Independence By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

When India is partitioned, the sisters find themselves separated from one another, afraid of what will happen to not only themselves, but also each other.

on Jan 31, 2023

Independence By Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

THREE SISTERS. THEIR UNBREAKABLE BOND. AND A NATION ABOUT TO BE BORN.

Independence: A work of period fiction, it is a rousing story that ties in the themes of nationalism, and independence of the country and the self, featuring a cast of characters that is vividly etched and guaranteed to be remembered by readers for a long time to come.

Following the lives of three sisters – Priya, Jamini and Deepa and their unbreakable bond, and a nation about to be born – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s new novel is a moving story of loyalty and love, nationhood and sisterhood, set against the country’s freedom movement, at once exhilarating and devastating. In the 75th year of India’s independence it is perhaps the most potent portrayal of the sacrifices made, the devastation endured and the courage of conviction employed by ordinary people to achieve freedom, in their lives and for the land of their birth.

Besides being a novel set against the narrative backdrop of the freedom struggle, the plotline also weaves in the violence and tragedy of the partition to the east of the country which is relatively less written about in Indian literature in English. The story, in essence, is about independence at many levels – the country’s of course, but also of the women in the novel finding their feet and becoming truly independent [handicrafts play a major role in that]. With the tropes of family, romance and relationships adding on to this rich, descriptive narrative, there is space given to the courage displayed by women in general in dire circumstances, but also particularly during the freedom struggle.