Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Blog, page 2

A Poem to Celebrate Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day to all of you!

This year I've been thinking, more than ever before, about what makes a good father. Perhaps this is because my newest novel, Independence, set in 1940s India, at the height of the country's freedom struggle, has 2 strong father characters, Nabakumar and Somnath, who support my three heroines in unique and important ways.

What is it that makes a good father? I'm sure the answers are many. To celebrate Father’s Day, I'd like to showcase a tender & beautifully written poem by Clint Smith, titled "Waiting on a Heartbeat," that gives us one answer. It is addressed to his yet-unborn child. (Scroll down for the full poem.)

Please check out this talented poet's collection, Above Ground, from which this poem is taken.

I would love it if you share your favorite poem on parenthood with me.

WAITING ON A HEARTBEAT

— Clint Smith

the doctor says you are there       even though we cannot hear you       & you know what they say about the tree       falling in the forest       & i know i have never heard a tree       i could not see       but i have seen trees i could not hear       little one       are you the tree or the forest or the sound we cannot hear       perhaps you are all three       you are half the size of a fingernail they say       & every time i hear that       i look down at my cuticles       & imagine you sitting there telling me it’s okay       there is nothing       to worry about       there is joy in being a father to a mystery       there is grace in watching the lilac       & knowing its petals will not expand before your eyes       only after you have left       & you little one are my daily reminder       that you do not go to a botanical garden to watch the flowers grow       you go to give thanks for what has already blossomed

Lilac Sprig

Poem to Celebrate Father's Day

Happy Father’s Day to all of you!

This year I've been thinking, more than ever before, about what makes a good father. Perhaps this is because my newest novel, Independence, set in 1940s India, at the height of the country's freedom struggle, has 2 strong father characters, Nabakumar and Somnath, who support my three heroines in unique and important ways.

What is it that makes a good father? I'm sure the answers are many. To celebrate Father’s Day, I'd like to showcase a tender & beautifully written poem by Clint Smith, titled "Waiting on a Heartbeat," that gives us one answer. It is addressed to his yet-unborn child. (Scroll down for the full poem)

Please check out this talented poet's collection, Above Ground, from which this poem is taken.

I would love it if you share your favorite poem on parenthood with me.

WAITING ON A HEARTBEAT

— Clint Smith

the doctor says you are there       even though we cannot hear you       & you know what they say about the tree       falling in the forest       & i know i have never heard a tree       i could not see       but i have seen trees i could not hear       little one       are you the tree or the forest or the sound we cannot hear       perhaps you are all three       you are half the size of a fingernail they say       & every time i hear that       i look down at my cuticles       & imagine you sitting there telling me it’s okay       there is nothing       to worry about       there is joy in being a father to a mystery       there is grace in watching the lilac       & knowing its petals will not expand before your eyes       only after you have left       & you little one are my daily reminder       that you do not go to a botanical garden to watch the flowers grow       you go to give thanks for what has already blossomed

Lilac Sprig

Dates to reserve: Jaipur Literature Festival, USA 2023 and India 2024

Friends,

Many of you have been asking me about upcoming the upcoming Jaipur Literature Festivals, in USA and in India.

First, I want to say that JLF India is an amazing experience, well worth the time, expense and effort. You will meet world-famous authors as well as young talent there, along with music and dance performances, in a magical historic city. Last year, over 450 writers spoke at this event, and over 100,000 people attended it. I was honored to be invited to present my new novel, Independence. Later, I was delighted to learn that it was the #1 Bestselling fiction title of the festival!

DIVAKARUNI DISCUSSES INDEPENDENCE WITH WRITER AANCHAL MALHOTRA AT JAIPUR LIT FEST 2023

For those who have not read the novel, it is the story of three sisters who navigate the exciting and turbulent 1940s in India, when the country was battling to free itself from the British yoke. My heroines learn the price that one must pay for independence—both as a nation and as an individual. I wove into this historical novel several family stories told to me by my mother and my grandfather.

AMAZON (USA) BOOKSHOP AMAZON (INDIA)

The dates for the upcoming Jaipur Literature Festival in India are: February 1-5, 2024. Please note that hotels in the area get booked well in advance. To learn more about the festival, to register to attend, to and watch videos of past events, go to their website.

For those of you in USA who love literature but can’t make it all the way to Jaipur, no worries! JLF will be presenting wonderful programs in 2023 in New York (Sept 11-13), Houston (Sept 15-16) and Boulder, Colorado (Sept 21-23). Yes, they have invited me to present Independence at all three venues, so if you are in the area, please come and say hello.

DIVAKARUNI AFTER HER EVENT AT THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB, NEW YORK, 2022, WITH HUSBAND MURTHY AND SURAJ DHINGRA, JLF ORGANIZER AND TEAMWORK ARTS VICE PRESIDENT

Please consider supporting JLF, a wonderful nonprofit that continues to bring readers and writers together and to promote literacy and the love of reading across the world. Donation details are on their website.

Be well. Keep reading.

Chitra

NEWSLETTER: JUNE 2023

Hello, Friends!

I'm delighted to share with you the news that my new novel, Independence, has been optioned for a film by Temple Hill Entertainment. It's a long way, though, between an option and an actual film, so please send the book some good-luck wishes!

Both Amazon (USA) and Amazon (India) currently have  Independence on a special sale, 43% off in USA and 35% off in India. I'm passing on the information in case you--or any of your friends--are interested. Here are the links:

                             Amazon (USA)  and Amazon (India)

You probably noticed that the covers in the two countries are very different. It is always a mystery to me as to why a certain publisher designs a particular cover. If you have any ideas, let me know! 

Which of these covers is your favorite?

I was invited by Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia to give the 2023 Jagdish Sheth Lecture in Indian Studies--a big honor. They asked me to speak about Independence and the Freedom Struggle in India, including my own family's involvement. Here is the link to the talk. 

For the event, I wore a kantha embroidered saree. (The same one in the photo below, which I wore at the inauguration for the novel at Jaipur Literature Festival.) This particular folk art is important in the novel and enables my heroines to survive when the family falls on hard times.

Of special interest to Book Club members: The Reading Guide for Independence, with discussion questions, is now available here, on the HarperCollins site. I hope you like it and find it helpful. 

The audiobook of Independence is now out. You can listen to a sample here.

I was also invited to be the keynote speaker at the Akshaya Patra fundraiser in Boston. It was a big honor--and we raised a good amount of money to feed midday meals to schoolchildren in India. In many families, this meal is the main reason why children are allowed to remain in school rather than being put to work at a young age. You can find more information on Akshaya Patra here. An added bonus: I met many fans at the gala. Below is a photo with three sisters. Thanks to Anu Chitrapu for the photo.

I love seeing photos of readers with my books, so please send them to me on Facebook or Twitter, and let me know if you are OK with me re-posting them. 

And finally: Parenthood. A topic that I find endlessly fascinating and love exploring in my books. There's so much complexity in that relationship.  So here's a poem for all of you parents--and all of you who are children. (I guess that covers everyone!) I hope you enjoy it. 

Goodbye until next time, and please keep in touch over social media. I am on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and I love hearing from my readers.

Chitra

I love the poems of Emily Dickinson. At once simple and d...

I love the poems of Emily Dickinson. At once simple and deep. This one, in particular, spoke to me.

Amazing Memory: Launching my novel Independence at Jaipur Lit Fest

Many readers have been asking me to describe the book launch at the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, in January 2023, of Independence, my newest novel about three sisters who navigate the turbulent times of India’s freedom struggle and decolonization—and in that process realize what independence really means. Here is a snippet about that memorable day from an informal diary I kept!

Sunday, January 22, 2023: Today my new novel, Independence, will be inaugurated at the Jaipur Literature Festival! I dress in a black sari with kantha embroidery (kantha is of great significance to my novel, as this art often allowed women (particularly in Bengal) to become financially independent), and hurry to the huge Front Lawn stage. I have a moment of panic. What if no one shows up? But thankfully, the seats are full; people are even standing in the back. Sudha Murty graciously inaugurates my book. Aanchal Malhotra conducts a conversation, asking incisive questions about how Partition affected Bengal, where the book is set, and about the three sisters who are my main characters. I speak about the importance of spotlighting women protagonists, particularly in novels depicting tumultuous historical times. I discuss how important women freedom fighters (such as Sarojini Naidu, who is a crucial figure in this novel) have been largely forgotten by history.

The long line at book signing takes well over an hour. Many of my readers are young women. In addition to Independence, they carry battered copies of Palace of Illusions and tell me how the book made them see their lives in a different way. I am grateful and humbled.

Audience at the book launch of Independence (partial view)

With Young readers at Jaipur Lit Fest

To read the entire diary, go to Khabar Magazine: A Beloved Author’s Journey

Amazon bookshop Amazon India

In honor of Mother's Day: Mothers in my Books

With Mother’s Day coming up, I would like to share with you some of the mothers in my novels. First is the heroic Sita in Forest of Enchantments. She is one of the earliest single mothers in literature. When she is abandoned in a forest due to no fault of her own, she brings up her sons Lav and Kush by herself, with grace, courage and intelligence. This book recasts the stories of the epic, the Ramayana, from a woman’s viewpoint.

Next is The Last Queen, the true story of Maharani Jindan, the last queen of Punjab, who rules her kingdom with feisty courage after her husband Maharajah Ranjit Singh’s death. A most unusual woman for her time, the 1800s, she dispenses with the veil, speaks directly to the army, and makes crucial political decisions. This historical novel shows us how a mother’s love for her young son and her determination to preserve his heritage gives her the strength to fight the British until her last breath.

In the Queen of Dreams, we move into the territory of magical realism with a mother who can interpret dreams and sometimes see into the future, and a daughter who longs for the same gift but does not possess it. The book also focuses on the racism experienced by the South Asian community in USA in the wake of 9/11. There is a granddaughter here, too—and as the novel progresses, we discover that she may be the most powerful possessor of this gift.

As you might guess, I love writing about 3 generations, and that’s what I’ve done in Before We Visit the Goddess, too. It is the tale of a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter, and how they connect across the world and across the generations in unexpected ways. An important theme in the book is traditions, both good and bad, and how we carry them into the future. Set in USA and India, the book is full of recipes, especially of the world-famous sweets of Bengal, which is the part of India I come from.

If you’ve read any of these books, I’d love to know your thoughts. If you haven’t, I hope you’ll consider picking them up.

Upcoming Events in the Atlanta Area, April 16 and 18, 2023

Friends, please join me for these 2 FREE Georgia Events, April 16 and 18, 2023. Please share the news with people you know in the area. Thanks.

Sheth Lecture in Indian Studies: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, a discussion of Independence. SUNDAY, APRIL 16, 2023, 4 – 6:30 PM, at Carlos Museum, Emory University Campus,

Forsyth Reads Together: One Amazing Thing. Tuesday, April 18, 7 PM, at the Forsyth conference Center. 3410 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Cumming, GA 30041. A discussion of Divakaruni’s One Amazing Thing. The organizers request you to register here: https://www.forsythpl.org/event/7930511

I Dream of Sita

My novel about the Ramayana is about to come out soon in India. In January 2019, to be precise.

It’s written in Sita’s voice.

I’ve been planning this book for about ten years, ever since my novel on the Mahabharat, The Palace of Illusions, was published. It’s the longest I’ve ever spent obsessing over a book.

I was very excited when I finally figured out the title, The Forest of Enchantments. A title is so importance. It creates a tone. A mood. A pattern of light and sound.

I’m excited, but I’m also nervous. You never know how people will respond to something you hold so close to your heart.

The Indian Express asked me, Why Sita?

Here’s my answer:

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/from-darkness-into-light-5431633/

Let me know what you think.

PS. I’ll be touring India in Jan 2019. City details are on this website, under Upcoming Events. I’d love to see you at an event. Really. I’m nervous when I travel and it’s helpful to have friendly, positive people at the readings. If you attend, be sure to come up and say hello.

Just Joined Instagram as @divakarunichitra. Advice, Anyone?

I recently joined Instagram as @divakarunichitra and have posted a few items: books, quotations, recipes, favorite poems, writing tips, funny snippets, and sneak-peeks into my life. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

I’d love to get some advice from readers/friends/fellow-writers about how to get better at it.

Hoping to hear from you!