I have a variety of readers from across the diasporic community, not just from South Asia. I like to write large stories that include all of us – about common and cohesive experiences which bring together many immigrants, their culture shocks, transformations, concepts of home and self in a new land. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
I love visual art. I painted for many years when I was younger. I have studied modern/contemporary Indian art a bit and am very impressed with the talent in India. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
I was very fortunate that all my holidays I’d spend with my grandfather, experiencing a much more traditional way of life and listening to these wonderful stories, which I now feel are such an important part of Indian thinking. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
I have been watching how Indian women are forced to do certain things, as the stories of sacrifice and devotion in mythology demand from them. And then there are inspiring stories about women like the Rani of Jhansi that offer women refreshing role models. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
Unlike novels with a hero or two heroines, in ‘One Amazing Thing,’ all the characters tell stories they’ve never told anyone before, so all the voices become equally important. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
As I lived on in America, I got to truly know the people of this country – so many kind and wonderful people, people of so many races – who helped me in so many ways. Who became my friends. I realized that underneath our different accents, habits, foods, religions, ways of thinking, we shared a common humanity. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
I’m a very senses-oriented person, and I want to bring readers in on the level of the senses, so they can experience another culture and another place. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
It’s different for different people, and for a woman it’s important to look as good she wants to look. But you don’t need to do it for someone else or to impress some male out there. You do it for your own sake. You wear what makes you feel good, you put make-up and jewellery – whatever gives you self-confidence. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
My favorite part was when my grandfather and I would make a special trip to Firpo’s Bakery for red and green Christmas cookies and fruitcake studded with the sweetest cherries I’ve ever tasted. Usually Firpo’s was too expensive for our slim budget, but Christmas mornings they gave a discount to any children who came in. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Read Quote
