Oleander Girl (48 page)

For the wedding photo we stand once again on the veranda overlooking the garden. So much has changed since we gathered here less than three months ago. This time Pia puts Rajat and me in the center, with Grandmother on one side and Maman on the other. Papa stands next to Maman, while the servants form a periphery around us. Next to Grandmother is a gap deep as a canyon. No one has mentioned Grandfather, but each of us is thinking of him. How pleased he would have been by the whole event. How loudly he would have complained. How regally he would have inclined his head at Cook and Asif and Bahadur as they came forward bearing gifts and received envelopes of money in turn.

Along the length of the arm Rajat has put around me, the arm that had been in the cast, runs a scar. It’s covered by the sleeve of his kurta, but I know its presence acutely. How fragile is the happiness we carve for ourselves. This morning Grandmother dressed me in a sky-blue sari she had bought twenty-five years ago, hoping that my mother would wear it for her marriage. The sight of the sari sent up a tendril of disappointment. Though I have said this to no one, I’d dearly hoped for another visitation. Perhaps now that her secret was known, my mother would be voiceless no more. Maybe she would tell me how proud she was of my journey. Perhaps she would give me a blessing-advice for my married life.

My bridal toilette was pleasantly complicated by Pia, who insisted on taking photos at every stage, and Cook, who kept bringing drinks of various kinds—milk, hot tea, barley water with lemon and honey—to keep up my strength during the ceremony. In the midst of all this commotion, Bahadur ran in with an overnight package that had arrived from my father. It contained a hefty check, which did not surprise me, and a book, which did. It was an anthology of poetry, its pages thin with use. In my hands, it fell open at a particular page, dog-eared, containing a short poem. I bent over the page, breathing in the smell of old paper, like anise. My mother’s fingers had taken the edge and turned it down so she could find the poem whenever she needed to. All morning, my thoughts
returned to that poem, its four short lines. In the things we love lie clues to who we are. What we want for those we love.

Pia instructs me sternly to quit daydreaming and look into the lens. The camera flashes and flashes again.
Smile, everyone. Don’t stop smiling!
She makes me turn toward Rajat. She wants a portrait of just the two of us.

“Korobi-didi, look into his eyes. One hand on his shoulder. Dada, come on, put your arms around her. Don’t be shy. Folks? Can we have a little romance here?” She clicks the shutter, illuminating us.

Later, peering at the photo on the camera’s screen, I discover two small ovals of light above our heads. A reflection from the flash? I choose to believe otherwise.

Tonight, when we’re finally alone in our flower-filled bedroom, I’ll take out the book I’ve hidden under our wedding pillow. I’ll read to Rajat the poem my mother has sent to us:

He who binds to himself a Joy

Doth the wingèd life destroy;

But he who kisses the Joy as it flies

Lives in Eternity’s sunrise.

M
Y DEEPEST THANKS TO:

My agent, Sandra Dijkstra, for her enthusiastic championship from the beginning.

My editor, Millicent Bennett, for her astute vision.

My publisher, Martha Levin, for her faith in my work.

Friends Robert Boswell, Alex Parsons, Irene Keliher, Gabrielle Burton, and Kerry Creelman for their valuable suggestions.

My mother, Tatini Banerjee, and my mother-in-law, Sita Divakaruni, whose encouragement remains with me even after they are gone.

Swami Vidyadhishananda, Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Tejomayananda, and Baba Muktananda for their blessings.

And most of all, my family: Murthy, Anand, Abhay, and Juno, for their love and forbearance (because it isn’t always easy to live with a writer).

Oleander Girl
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Introduction

As the only child of an old and distinguished Hindu household in Kolkata, Korobi Roy grew up with the best of everything—except parents. All she knows about them is that her father died a few months before her birth, and her mother died when she was born. Korobi has lived her entire life with her grandparents: her beloved, cantankerous grandfather who made sure she received a top-notch boarding school education and upbringing, and her grandmother who encircled her in the comfort of family traditions. But despite her happy childhood, Korobi yearns to know more about her parents, and cherishes an unfinished love note from her mother to her father that she discovered as a child, tucked away in a book of poetry.

At seventeen, Korobi has found her match in the handsome and charming Rajat, the only son of one of the city’s high-profile business families. On the night of their engagement party, Korobi’s grandfather dies of a sudden heart attack. His death reveals the family’s unexpected financial problems as well as a dark secret. The discovery of this secret shatters Korobi’s sense of self, and sends her—against the wishes of her fiancé and his family—to post-9/11 America on a life-changing search.

Discussion Questions

1. Tradition and modernity both play significant roles in the novel, and often collide. For example, the Roy family values cultural heritage and traditional religion, while the Boses are more modern and think highly of new entrepreneurial endeavors. The engagement of Korobi and Rajat brings these two families together. How do the family members feel about the union? What do they agree or disagree about? Find other examples of this kind of conflict in the novel and discuss how characters handle the clash between the old and the new.

2. In spite of India’s advancement into modern society, an age-old class system is still very present in Indian culture. Both families are wealthy enough to have many servants, and we hear from Asif, the Bose’s chauffeur, often. After Asif’s “six years of chauffeuring the rich and callous he has realized that to them servants are invisible. Until they make a mistake, that is.” Discuss the servants’ dynamics with each other and with and their families or bosses throughout the novel. For example, how does the dynamic between the Boses and their servants differ from the Sheikh and his servants?

3. There are many couples in the novel, and we see these partnerships from various perspectives. Compare and contrast the way each couple functions together: Mr. and Mrs. Bose, Sarojini and Bimal, Rajat and Korobi, and Mitra and Seema. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each partnership? What makes some of them endure while others fall apart when plunged into adversity?

4. At Bimal’s insistence, Anu and Sarojini make promises to the goddess at their family temple. Both women take these promises very seriously, and keep them with much difficulty. What exactly are these promises? And why do both women keep their promises despite their consciences telling them otherwise? What are the ramifications of keeping the promises?

5. Many of the characters do things out of duty to their families or their religion, but there are exceptions to this sense of responsibility. Even though Anu technically keeps her promise to Bimal not to marry, she still “had chosen love over duty.” What are other examples of characters making such a choice? Do duty and love ever coincide in the novel?

6. Right before Korobi leaves for the United States she chastises herself for not noticing her grandmother enough, and thinks: “If I come back…I’ll do it differently. Then I was shocked.
If I come back
. Where had
that
come from?” Why do you think Korobi unconsciously uses the word ‘if’ instead of ‘when’?

7. Religion is central to the lives of many of the characters in
Oleander Girl
. Conflicts between Hindus and Muslims plague India and its inhabitants throughout the novel. The discord at the Boses’ warehouse is brought on by the ongoing religious tension in India. Within the warehouse the workers—both Muslims and Hindus—have always worked side by side, but a news bulletin on the radio sparks a violent fight between the men. Find other moments in the text when religious conflict instigates or exacerbates confrontations between characters. Are there instances when a different kind of attitude toward religion brings characters closer to each other?

8. When Korobi travels to the United States, she experiences a kind of prejudice that is completely different from anything she has known in India. At the airport in New York, on the way to San Francisco, Korobi comments that many of the people pulled out of line for security checks are Indian. In response her companion Vic says, “Welcome to flying while brown in post-9/11 America.” Korobi is indignant at the discrimination; Vic is not bothered by it. Discuss the similarities and differences of prejudice in the United States and in India.

9. Korobi travels from her house in Kolkata to New York City and Berkeley before returning to India. Each place she goes holds a unique significance for her. Find a description of each setting in the novel and discuss what that place signifies for a certain character. Consider the Roy house and temple, New York City, Boston, Berkeley, Kolkata, the Bose’s warehouse and their gallery, and the Mumtaz gallery in New York.

10. The story of
Oleander Girl
is narrated from changing perspectives, and each narrator brings different eyes to every situation. How does this style of writing affect your reading experience? Find a passage from each narrator and discuss how his or her voice reveals new insights to the reader about the story or the characters.

11. Korobi thinks that Mitra and Seema will be her allies in America; instead she finds Mitra suspicious and unhelpful, and Seema lonely and scared. How did this once successful couple descend into their misery? Seema tells Korobi that after 9/11 “many South Asian businesses were boycotted, especially those with Muslim names. Others were attacked.” Discuss how 9/11 traumatized and terrorized the city even after the attacks. How is Korobi affected by the tragedy?

12. Near the end of the book, Korobi learns the meaning behind her name: “Because the oleander was beautiful—but also tough. It knew how to protect itself from predators. Anu wanted that toughness for you because she didn’t have enough of it in herself.” Does Korobi live up to her name in the story? Find examples in the text to support your answer.

13. At Korobi and Rajat’s lavish engagement party, Mrs. Bose recalls the unpleasant circumstances of her own union. Mr. Bose’s father “was furious that his son had chosen—no had been entrapped by—a girl so far beneath their station…” How do you explain Mrs. Bose’s reaction to Korobi’s shocking secret in light of her experience with Mr. Bose’s father? How do the other characters react?

14. While Korobi is in the United States, Rajat, Pia,, and Asif are injured in a car accident. Why does Asif sacrifice his safety to help Rajat and Pia, even after Rajat rudely truncates Pia’s chat with Asif in the parking lot? Discuss if the incident had any positive effects for the characters.

15. At a crucial point in her life, Korobi is given a piece of advice: “…never choose something because it’s easier.” How does Korobi apply this advice to her life decisions? What is your opinion of this statement?

Book Club Enhancement Ideas

1. Pretend Bimal had lived for a few more minutes. What might have he said to Korobi other than apologize? Do you think he would have told her the truth about her parents?

2. Pick a character who does not narrate a section of the novel and imagine the events from his or her point of view. For example, consider what Vic thinks about Korobi and her American quest. When do you think he begins to take an interest in Korobi as more than a friend?

3. Divakaruni has written seven novels, two short story collections, and two poetry collections. Choose one (maybe a short story or a poem) and read it as a group; discuss and consider any themes that appear in both
Oleander Girl
and your selection.