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'Living in the US is a complex experience'
San Francisco, 5 May 2001: With two novels, two poem collections and two collections of short stories, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (left) is one of the most visible South Asian writers today. Her most recent work The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories was released in bookstores last month. Divakaruni, who co-founded Maitri, a Bay Area-based women's resource organization, participated on The Rediff Chat on 23 April, 2001. She discussed her new book and those who influenced her writing.
Administrator : Hi folks, Chitra is here and she will be
logging on in a minute!
venu : Hello MadamHow do u do? Ms.
Divakaruni : great - bring on your questions!
ambikagarg : hi ! its a real pleasure to actually talk to
you.My favourite book was sister of my heart. Ms.
Divakaruni : thank you. it's such a pleasure when readers connect
to my work.
arpita : hi ms. how are you Ms.
Divakaruni : hello to all of you. i am glad to be chatting with
you all today.
Massey : Please tell us about ur meeting with Mani Ratnam
and what will his approach to the film be like? Ms.
Divakaruni : We haven't met,just communicated over e-mail. His
wife Suhasini is more involved with the film than him. She wrote the
screenplay.
phani : Hi Chitra. You seem to carry the mantle of writing
about immigrant indians from Bharti Mukerjee.Your stories and novels are
remarkable.But I wish u make them more humourous like the "wheat complexion and
pink cheeks" or the article u wrote in the Atlantic Review about the matrimonial
ads in 'Times of India'. Ms. Divakaruni : phani,at this
point in my fiction writing I am really interested in exploring the tragic
moments of our immigrant experience. but i hope to touch upon humorous issues in
a nonfiction book of essays soon.
Suresh : is anything cooking here? Ms.
Divakaruni : yeah sure. what's your question?
Suresh : or am i wasting my time? Ms.
Divakaruni : i am waiting for more questions.
Suresh : which part of India you from Chitdra? Ms.
Divakaruni : i am from calcutta. but i have lived in a number of
other cities because my father moved around a lot.
Phanir : But to a woman coming from India to the US,by the
way of marriage,doesn't the tragic tinge in your writings convey the point that
america is not a bed of roses and probably wud be led to believe that its more
of a travail to live in the US Ms. Divakaruni : i think the
writings convey that living in the U.S. is a complex experience. Certainly there
are happy moments in the stories and novels as well. For example, when people
fall in love or experience something new and exciting.
Suresh : havent read your book, will if it is
inspirational. Is it? Ms. Divakaruni : depends on what you
find inspirational. what i try to do in my writing is to make you empathize with
the joys and sorrows of characters whose lives maybe very different from yours.
as a reader i've always found that a growing experience.
gyptian : hey !! ... ive read ur books and loved it ... we
live in berkeleyand totally loved 'mistress of spices' Ms.
Divakaruni : thank you. i am really fond of the Bay Area. That and
Bengal are the two parts of the world I know best and I like to base my stories
around them.
Suresh : Where you at right now Chitra? Ms.
Divakaruni : i live in the san francisco area.
Suresh : Living is a complex experience
PERIOD!!!!! Ms. Divakaruni : that's right! that's why i feel
it wouldn't be accurate unless i showed both sides in my books.
Phanir : what are the suggestions you would give to the
aspiring young writers to write abt immigrant lives ? Ms.
Divakaruni : instead of advice, this is just sharing what i found
helpful. read a lot, especially other immigrant writers, also from cultures
other than south asian. i've found a lot of subjects and inspiration from people
like cristina garcia and toni morrison.
Suresh : u think she'd be ok at uc berkeley? Ms.
Divakaruni : i think your daughter will be fine. berkeley is a
great school, very concerned with current issues. she'll get an education both
in the classroom and outside because of all the campus activities that really
make you aware of what's going on in the world.
Phanir : It looks ,to me ,that most of your stories have
an autobiographical hue especially 'the silver pavement' because i was led to
belive that it has the emotional tone of somebody who has been there. Ms.
Divakaruni : many of my stories start with an idea based on an
incident that eithern happened to me or to people i know or something i read in
the papers, which i feel strongly about. none of them are specifically
autobiographical. but i do have to get inside the characters' skin to express
successfully what they are feeling.
gyptian : Are you involved in any kind of activism ? Do
you stay away from political situations ? I cant help asking ... Ms.
Divakaruni : yes i am very involved with maitri, a south asian
helpline for women in abusive situations. i co-founded the service in 1991. we
help women fight domestic violence as well as give them grants to go back to
school, get job training and start over.
Phanir : Were you influenced by writings of RK Narayan and
Marques south american writer? Ms. Divakaruni : yes i was
influenced by both although more than narayan, i was inspired by anita desai and
rohinton mistry.
dipsjoi : hi, read your first book arranged marriage,
reminded me of my days back in india especially in calcutta Ms.
Divakaruni : thank you. i am glad the book was able to recreate
that atmosphere for you.
Phanir : I sincerely wish you had a reading in the hub of
the universe and the seat of american intellect,Boston Ms.
Divakaruni : for this tour, i am not going to boston but hopefully
for the paperback tour i will. i've been to boston for readings before and
enjoyed the audience very much. by the way, i thought the hub of the universe
and intellect was san francisco!
Kumar : Hello Ms Divakaruni.kamon achen? I mean how are u?
I love alll ur books.U have written books basically telling the plights of
Indian or asina women in india or south asian woman based in U.S but how about
writing something about indian kids or indian men or indian families or all of
them? Any thoughts if u might do so? Ms. Divakaruni : my new
book "unknown errors of our lives" deals with the experiences of families,
particularly the older generation like the grandparents and the second
generation, kids who have grown up here. i find that their experience is very
interesting, especially how they feel about being indian.
sandeep : Hello Madam, Greetings from an avid reader and
fan Ms. Divakaruni : hello sandeep. would you like to ask a
question
Phanir : Were your books translated to any Indian
languages especially Hindi? Ms. Divakaruni : stories have
been translated into gujarati, hindi, marathi, bengali. i would love for people
to translate more into other languages because i really want to reach indians
who don't read english.
kauai : Hi Ms. Divakaruni, it is a pleasure to be chatting
with you. I find the title of your new book pretty intriguing "unknown errors
... " ... will you explain the thought behind it? Ms.
Divakaruni : the idea behind the book is that we're making choices
all the time without really knowing whether we are doing the right thing.
characters in these stories often discover years later the real and sometimes
unexpected impact of their choices.
dipsjoi : hello, where do you get your ideas from are they
real life experience or your piece of imagination Ms.
Divakaruni : imagination is the most important ingredient.
otherwise even a great plot wouldn't come alive. i often find that my characters
surprise me and do things i didn't expect.
Rhea : I have read most of your book, I love your work.
Will there be a sequel to 'Sister of my Heart'? Ms.
Divakaruni : thank you. do you want a sequel?
Vinay : Ms Divakaruni: I'd like to ask you what in the
Indian psyche makes India the ideal whipping boy for the rest of the world (from
US to Pakistan & even Bangladesh !!!) Ms.
Divakaruni : why do you think that? i think that indian culture
and history has so much that is valuable, that i love and admire. i certainly
want to pass many of my indian values to my children. many of my non-indian
friends agree with me.
kalyan : Hi! Can u let me in a very few sentences know
what the book is about? Ms. Divakaruni : apart from the
theme of errors it is about the journey westward toward america and the
corresponding journey east back to india. the book explores whether such a
return is possible, and to what degree.
rajkumar : what do you think about Indian writers in
English are they able to make it big in the western world?I mean I read in
newspapers that only a handful of them make it big .is it because indian themes
dont catch the western imagination or our writers simply lack the punch to
entice and captivate the western reader? Ms. Divakaruni : i
think there are increasingly larger numbers of indian writers that are really
successful, not just in america but also places like israel and japan. i think
this trend will continue to grow. there's a lot of talent out there and the
world is very positively inclined towards that right now.
mylav : divakaruni??? is that a south indian surname ??
Ms. Divakaruni : my husband is telugu although i am
bengali.
rajkumar : did u attempt to write in Bengali? Ms.
Divakaruni : i only write letters to my mother, and she tells me
it's good i don't write anything else.
Sree : Dear Ms Divakaruni, I am a Malaysian
Indiancurrently in Australia, finishing my Law degree.I have been writing ever
since I can remember, but I neverseem to be able to finish what I start. Can you
please give meany tips on this? I have read Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way".
Do you think her "morning pages" are useful? Ms.
Divakaruni : yes i like julia cameron's book. whatever works for
you is what you should do. each writer approaches his or her work in a whole
different way. for example, i always meditate before i start working.
abhishek : where can I get the book it it available online
somewhere.. Ms. Divakaruni : try amazon. there are some
reviews posted there also.
Rhea : I am so glad you wrote about social issues like
domestic violence, will you be writing a novel along these lines in the future?
Ms. Divakaruni : mistress of spices deals with this theme
of DV quite extensively.
Divia : Ms. Divakaruni, I admire your work. I'm curious as
to how you feel about the way in which Indian literature is categorized ... How
do you feel about the Commonwealth category, for example, and immigrant-writing?
Do you think such divisons affect authors as they write?
Ms.
Divakaruni : thank you divia. categories are used by people as a
means of looking at particular kinds of writings. as long as we don't stereotype
what we expect in each category, i think we're okay. also, we need to not lock
people into categories. one writer may belong to several categories. for
example, she maybe a woman writer, an asian american writer, an immigrant
writer, etc. i don't like the commonwealth category. we need to discard the
colonial attitudes behind naming such a category.
Sree : I also must say that I adored your
"ArrangedMarriages" - how close were the characters to real life? Ms.
Divakaruni : they were mostly imagined, although my ex-friends
sometimes claim they were in those stories!
mylav : hey chitra ji, telugu husband??Well, are you
following the footsteps of late Ms.sarojini naidu ??? All the best. Hope you
bring laurels to the nation. Ms. Divakaruni : thank
you!
phaniraj : Hi Chitra.A quick question why is that most of
the recognised women writers are Bengali or Bengali descent-You,Bharti
Mukerjee,Jhumpa Lahiri etc? Ms. Divakaruni : as much as i
would like to think that we bengalis especially women have superior cultural
genes, i think it's merely coincidence plus think of all the other great writers
like anita desai, etc.
chitti : hai Msdivakarunihow r u how u got stimulation to
write Ms. Divakaruni : i am inspired by a desire to create
stories that show the complex nature of our immigrant experience and hopefully
break some stereotypes.
phaniraj : Being an academic in English,you didnt try for
inventiveness in language brought in by the likes of Salman Rusdie of more
recently Arundhati Roy . Ms. Divakaruni : each writer writes
differently. i felt my characters needed a more realistic language.
Sree : I'm actually on campus right now and I haveto leave
soon, but I just want to say that readingyour books reignited my long dormant
passion forexpressing myself through writing, and for that I wouldlike to thank
you from the bottom of my heart. I know what its like to bean Indian not only
living abroad but also born and bred aboard, and the dualidentity maintained by
all around me. ( and by the way, you share the same nameas my mother - just
wanted to tell you that ) Ms. Divakaruni : thank you sree.
good luck to you as you follow your dreams of writing.
kjjh : what do you think of pico iyers work? does the
travel genre interest you at all? Ms. Divakaruni : i like
pico's work very much. i like reading travel writing but don't see myself doing
that in the near future.
Haash : Hello Ms. Divakaruni, are you going to be teaching
Creative writing at Foothill or De Anza college any time soon ? Ms.
Divakaruni : i am writing full time now. that alongwith taking
care my two boys, ages 6 AND 9 and my community workkeeps me very busy.
Ms. Divakaruni : these are great questions. i will try to
answer as many as i can in the next 10 minutes. if not, i hope some of you can
come to my readings in the next four weeks across america. details are on my web
site, www.chitradivakaruni.com and the rediff city pages.
kjjh : dont you think your work is similar to that of
anita rau badami Ms. Divakaruni : i think we have some
similar themes but we approach our issues differently. by the way, we'll be on a
panel together on april 30 at ucla for the l.a. times book fest.
Ms. Divakaruni : Thank you all for your great questions
and your supportive comments about my work. Goodbye!!!
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