Responding With Hope to Sept. 11
September 24, 2004
Three years after the tragic events of Sept. 11, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni remains haunted not only by the vivid images of what happened, but also by the repercussions felt throughout the country, especially in the South Asian American community. Indeed, according to a report released six months after the attacks by the National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, aptly titled Backlash: When America Turned on Its Own, the APA community witnessed a sudden spike in anti-Asian violence, especially against those of South Asian descent. Resembling the enemy literally became a threat to one’s life.
Divakaruni is the author of such bestselling titles as The Mistress of Spices and Arranged Marriage: Stories. Her new novel, the magical Queen of Dreams, captures some of her confusion, fear and sadness surrounding the terrorist attacks. It is the story of a South Asian American artist in Berkeley who tries to come to terms with the people closest to her heart: her elusive dream teller mother, her silent father, her growing daughter, her enigmatic ex-husband. Divakaruni admits it’s her favorite novel of her own thus far.
“I find that when I really care about a character from a particular background, when I look at those people in my own real life, then I feel differently about them. I feel more compassionate. And that’s my hope for Queen and for my community.”
You taught writing for years in the Bay Area and recently moved to Houston . … What’s that experience been like?
Chitra Divakaruni: I love teaching at the University of Houston. It has the second best creative writing program in the nation. The program is very international, very multicultural with students from all over world. In a small way, I think my presence makes a difference to the students here. In the Bay Area, which is already so multicultural, you don’t have to push for diversity — basically, people agree on its importance. Here in Texas, you have to push, so maybe my presence here is more important than in the Bay Area.
How did Queen come about?
CD: 9/11 happened and that affected me strongly on many levels — there was the national tragedy itself, and then there were the effects on my own community. Those of Sikh background really suffered. I knew I had to write about it but wasn’t sure how to do so.
I also wanted to explore the sense of mystery about the universe. Reality is not as objective as we like to think it is. Reality is subjective: different people come out of the same event seeing and feeling different things. [And] 9/11 is such an example: Some reacted with great fear, others with violence.
For Rakhi [the book’s central character] and her mother, reality operates very differently. The novel questions how we arrive at our notion of reality and [asks], Can we say there is just one reality? That sense of mystery and magic is very important in this novel.
Two of your books, The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart, are being made into films. What’s the latest?
CD: Sister is already a film in India. It won five major awards in India the year it came out [2002]. For Mistress, I’m on the edge of the precipice — we’re finishing contract details and as soon as that’s done, the filming will get started. Gurindher [Chadha of Bend It Like Beckham] is such a fine filmmaker. Gurindher understands the spirit of the book very well. I like her work, I like her artistic psyche — we’re in synch.
What are you writing now?
CD: I’m working on the second part of a children’s trilogy. The Conch Bearer was the first. [The new book] continues the adventures of the main character from Conch Bearer. It’s set in contemporary Calcutta, and it’s both a mystical quest and adventure. The two characters are named after my sons, which has increased my stock at home immensely.
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