Mahatma Gandhi visits Muslim refugees preparing to leave for Pakistan in New Delhi on September 22, 1947. | Photo credit: The Hindu Archives
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s recently released Hindi audiobook, Azadi (on Audible), is set in Calcutta, against the backdrop of the Indian freedom movement and partition. An adaptation of her 2022 novel, independenceThe historical novel revolves around the three Ganguly sisters who see India through their own lenses and desires. Divakaruni’s three books before independence Women are also in the spotlight – Draupadi, Sita and Rani Jindan. Edited excerpts from an interview:
What prompted you to release “Azadi”?
I think we live in a time where people, even though they love books, don’t always have the time to sit down and read. Audiobooks fulfill this need because you can listen to them anytime – while commuting, exercising, cooking, etc.
Are audiobooks popular in India, especially among Hindi listeners?
I know that English audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular in India. I have several successful audiobooks on Audible, but this is my first in Hindi, so I am very excited. I am curious to see how Hindi readers respond to it. Hopefully it will reach a lot of people because the story of Azadi is for all Indians.
Author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
The novel “Independence” was published in 2022. Should this coincide with the 75th anniversary of India’s independence?
Yes, absolutely. I saw the novel as my gift to readers on this historic occasion, as many of us were born in a free nation. We take freedom for granted. I wanted to remind people that it took hard work, sacrifice and even tragedy for us to gain our freedom and become a nation.
Tell us about the research that went into recreating Bengal in the 1940s and the stories of our freedom struggle?
I did a lot of research and was touched by three things: newspaper reports from that time, in Bengali and English; photographs – of the riots, the trains and buses crossing the border, and the very first Independence Day celebrated in India; and stories I heard from my mother and maternal grandfather, who were part of the freedom movement. These stories sparked in me an interest in that time and the many sacrifices made by those who no one will know about. I was determined to write their story.
It seems like you deliberately chose the title of the book to reflect not only India’s independence but also that of the three women in the book? Is this a sequel to your 2021 novel The Last Queen?
Yes, the “independence” of the title reflects a time when not only the nation but also its women learned to stand on their own feet, run businesses and succeed in various professions. Since the men were gone (for some reason), the women had to take on the responsibility of the family. This is exactly what happens to my heroines in the novel.
independence closes the historical arc that I started with the writing of The last queenwhich shows Maharani Jindan’s long-drawn-out struggle against the British. Although she fought bravely against them, they managed to take over her kingdom – Punjab – through treachery. They even took away her son, Maharaja Dalip Singh. I did not want to end the story here. In independencethe Indians take back their land and the British are forced to leave. It is a moment of great triumph, but also a tragic one, given the violence that prevailed during the partition.
The marriage between Hindus and Muslims (Deepa and Raza) described in the book caused an uproar 75 years ago. Isn’t that sad and disturbing?
75 years ago, such a love story was tragic but understandable, especially after the unrest between Hindus and Muslims. Wouldn’t it be even sadder if the same thing happened today?
The interviewer is an independent journalist and author from Bengaluru.
