The Forest of Enchantments

by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Red. But of course. How else could I write my story except in the colour of menstruation and childbirth, the colour of the marriage mark that changes women’s lives, the colour of the flowers of the Ashoka tree

Beautiful

I was stung by jealousy. Some of the jealousy was of the bond between the brothers, but mostly it was jealousy of the freedom given to men to go wherever they wanted in the wide world.

wanted to say, not all women are weak and helpless like you think. For all you know, I might be of help to you.

I knew now that love—no matter how deep—wasn’t enough to transform another person: how they thought, what they believed. At best, we could only change ourselves.

You’ve seen me. You’ve seen that I’m