Author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni talks on her bonding with Pulitzer-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri and taking up social causes...
US-based award-winning author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is someone who never shies away from donning several hats. Penning poetry, short stories and novels with élan, Chitra also teaches creative writing at the University of Houston, conducts story writing workshops and is on the board of Pratham at Houston, an organisation that helps provide literacy to many Indian children.
Committed to her work and her other passions, Chitra admits that it is the familial ties that binds her with other Indian-origin writers including Jhumpa Lahiri. Chitra says while she and Jhumpa live and work in different cities and hence can’t meet each other as often as they would have liked, they know each other quite well, interacting closely on the panels of literary festivals around the world.
She says, “When we speak socially, we don’t talk about writing or publishing. Jhumpa and I discuss issues like family and raising children.”
However, when it comes to her works, the issues that she raises stem from the two cultures that she is close to and aware about — Indian and American. She says, “My novels often span across both countries since these are the two cultures I know and I am interested in how the two interact and affect each other. This is true of Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart etc, where people from India come to live in the US and face challenges and a new world of opportunities.”
However, in her most recent novel, One Amazing Thing, Chitra sets herself a different kind of challenge. She says, “I wanted to create characters from many racial backgrounds who all want to come to India for different reasons. As we hear their stories, we get a multi-faceted view of what India means to people of different ages and places.”
Chitra also works closely with associations working against domestic violence like Maitri and Daya, based in San Francisco and Houstan, respectively.
She says, “My work in this field has affected my life and writing, but I try to keep the influence controlled. I don’t write about domestic violence directly, but I do write about strong women overcoming odds.”
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