkata, Divakaruni had known elders who had participated in the freedom struggle.
Her own maternal grandfather (on whom the character of Nabakumar is based, to some extent) had told her stories, especially of the “shock and horror” of Direct Action Day and the Noakhali killings.
“I wanted to honour these stories which had been left out of the Partition narrative. I wanted to remind readers of heroines like Matangini Hazra, an illiterate woman who possessed great courage and fought for freedom until she was shot to death while marching, carrying the Indian flag, at the age of 72,” she said.
Author of over 20 books including “Mistress of Spices”, “Sister of My Heart”, “Oleander Girl”, “Before We Visit the Goddess” and “Palace of Illusions”, migration dominated the early part of the author’s writing.
And then she seemed to have found her own voice with women characters from mythology and history – startling reimagining of Draupadi and Sita, Rani Jind Kaur and now the three sisters in “Independence”, published by HarperCollins India.
On whether she thinks she should have explored the historical novel genre much earlier, Divakaruni said, “I had to grow into the books I have been writing recently, with their larger canvas and historical depth. I started with my own experience and the life I saw around me, and that was important, too.”
“My ‘immigrant’ books gave voice to many women like me who felt at once elated at their newfound freedom and bereft of home and culture. It was only after coming to terms with our collective present (including incidents of racism and misogyny) that I could really delve into the past – the rich mythology, the chequered history, and the strong women who peopled both. I could not have written books like ‘Palace of Illusions’ or ‘Independence’ before that,” she adds.
Divakaruni spent the first two decades of her life in India and has been travelling back and forth regularly since then.
“So, I have some continued familiarity with the culture and many friends with whom I can discuss matters of common interest. I try to keep up with the political and social situation as well. Because of my activist work in the field of domestic violence, I am in touch with several women’s groups,” she said.
Divakaruni also makes it a point to read fiction being written in India and most of all, she talks to as many Indians from different backgrounds as she can and listens intently to their stories.
“I do my best to research carefully and responsibly, to understand mythological characters such as Draupadi and Sita, and to write, without an agenda, the truth as I see it. Even still, I am sure there are many gaps in my understanding and writing. For that reason, I work closely with my Indian editors, including cultural specialists, and listen carefully to their suggestions to improve accuracy. Perhaps most of all, the writing works because I love India – but with a clear sighted, complicated love,” she said.
Divakaruni feels grateful that her readers and reviewers have been so positive towards her.
She said she is not a particularly social person and avoids large gatherings and only travels when she must because of work.
“In fact, my daily life is rather uneventful – and I love keeping it that way. It gives me long stretches of writing time,” she said.
Her daily life in Houston is very quiet – her meditation practice, her teaching (Creative Writing at the University of Houston), her writing, her family, her gym visits and her activist work.
Divakaruni is currently working on a nonfiction biography, a first for her.
“I’m learning a great deal about working in this new genre. I hope it will be at once truthful, exciting and inspiring,” she said, without divulging more.
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