Best-selling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni on why all her South Asian protagonists are female

Best-selling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Born in Kolkata, find out why award-winning author, poet, academic and activist, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, came to the US for a Master’s in English and never went back. EkWomen profiles successful women of the South Asian diaspora in unconventional fields. Divakaruni not only meets this quality but takes it one step further by writing stories of these very women in her novels. In her prolific career, apart from authoring many books, she has received numerous awards and had her books turned into movies and mini-series too. But none of this has gone to her head and Chitra is extremely approachable. 

Find out how she embraced causes for women from her early days in the US and still continues her work with South Asian women focussed nonprofits. Believes in the need for community  and being a part of a writing circle is still an important part of her writing process. Chitra is the Betty and Gene McDavid professor for creative writing at the University of Houston. She explains why she emphasizes the need to recruit students from different racial backgrounds. Some of Divakarun’s most popular novels are based on Hindu mythology but with a twist. She gets candid on her reason for choosing a particular voice. 

Chitra may have a large global family of fans and supporters, but she gives equal importance to her immediate family, which includes husband, Murthy, and sons Anand and Abhay. You’ll also feel for her as she talks about a muse she was very attached to. As someone who has birthed multiple books, listen to her reveal which one she considers her favourite, despite her reservations on making that choice. Chitra shares her wisdom on what women can do to stop struggling and fit into society and what aspiring writers need to continue on that path.  She also has words of advice for immigrants, on parenting and dealing with discrimination.

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