Before We Visit the Goddess – Something to Remind Ourselves this Puja Season
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a prolific Indian American writer, who excels in writing about the Indian diaspora experience, as well as value and gender conflicts within society. She juxtaposes the dynamics of the Indian value system with the pull of western sensibilities, suggesting that these two need not be in conflict. Her books have sensitively explored female relationships, especially the mother-daughter relationship. Her best works have been 'One Amazing Thing', 'Arranged Marriage and Other Short Stories', 'Queen of Dreams, 'Oleander Girl', and 'A Palace of Illusions'. “Independence” her latest has been topping popularity charts across India and the US. I particularly enjoyed her “Before We Visit the Goddess” (published in 2018), and let me tell you why. The Story: The novel encapsulates the story of three generations of women - Savitri, the matriarch and fledgling entrepreneur in post-independence India, Bela, her daughter who eloped