Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Arranged Marriage

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni in the collection of her short stories titled Arranged Marriage, portrays a negative image of the Indian cultural practices while discussing marital relationships in the diasporic space. The title gives the impression that Indian marriage system is not only weird but also barbaric. She fails to understand that gender bias is not unique to India, and it is a global problem.

Sarah Elizabeth Webb, a westerner, who works for a rural tribal school along the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in her article “Still Under Siege” comments that gendered oppression is an accepted norm in USA. She says:

The point, really, is that the U.S. is certainly not innocent of gender oppression. Sure, the gendered norms are less strict than in the rural parts of India. But is that, perhaps, more dangerous? In India, there is political rhetoric surrounding the issue of gender equality, and laws-made to protect the rights of women, There are often problems with the enforceability of these laws, but the rhetoric is certainly there. In America, on the other hand, most politicians turn a blind eye to the issue, reminding women to be grateful of the rights that they have been given. (Hindu, Magazine 3)

The title of Divakaruni’s book is the result of an aggressive marketing strategy. It is an attempt to carve a market segment in the western societies. Divakaruni looks back at India and its culture from the colonizer’s point of view. Husne Jahan points out “In demonstrating her indebtedness to western feminist notions and in voicing criticism of women’s subjugation in India, Divakaruni repeatedly maligns far too many facets of Indian society and culture” (43).

Here, Edward S...

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−−−.“Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Arranged marriage: A Perspective.” English Literature: Voices of Indian Diaspora. Ed.Malti Agarwal.New Delhi:Atlantic, 2009. !50-157.Print.

Jahan, Husne. “Colonial Woes in Postcolonial Writing: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s

Arranged Marriage.” The Atlantic Literary Review. 5.3-4 (2004): 41-60.Print.

−−−. “Colonial Woes in Postcolonial Writing: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Arranged Marriage.” The Atlantic Literary Review. 5.3-4 (2004): 41-60.Print.

Parameswaran, Uma. “Home is where your feet are, and may your heart be there too!” Writers of Indian Diaspora: Theory and Practice. Ed. Jasbir Jain. New Delhi: Rawat Publications, 2011. 30-39. Print.

Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Vintage, 1979. Print.

Webb,Sarah Elizabeth. “Still under Seige.” Hindu 2 Dec 2012, Magazine Weekly

Edition .3.Print.