Stories Embedded as Duplication of Reality in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Sister of My Heart

Abstract

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s ‘Sister of My Heart’ is about two girls; Anjali and Basudha. They are the daughters of the illustrious Chatterjees. Their house is situated at Baliganj. They have been brought up by three widows and they have stated as mothers. These girls whenever they go, they are surrounded with the world of women even in home, schools, and functions except Singhji, their chauffeur. Like, in the world of men, how we the women are considered as other in the Simon de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex, for Anju and Sudha, the world of men is called the other world, which means they did not have any connection with that world.

From the Childhood days onwards, these girls use to listen to stories of life, old tales, fairy tales, Bidhata Purush, the life of Chatterjees before they were born, the Queen of Swords, The Palace of Snakes, morals related to life, Real story of Gopal, The real story of the Adventure of Bijoy and Gopal, and the fabrication of it, comparison of cinema with Sudha’s love story with Ashok. The story has been scripted by general morals related to life. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni as though it happens in the 80s and the then culture. The author has been influenced by A Room of One’s Own and has come to know about the bestsellers of 80s; Dickens, Hardy and E.M. Forster.