What did you think of the male characters in the novel? Who was the strongest? The wisest? Did any of them disappoint you?
We’ve talked about how the male characters were pretty thinly written. Divakaruni says often in interviews that the focus in her novels is on women; the epigraph to Independence is:
There are many stories which are not written on paper, but are written on the bodies and minds of women. - Amrita Pritam
So I guess she just “sketched out” the men. Wisest man? Somnath and Nabakumar had the wisdom born of life experience. Amit was the most disappointing. He adores Priya his entire life and then can’t wait a couple more years while she pursues the chance of a lifetime. What kind of love is that?
Mamoon seemed to be purely “bad guy” — no nuance there. The writer of one of the reviews I read makes a good point:
There was one loose end I struggled with. Without giving the plot away – I wondered how a powerful man could disappear from the story after losing more than he had bargained for. Vengeful feelings from those in power do not conveniently vaporize in real life. Nonetheless, it is certainly comforting, even if improbable, when they are wiped off the slate in fiction. https://indiacurrents.com/chitra-divakarunis-independence-an-eloquent-love-song-to-her-beloved-bengal/
It helps that Mamoon knows Deepa as Muslim under an assumed name with an assumed background. No legitimate marriage certificate exists that can lead to her. Deepa somewhat vaporizes.
The only possible link to her true identity would be Raza’s uncle at the clinic or the woman with whom she lived in Calcutta before “marrying” Raza. Both would be careful not to admit knowledge of the truth for their own protection as well as Deepa’s. Everyone else in Calcutta only knows her by the assumed identity.
I think that Deepa’s true identity was an open secret. I think that Mamoon knew she was Hindu, not converted, but coveted her nonetheless. If he had married her, who knows what she would have suffered once he tired of her.
Maybe I’m reading too much into the text, but there is a part in the book that suggests Mamoon knows more about Deepa than he should. Deepa sings only to Raza, in private. Then:
Mujib has asked if Deepa would kindly sing a Rabindra Sangeet or two that evening.
Deepa is reluctant; finally Raza persuades her. Just one song, from behind a curtain.
“How did Mujib find out that I sing?” Deepa asks suspiciously. “Who could have told him?” Raza shrugs. He does not know, does not think it is important. But it troubles Deepa (p. 186).
Was Mamoon the one who informed Mujib about her talent, who engineered this evening? Deepa disquieted bids the company a quick goodbye and leaves the room. For a long time that night, she cannot sleep (p. 187).
Something nefarious is going on, but it’s kept vague (unless I missed a clarifying passage).
Mamoon may suspect - or even know - that Deepa is Hindu. I doubt she ever ate beef; surely the household staff picked up on that. However, finding out her name and background would surely be more difficult. No one in Calcutta other than Raza’s uncle knew her as Deepa; I don’t recall how much the lady she lived with knows about her. And she never sang so her lovely voice wouldn’t have been connected with her past.
I don’t know what Mamoon knew or didn’t know, but he certainly had spies in the household.
I thought Amit was interesting, more old fashioned than his father. I think he likes the idea of being in love with Priya more than actually loving her. I do think he might eventually have come around to Jamini, but only if Priya let him go.
@Mary13 I thought the same thing about that passage. Maroon knew, and coveted Priya.
Did he orchestrate Raza’s murder, to get her and, kept her under lock and key, a prisoner.?
A woman’s greatest nightmare.
The author stated in interview link you provided, she likes to
“write books with strong women, puts them in difficult situations and they then come out stronger after the challenges.”
She is quite unapologetic about her bias, hence the male characters are not particularly well drawn. I guess a flaw. But, I liked her feminist twist on the ending of this folktale. The women were loved, and loved , and all stood Independently in the end.
( I wouldn’t want to read this exclusively, but it’s refreshing especially in the context of India’s independence).
So why does Bina manipulate the marriage between Amit and Jamini? Is it for Jamini or for herself? Jamini is the only daughter remaining with her and wither Jamini goes so does Bini.
Probably a combination of both. The match brings money and prestige – Amit’s family is wealthy. Plus, there’s the benefit of marrying off a seemingly unmarriageable daughter.
I don’t think there was any love lost between Bina and her neighbors. They are certainly quick to abandon her and cancel their quilt orders after Nabakumar died. Deepa tells Priya:
“More women came today to cancel quilt orders. They want us to pay back the advances, but we have run out of money. One of them shouted that Ma’s quilts would bring them ill fortune. No one disagreed. Mother heard the commotion and came out. She threw her gold chain on the ground and told them to fight over it like the vultures they were.”
Priya is surprised that the neighbors who once welcomed them into their homes are turning on them. Is it really due to superstition about “ill fortune”? Or was the former hospitality offered only out of respect for Dr. Nabakumar, and no longer necessary after his death?
Were you surprised by the level of violence during this historic period? Did Divakaruni weave this into the story in a believable way?
Surprised? No. I’m beyond being surprised by the level of violence that human beings can inflict upon one another. I’d say a better word is “unaware.” I was unaware of the atrocities committed during the communal violence of Partition — and now I’m aware and rather wish I were still in the dark.
I read an article in The New Yorker (from 2015) called “The Great Divide: The violent legacy of Indian Partition.” I’m not going to even link it here, because the details as described are too gruesome. “British soldiers and journalists who had witnessed the Nazi death camps claimed Partition’s brutalities were worse."
In Independence, the violence Divakaruni describes is hard to read about, but she mostly spares the reader from the worst of it.
The New Yorker article said, “There has been a widespread attempt to record oral memories of Partition before the dwindling generation that experienced it takes its memories to the grave.” Apparently, this is not an easy task. From a more recent article in The New York Times:
Survivors of partition, now in their twilight, have often been reluctant to share their stories with their children, the author Aanchal Malhotra writes in her book, “In the Language of Remembering.” Many, including Ms. Malhotra’s own grandmother, Bhag Malhotra, have carried their trauma quietly, alone.
I had known very little about Partition but it was actually addressed in Doctor Who a few years ago. The writers were hoping to educate viewers about that period.
Much of my knowledge of India is from earlier periods, thanks to the novels of M. M. Kaye.
The author and historian quoted in the NY Times article you linked, @Mary13, Aanchal Malhotra, also published a novel last year, The Book of Everlasting Things, a romance set during Partition. I picked it up a while back but life and other books intervened. Might be time to get back to that one!
Interesting article about Doctor Who. I used to watch the show occasionally with my kids (and learned some history in the process), but that was eons ago. Sounds like the Partition episode took things to another level:
The episode title is “Demons of the Punjab,” but is it safe to say those demons are not scary aliens but rather the social forces that caused people to turn against each other in this horrible way?
Exactly. That title is a little bit of a misnomer. The expectation is, when you go back in time, what’s the alien element? Doctor Who hasn’t done pure historicals for a long, long time. So how do we balance that sci-fi element and the expectation of monsters with an event that is itself quite monstrous in terms of the things that people did to each other? The worst thing about Partition in this episode can’t be the actual monsters. In the depth of my soul, that felt like the absolutely wrong way to approach the episode, especially if it’s going to be people’s first encounter with that period of history. It felt like, if you’re gonna use a sci-fi element or monstrous element, it should serve the greater story of this moment we’re trying to tell.
The Book of Everlasting Things came out right around the same time as Independence. Partition has been Malhotra’s focus in non-fiction work as well:
The author, born in 1990, has already done good work to honor Partition’s victims and survivors, including her Punjabi grandparents. She cofounded a digital repository called Museum of Material Memory, and wrote a lauded nonfiction book, Remnants of Partition: 21 Objects from a Continent Divided , which was inspired by her MFA thesis at Concordia University. It revisits—and memorializes—Partition by examining the personal items carried by refugees when they fled across the new borders. https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/book-everlasting-things
If you read the book, let us know what you think abut it!
In general, I’d say that Independence was a very good book, but without a lot of layers to be peeled back. It’s a straightforward, captivating story, but the characters aren’t terribly complex. That said, one reviewer (I’ve lost track of which one) said that Divakaruni’s writing can be more than meets the eye – with the example being the difficult birth of Hamid’s son, at which Nabakumar and Priya assist. This birth requires Muslim and Hindu families to unite in order to deliver a newborn infant that is nearly strangled (by the umbilical cord) in the process of birth. This takes place in chapter one and sets the tone for the novel, as a metaphor for Partition.
This wasn’t obvious to me until pointed out by the reviewer. @VeryHappy, how did the book strike you upon your second reading? Any new observations that didn’t occur to you the first time around?
Re Deepa singing behind a curtain: I understood contextually why this was, but here is the official Islam rule:
Music is allowed except if temptation is feared. The voice of women could seduce the listener. Looking at female performers is always unlawful. Listening to the voice of concealed female performers is still forbidden if it evokes tempting images. Islam and entertainment.
^^^^ Idiotic. It’s the old “blame the victim” nonsense. If men could control themselves, they wouldn’t have to blame women.
@Mary13, upon my second reading, it felt like a sweeter story. I had more compassion for the characters. The first go-round, I couldn’t stand Jamini; the second time through, I felt her pain and understood her wanting to be loved by Bina. The first go-round, I thought Priya was an idiot for leaving the US and her virtually guaranteed education; the second time through, I understood better how important family was to her. The first time through, I thought Deepa made a mistake for following Raza in spite of the many obstacles – and my opinion of that didn’t really change!!
Also, by the time I read it the second time, I had a better understanding of the history behind it, so I had a better appreciation of the horror of the times. It was an excellent example of how current events can impact even ordinary people. No one is immune.
Jamini singing in Deepa’s place, allowing Deepa to escape.
On the other hand, I expected Jamini and Amit to marry. I didn’t know the when or how but she just seems so determined. Her family also senses her feelings for Amit. In a way, she ends up being “last man standing” with Priya gone and Deepa married (more or less).
I didn’t expect it either, but it worked on a literary level. The burka and curtain supplied the perfect plot device in an unforced way. And we already knew early on that Jamini was also a beautiful singer, “her voice as clear as glass.”
They are too poor to afford a music teacher, but she listens when her friends are taking lessons. Deepa is a good singer, too. But she stopped practicing after Jamini said, Let me at least have this one thing (p. 24).
@VeryHappy thanks for your summary of second reading. Your comments resonated, I thought the author skillfully depicted each character, with commendable traits, with believable flaws and their choices were understandable.
Deepa found true love, and followed her heart. ( LOVE )
Priya followed her dreams, sacrifices and all, but I knew she wouldn’t remain in America. (DREAMS)
Jamini, took me a while to sympathize, but I did. A deeply damaged sister/ daughter. (Traditional -caring for parent sacrificial daughter)
Bini, an old school generation, who would disown her child who broke sacred rules, and I didn’t dislike her for that.
@ignatius, I anticipated Jamini, / deepa singing plan, early on. Suspicious of their similar singing voices, so when deepa started signing behind curtain, aha, I saw that coming.
Didn’t expect Jamini to be willing to sacrifice herself though, that part surprised me. She was willing to die.
And, didn’t expect a death scene, where Amit and Priya expressed their love, as Jamini, looked on. Ouch.
As the shocking events unfold in the Mideast, I’m grateful, I now know more about the history of India. We are witnessing history, and the solutions ( if there are any ) are complex, just like the partition in 1947.