View of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SEEKING A MEANINGFUL AND SATISFIED LIFE, ACCORDING TO CURRENT SCENARIO - OLEANDER GIRL BY CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

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VOLUME: 08, Special Issue 01, (SDCS-2021) Paper id-IJIERM-VIII-I, February 2021

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SEEKING A MEANINGFUL AND SATISFIED LIFE,

ACCORDING TO CURRENT SCENARIO - OLEANDER GIRL BY CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI

Dr. Chhavi Giri Goswami

Famous literature writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has given a new meaning to the phase- 'sustainable development' which is apt for the present generation. She opines that today 'development' has become the synonym of 'achieving meaningful, peaceful and desired life.' Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has presented various ways to achieve an intellectually developed life with meaning, content and happiness in her novel Oleander Girl. Today terror has stuck in present hearts, due to unpeaceful and unhealthy air outside.

Mental wellbeing has been disturbed and ruled by evil fearsome thoughts. It has become highly essential to seek a mentally developed or healthy life, more than a financial or professional developed life. If there is no proper mental satisfaction than there is no use of any other riches. Oleander Girl presents the journey of protagonist Korobi from an immature and confused girl towards a mature woman through getting meaning, balance, identity and satisfaction in life. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's perspective towards life, is post-feminist. She believes that man and woman both are important to face the troubles of daily life. The protagonist in this novel has been shown to develop as a oleander flower- beautiful but also tough. Divakaruni has not only raised migrant issues through this novel but also presented a harmonious way to survive and grow in an alien land.

Keywords: Intellectual Development, Sustainable development, Meaningful life, Oleander Girl, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Post-feminism, Migration.

“With nothing meaningful in life, nothing is interesting.”

This quote by a great philosopher Daniel Klein‟s brings out the significance of meaningful life. The tendency to locate or find meaning in one‟s life has been deeply embedded as the central aims in the numerous social, religious and cultural etchings.

Froese also says: “The quest for life‟s meaning is as old as the first philosophy” (Froese 02).

The idea of finding meaning or a purpose of one‟s life is governed by one‟s conscious as well as subconscious mind because without meaning there is no mental peace, dignity, happiness, and satisfaction in life. Meaning is necessary for a purposeful existence, and aimless or meaningless life is a directionless and vague existence. Famous Western psychotherapist Viktor Frankl lays emphasis on meaningful existence in his epoch-making book Man‟s Search for Meaning. “Frankl distinguishes several forms of neurosis and traces some of them to the failure of the victim to find a meaning and a sense of responsibility to his existence” (Frankl 08). Frankl has invented logotherapy and has taught the world to derive an increased sense of self-worth, purpose, and interconnectedness with others through any problematic situation of life. He gave a new direction to people to exist in a meaningful way and to turn despair into triumph. Finding meaning in life is used as a survival strategy by Frankl. As in English language every word has a meaning, every person should also have a meaning and purpose on earth. Without meaning there is no use of any word or person on earth. That's why a person must develop or mature himself through finding his life's meaning or purpose to live with peace and happiness.

The definition of successful and meaningful life differs from person to person.

Nowadays developed and meaningful life is not defined by financial independency and prosperity, which is gained by most people. Contemporary people feel deprived of satisfaction, mental peace, happiness and love in their life and they crave for dignity, freedom, fulfillment, and recognition from work. Contemporary women have also become professionally successful yet she is seeking for a dignified existence in society. Women are still looked at with prejudiced eyes in the patriarchal society and considered as inferior sex and weak creature. Women long for a dignified image in their family, society and among their colleagues.

Myles aptly says in her book Feminism and the Post-Modern Indian Women Novelists in English that: "In contemporary world women have got self-reliance, still women

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are exploited, molested and they are in trouble due to their own inner conflicts" (Myles).

Divakaruni has presented the post-feminist perspective through her novels and opines that mutual-understanding between both the sexes is the only way of getting a dignified and meaningful existence.

Even today, women is exploited mentally and physically and that‟s why to get true respect is yet a challenge for her and finding a dignified and meaningful existence has become a very common topic for researchers. Schwartz Dov quotes Soloveitchik‟s philosophy and says: “Dignity is a form of existence” (Schwartz 238). Every woman seeks for a dignified existence in her society to live with self-esteem and self-satisfaction. Through her novels, Divakaruni has tried to teach the modern woman about the ways to get a dignified and meaningful existence for herself. Divakaruni also distinguishes between a 'feminine existence' and a 'meaningful feminine existence' through her works. She wants to question the prevailing concept of feminine existence, which is gained through liberalism and escapism. Existential theory also talks about liberalism and escapism. She wants to explain to women as well as to the whole world the concept of meaningful feminine existential theory through her novels.

We have come to know that by getting existence through dependence on others, through evil ways like revenge, through developing illusions and through the theory of liberalism or escapism from their male counterparts, a woman does exist by way of their instincts, but she can‟t find solace in her life and thus doesn‟t get a meaningful, a satisfying, a dignified feminine existence, development and happiness in her life. The Inventor of Feminine Existential Theory, Simone De Beauvoir also says in her magnum opus work The Second Sex: “A Woman is spontaneously seeking her salvation in the path imposed on her, that of passivity, at the same as she is actively demanding her sovereignty and this process is undoubtedly not fair play” (Beauvoir 850). Just like Beauvoir, Divakaruni also opines that women shouldn‟t remain passive and should be self-seeking to actualize her „self‟ in order to develop herself and to achieve what she desires.

Beauvoir who is stereotypically known as an inventor of the „feminine existentialism‟

theory is actually an inventor of „meaningful feminine existentialism‟ theory according to my analysis because, in her book- The Second Sex, she never says that women should adopt the ways of liberalism or escapism or of evil things to get their existence. She never favors women‟s struggle for a liberalism from their male counterparts or of taking divorce or of adopting lesbianism to get their existence. She criticizes all these actions by telling the evil effects of these actions in a woman‟s life and always favors the need for mutual understanding between both the sexes. She believes that development of a good relationship or happy life is a mutual process. She says: “The “Modern” woman accepts masculine values. She prides herself on thinking, acting, working, developing and creating on the same basis as males; instead of trying to belittle them, she declares herself their equal. She doesn‟t want to become superior to males and imprison males” (Beauvoir 850).

Through her works, Divakaruni also preaches mutual understanding to prevail between both the sexes to find the true meaning of life.

Divakaruni wants to discuss the aptness of the prevailing modernist thought of existential definition, which needs to be elaborated here: „human beings can be understood neither as substances with fixed properties nor as subjects interacting with a world of objects.‟ She favors that existential responsibility is more important than essential freedom and choice for human beings. She doesn‟t accept that any type of development or existence that leads to angst, crisis, anxiety or pointlessness. Through her works, she wants to present that a person requires following existential ethics for a meaningful existence in one‟s life. In contrary to this, some philosophers of the prevailing concept of existentialism says that- by whatsoever means, „to exist‟ is more important but society doesn‟t accept terrorists, thieves, corrupt administrators, murderous, unpatriotic people, etc. Great existentialist philosopher Jean Paul Sartre also writes in his renowned work Existentialism is Humanism that: “It is nowhere written that the good exist that one must be honest or must not lie, since we are now upon the plane where there are only men” (Sartre). That‟s why people who follow existentialist thinking do not worry about good or bad but they never get mental peace in their life even after developed existence. Such people have been considered dysfunctional, ambiguous and absurdist, saddist or anti-thetical.

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A society that itself works hard and honestly, faces the difficulties of life without escaping the reality and responsibility of freedom. Subsequently, such individuals find their way to emancipate or develop themselves from self-crisis, lead their life with endurance and advancement. Existentialists think that depression and mental disorders happen due to conflicting situations but Frankl who prefers meaningful existentialist theory that is also the exaggeration of existential theory,opines that depression is caused by meaninglessness in life. If a person has a virtuous meaning or purpose to exist or develop, he/she can face every difficulty of life.

Divakaruni alleges that assimilation is the great need to overcome all the difficulties of life and to get a meaningful life with the help of other people. Froese also writes: “Life‟s purpose or meaning is discovered within you, but it was planted there by society” (Froese 15). It is very significant for the present generation to be social to achieve meaningfulness.

Nowadays we see that people are tempted to live alone, that‟s why joint families are breaking. People have become arrogant and self-centered due to their self-esteem and self- status and due to their desire to get professional success in their life, that‟s why they prefer to live alone. Many people don‟t accept their family members and society and instead of trying to change them or to make themselves strong enough to assimilate with others, they like to escape and alienate themselves from them. They try to find pleasure in solitude and leave their family. Brain drain is a example. These people can develop financially but can't develop mentally. Intellectual strenth is most important that comes from being social. When these people face difficulties of life alone, they start feeling lonely, depressed and alienated.

Many people of the present generation are more connected ironically with social media through their phones and laptops than to their surrounding society and family members. Many people get success in their life, but suffer from depression and several mental disorders in their lives and do not find sustainable development and meaningfulness in their lives. Reker explains in his article about general causes of depression saying that:

“Depression arises from the loss of self-esteem (helplessness, powerlessness, and alienation), loss of significant people and declining social contacts” (Reker 709). Divakaruni also points out that our society saves us from difficult situations and prevents us from falling into the mental disturbance, therefore one should not only assimilate with the host society or community but also to expand socio-economic, cultural-political expansion, one needs to acculturate with the alien‟s lifestyle. This is the key feature to develop as an immigrant too.

All the successful, developed and reputed people in the world have come from difficult backgrounds, but with their capacity building, their hard labor, humane nature and courage they become strong to face their life‟s difficulties. They keep an aim to fulfill the purpose to achieve meaning, they struggle and get triumph. Wong aptly says:

“Individuals as Socrates, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr., dedicated their lives to pursue an ideal, a mission, even when such pursuits put their lives at risk” (Wong).

Divakaruni also gives importance to stitch and patch up the differences and to live a life of endurance and to soften the combative edges in order to develop, to pursue meaning, and happiness in life. Her works present a new theory of meaningful existence or development to the whole world that co-relates with the theory of assimilation.

Divakaruni suggests that often women adopt the ways full of vices to get what she desires, but she can‟t get mental peace. Divakaruni opines that escaping from the responsibilities of wifehood, womanhood or from the society a woman can‟t get true happiness. The true accomplishment is achieved by learning the ways to protect one‟s individual being in the society. In the day to day life which is full of competition, even a highly educated man or woman don't get livelihood easily. At this time, their society can help them and can show them various ways in which they can help society as well as earn their living, meaning and development in their life. Society indicates the hidden qualities of an individual. Nobody can earn on a empty road. Society is important for sustainable development. That's why an engineer after completing his degree can become an famous artist and a gold medalist in arts can become a great cook too. Society has always welcomed private ventures. Divakaruni says in a journal interview with Marcus: “I believe we have to look at the problems around us and address them, not turn away. You cannot have personal happiness without caring for the larger good” (Marcus 04). Divakaruni believes

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that helping needy people is the only remedy of getting the victory over one‟s sorrows and to relieve oneself from pain.

Divakaruni through her narrative art suggests life like experiences that suggest alternatives to the women for using womanly prowess, to become independent, to become strong and bold to face the struggle and the reality of being feminine. Present women have proven themselves to get respect and love from the world and have prepared themselves to stand up for their existential metaphysics. The author‟s concerns are for both Indian as well as Indian-American migrant women to get emancipator dimension in their lives. Divakaruni poses the challenges of migrant women and presents to them the ways to overcome the cultural conflicts and to establish a meaningful identity in their lives. She inspires women by presenting her novel‟s women protagonists as bold and smart. She narrates several survival strategies to the women through her novels.

Divakaruni‟s Oleander Girl, studies feminine prowess, women‟s ways to identify their prowess, their flaws, and strengths, their capacity of overcoming their flaws, their quest for sustainable development through a meaningful existence, their struggle from inner and outer conflicts, their satisfactory victory and achievement of meaningfulness in life.

Oleander Girl is the story of a girl‟s quest for development with dignity. The protagonist- Korobi Roy struggles to know about her true identity in the course of her life journey and becomes an emotionally balanced woman and finds her true meaning. Through her feminine prowess, she developed herself like an oleander flower, “beautiful but also tough” (OG 253).

Korobi is a young girl who is brought up in a traditional Bengali family by her maternal grandparents in 'Calcutta', after the death of her mother on the day of her birth.

The story is set in the year 2002, when whole India was facing the trauma and the fallouts of Godhra riots. Korobi Roy and Rajat Bose (a boy from Calcutta) fall in love with each other. Rajat is from a totally different family background and is very rich and modern. He likes Korobi for her simplicity, uniqueness and her traditional family background. He opines about Korobi that: “The culture and history that surrounds her every moment in the wonderful old house. How much he learned every time he visited her there” (OG 12). They both meet at a common friend‟s birthday party. Rajat, who breaks up with a rich and proud girl- Sonia Gupta, likes Korobi‟s simplicity and mysterious upbringing. Rajat who was financially developed is running towards a sustainable development or true meaning of his life. Rajat feels that through knowing Korobi's meaningful life, he can find his own life's meaning.

Korobi loves Rajat because, he loves her and cares for her. She also respects her male counterpart. Korobi‟s grandparents also like Rajat because they know that Rajat loves Korobi and he doesn‟t want to change her. Rajat Bose‟s mother and father also like Korobi, because their son likes her and she is also the granddaughter of a renowned retired Judge Tarak Prasad Roy who owns an ancient Durga Temple in his old house. The temple is the center of attraction for a politician- Mr. Bhattacharya, who can help the Boss in their business.

Mr. Bhattacharya is the leader of „Akhil Bharat Hindu Party‟ and wants to uplift Hindu religion. He is happy to see Bose's alliance with Roys and he praises Korobi and her ancient house and the temple. Boses want to impress Mr. Bhattacharya with the hope that he will take interest in investing in Bose's business of the art gallery that is incurring a loss.

After Korobi‟s engagement with Rajat, Korobi‟s grandfather announces her marriage, just after three months because he is very old and wants to see Korobi married, before he dies.

Divakaruni presents Korobi as a strong but docile and emotional woman. Through the character of simple and emotional Korobi, Divakaruni portrays that the orphan girls like Korobi, generally become very emotional due to the lack of their parent's love. They grow but don't develop. they don't get intellectual fulfillment, peace, happiness and meaning of their life. Wong aptly quotes: “Meaning in life thus refers to the understanding that we develop of who we are, what the world is like and how we fit in with and relate to the grand scheme of things” (Wong). When people feel their significance in someone‟s life they find their meaning. Korobi also assumes that her life‟s meaning is being with her family and

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with her love Rajat. In this novel Divakaruni presents that Korobi gets sustainable intellectual development through facing struggles in her life.

Just before the day of Korobi‟s engagement, Korobi sees the ghost of her mother at night in her bedroom. Korobi‟s mother‟s ghost is mouthless and the ghost indicates over to the ocean from the window and then disappears. Korobi feels disturbed and awed by her dead mother‟s ghost and feels confused that what her mother longs to indicate.

On the evening of Korobi‟s engagement, suddenly her grandfather dies of a heart attack. He wants to tell her something but can‟t. She misses her grandfather a lot and goes into oblivion. Rajat tries a lot to help Korobi in coming out of this emotional breakdown but he doesn‟t understand the depth of Korobi‟s sorrow and forces her to be happy. Korobi doesn‟t like Rajat‟s rude behavior with her. She tells: "I remind him he hasn‟t had anyone close to him die. How can he presume to understand how I‟m feeling? What am I? A clockwork doll that he can wind up and say, Three weeks have passed, enough moping, now smile and dance?...I tell him he‟s insensitive. A tyrant. He wants to control my life" (OG 51).

Divakaruni depicts how there always remains a gap between masculine and feminine thinking, psychology and emotions. Women generally are more emotional than men and men don‟t understand women as other women do. Men and women must understand each other‟s emotions to develop significantly and happily in their relationship.

Beauvoir also emphasizes the need of friendly relationship between both the sexes and says: “The conflict will last as long as men and women do not recognize each other as peers”

(Beauvoir 851). Through the example of Korobi and Rajat, Divakaruni wants to present the need of friendly and sensitive behavior between both the sexes to develop a strong relationship.

Later Korobi‟s grandmother- Sarojini, tells Korobi that her late grandfather has lied to her and to everyone that Korobi‟s father has also died in her childhood in a car accident.

Her grandmother informs Korobi that in reality, her father is alive. Sarojini tells Korobi:

“Your dear grandfather lied to you and forced me to do the same. Your father‟s alive. His name is Rob. Yes, Rob. He lives in America” (OG 52). Korobi feels shocked and sorrowful that her loveable grandfather has hidden this thing from her. She feels deeply hurt that her grandfather who remains as a man of principal can deceive her.

Korobi‟s grandmother tries to console her and tells her that they hide this thing from her due to their love and their fear for her future safety. The grandmother also says Korobi to hide this thing from Rajat because she opines that this news can affect their relationship.

Korobi, in contrast, decides to tell everything to Rajat because she is an honest and strong woman. She doesn't want to develop as a liar in Rajat's life to get a peaceful and strong relationship ahead. She adopts the courageous way of virtue to handle her relationship with Rajat and presents the ideal prowess of Divakaruni‟s women protagonist.

When Korobi tells Rajat about her father Rajat is shocked and doesn‟t understand how to respond. Korobi tells Rajat that her lovable grandfather has lied to her and this fact hurts her a lot and her heart is now filled with distrust towards everyone in the world.

Korobi has started feeling senselessness in her life due to her existential vacuum. Frankl has defined the feeling of existential vacuum from “the feeling of emptiness and meaninglessness” (Frankl The Will).

Korobi expresses her pain to Rajat and tells him that she can‟t marry him until she finds her father. Korobi tells Rajat that she has decided to go to America to know her true identity so that she can find happiness, solace and meaning in her life. Rajat tries to stop Korobi from going to America and from postponing their marriage but Korobi convinces Rajat. She mourns: “I‟m so confused. All the things I was so proud of, my family, my heritage- they are only half true. The other half of me-I don‟t know anything about it.

Except that all this time my father was alive and in America” (OG 66). Korobi wants to get self-awareness to find sustainable development or meaningfulness in her life. Famous critics also state that: “The quality of self-awareness is the ground of existential meaning”

(Reker and Chamberlain 08).

Rajat‟s mother requests Korobi to get married first because Korobi‟s foreign heritage can affect their business that is already in the loss and is in need of a loan. Mrs. Bose tells Korobi that a politician- Mr. Bhattacharya can invest in their business if he knows about

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Rajat‟s alliance with a traditional Hindu family of Korobi. If Mr. Bhattacharya will come to know Korobi‟s foreign heritage, he might change his plan of investing in Bose‟s business, because he strictly supports Hindu families only.

Korobi wants to help the family of her in-laws but she feels that if she does not go to America, she will be betraying her dead mother who comes to meet her as a ghost and silently pleads her to go over the ocean to meet her father. When Korobi tells her grandmother that she has advised Mrs. Bose to break off the engagement, Korobi‟s grandmother scolds her for doing so. Mrs. Bose is shocked at Korobi‟s reply and her stubbornness. Mrs. Bose is annoyed and tells Korobi to discuss this issue with Rajat and goes away.

Korobi angrily tells her grandmother that: “I‟m tired of people treating me like a charity case, acting like they are doing me a great favor by having this wedding take place.

I‟m not ready for it, anyway” (OG 83). Divakaruni presents that like Korobi, women should be courageous, passionate and honest if they want respect, sustainable development and meaning in their life. Wong aptly defines the meaning of life and says that: “Meaning in life thus refers to the understanding that we 'develop' of who we are…and how we fit in with and relate to the grand scheme of things” (Wong).

Jayshree Bose advises Rajat to break off from Korobi but Rajat tells that he can‟t because he loves Korobi. Korobi is not able to self-interpret herself due to her feeling of identity. A psychologist describes self-interpretation and says that: “Self-interpretation is self-actualization, but actually man can actualize himself only by fulfilling a meaning”

(Frankl Man‟s Search for Meaning 02).

Korobi wants to develop in her life through knowing about her lost father and dead mother. She promises Rajat and Rajat‟s mother that she will remain honest to Rajat, will come soon and will marry him on the fixed date. Korobi goes to America alone like a hero and in contrast,Rajat remains in India. Through Korobi‟s example, Divakaruni shows how the women of the present generation have broken the stereotypical thinking that males are the protector and helper of women. Divakaruni has portrayed how in the contemporary age a woman can develop and help herself by becoming bold and independent.

Korobi meets a detective Mr. Desai in America. Korobi reaches America and is received by Mr. Mitra (Bose‟s manager of Art gallery in America). She stays in Mr. Mitra‟s home as Rajat tells her and meets Mr. Mitra‟s wife- Seema. Seema also tells Korobi how after 9/11 some people attack her, Mr. Mitra and their art gallery while she was pregnant.

She tells Korobi that she is planning to go to India for the delivery of her child but she doesn‟t have the money required. By portraying the life of Mr. and Mrs. Mitra, Divakaruni wants to present the adverse effect of 9/11 on Indian immigrants in America. Mr. Mitra indulges in an illegal business and lies to Boses that the American art gallery is not doing good business. In reality, he has stopped giving attention on the art gallery after the attack on it. He is uncomfortable with Korobi‟s presence in America and suspects that Boses have sent Korobi to spy on him. Mr. Mitra starts spying Korobi so that he can find the actual reason of her coming to America and also to get something secret from Korobi to blackmail the Boses and to get money from them.

Korobi meets her detective- Mr. Desai in America and Mr. Desai introduces her to his nephew cum assistant- Vic. Vic is also an Indian-American and a victim of 9/11 tragedy in America. Korobi's father's name was Rob so Vic and Korobi meet many people named Rob, according to the investigation of Mr. Desai. Meanwhile, Korobi learns to defend herself from the attack of Americans who have turned against the Indian immigrants after 9/11.

Unknowingly, Korobi was getting sustainable development in her overall personality as a strong and self reliant woman.

Korobi meets Rob Evanston in New York, who is an architect, but he doesn‟t come out her father. Korobi doesn't have money to continue her search for her father , so she gets her long hair cut to get money. Korobi is determined and is ready to make any sacrifice to find her father. Then she meets Rob Mariner. Korobi protects and saves herself from seductive womanizer- Rob Mariner with the help of Vic. Vic and Korobi become good friends and Vic starts liking Korobi and starts showing his interest towards Korobi. Korobi also likes Vic‟s humorous and helping nature but Korobi makes her strong against temptations

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and remains faithful towards Rajat in-spite-of Rajat‟s suspicion and accusation on her due to her friendship with Vic.

Korobi doesn‟t run away from her life‟s difficulties but faces them strongly. By presenting Korobi‟s strong character, Divakaruni gives a message to the women of the present generation to be mentally, physically and emotionally strong. Korobi meets Rob Davis, who insults her badly misunderstanding her a cheater woman. Korobi feels broken and is in pain after losing her self-respect. Korobi starts feeling worthless in her life because of her lost self-respect. Vic tries to support Korobi and he says: “You think that if you learn who your father and mother were, it‟ll teach you who you are? But you are someone already. You‟d see it if you weren‟t so busy focusing elsewhere” (OG 217). Vic proposes to Korobi and tells her to stay with him in California. He tells her: “I‟ve been falling in love over the past weeks, watching the brave, loyal, headstrong woman you are struggling against odds that would have defeated most people a long time ago” (OG 217). Korobi tells Vic that she can become his good friend but can‟t become his lover because she loves Rajat and is engaged with him.

Korobi feels hurt and depressed due to her failure in finding her father. Then suddenly one day Mr. Desai gets a phone call from a woman named Mrs. Meera Anand, who is a friend of Korobi's late mother. Mrs. Anand finds Mr. Desai's phone number through an advertisement in a newspaper relating Korobi's lost father. Mrs. Anand shares many incidences about Korobi's dead mother- Anu's life with her. Mrs. Anand also tells about Korobi's father- Robin Lacey, who is a history major in a university. Korobi finds her father- Robin Lacey with the help of Mr. Desai. Korobi feels shocked to know that her father is an African- American. She passes this information to her grandmother over the phone. Sarojini is worried what would be Bose's reaction at this truth about Korobi‟s mixed race, so she tells Korobi not to meet Robin Lacey and return to India but Korobi has decided to meet him. Sarojini tells that: "having Korobi's father turn out to be black would be far worse than if he were merely a foreigner" (OG 225).

Robin Lacey also feels excited and happy to meet his daughter and tells her that her grandfather has lied to him that his daughter has died and has handed him Anu‟s fake death certificate. Robin Lacey tells Korobi that her was a hard working woman. She loved him very much and sacrificed many things in her life to live with him. Korobi‟s father shows Korobi, Anu‟s old photographs and admires Anu‟s character and nature.

Korobi also feels stunned to know that she is an illegitimate daughter. She frowns:

"I‟m illegitimate?”…I‟m a bastard?”…I feel a great, dizzying anger toward my parents, that they should have marked me like this. I don‟t know a single person among all my friends, relatives, acquaintances, even servants, who are outcast in this way. I envision myself telling Rajat of this stigma. The news traveling to Papa and Maman. To Bhattacharya. I can‟t even imagine the fallout from that" (OG 245).

Korobi‟s whole existence is shaken and her self-respect and pride on her heritage also collapse. She feels insignificant, miserable and wretched. Vic consoles her saying:

“People won‟t judge you for something that you had no control over. Not the people who love you” (OG 246). Korobi is consoled by the fact that at least her father trusts her and that she has realized her real identity. She comes to know of her mother‟s struggles, sacrifices, and mistakes in life and learns lessons from them. She asks her father if he knows why her mother has named her „Korobi.‟ Her father replies: “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 herself” (OG 253). Korobi also decides to become tough. Korobi thinks that if Rajat‟s love for her is genuine, he will love her even after knowing her true identity. She decides, to tell the truth to Rajat first of all, and face to face so that she can see his reaction and can decide her future with him.

Rajat gets a letter from his previous girlfriend- Sonia. Sonia tries to lure Rajat in the absence of Korobi and offers him money for his business if he marries her, but Rajat denies Sonia‟s offer and insults her when she tries to criticize Korobi. He remains faithful towards Korobi and says to Sonia: “I‟m sorry. I love Korobi” (OG 200). Sonia gets angry and hires Rajat's warehouse workers and some bullies to kill Rajat. Rajat was already facing Hindu Muslim riots in his factory due to the ill effect of Godhra massacre in India. Rajat's old muslim driver saved Rajat and her sister Pia from the bullies.

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Korobi informs the Boses about Mr. Mitra‟s cheating with them and about the condition of their art gallery in America. Mr. Bose comes to America and finds that the information given by Korobi is true and that Mitra is really cheating them. He complains against Mitra to the police but Mitra gets disappeared. To take his revenge from Korobi, Mitra breaks into Mr. Desai‟s office at night and steals the file containing information about the identity of Korobi‟s real father from there. Mitra sends the proofs to Mr. Bose about Korobi‟s mixed-race heritage and her illegitimacy and starts blackmailing the Boses threatening them to tell Mr. Bhattacharya and the press about their would be daughter-in- law's truth to ruin their prestige and business in India. Boses are shocked to know that Korobi has hidden this big truth from them.

Although Korobi and her father are highly educated and financially sound, Korobi‟s African-American heritage has become a problem for Mrs. Bose. Divakaruni wants to draw to draw the whole world's attention on the flaws of racial discrimination and its bad effects in people's life. Even the highly educated people of present generation also believe in racism in India. Korobi can be seen doubly exploited by the patriarchal culture of India being a woman and being a minor caste woman. Uma Chakraborty has also presented the relationship between caste and gender in her renowned book Gendering Caste Through a feminist Lens and quotes that: “We need to look particularly at the relationship between caste and gender because of the manner in which these two institutions shape each-other”

(Chakraborty 26). Korobi presents the issue of women‟s subordination by the societal norms on the basis of caste and gender.

Mrs. Bose tells Rajat that Korobi wants to cheat them and even if she will tell the truth now, she will tell it because Mitra has already told us. Rajat too gets angry with Korobi when he hears it and Mrs. Bose informs Korobi‟s grandmother that they don‟t want to meet Korobi. Korobi goes to meet Rajat and Rajat tells angrily: "Maman is right. If you didn't intend to deceive us, you must have evidence of that" (OG 274). Korobi feels shocked and hurt when she sees Rajat‟s behavior towards her. She feels that even Rajat also distrusts her in spite of her loyalty towards her. She returns Rajat‟s engagement ring to him and goes out of his house saying that if he needs a proof of her loyalty and truthfulness he can call Mr. Desai.

Korobi has developed as a mature and emotionally balanced woman after returning from America and when she comes to know her real identity. Divakaruni advises through this novel that women should not surrender themselves in front of males when males try to blame them falsely. If women are right in their actions and deeds they must remain strong.

They can help themselves against any exploitation and subordination in the society by being emotionally strong. Rajat also tries to keep Korobi in her chains but Korobi as a modern and strong woman refuses to remain under male domination. She goes to her grandmother‟s house and resumes her education.

When Korobi‟s grandmother rebukes her for breaking with Rajat, Korobi says that she doesn‟t have any fault so she does this. She says to her grandmother that her father Robin Lacey is calling her to America and he has promised her that he will arrange a campus job for her. Korobi‟s grandmother knows that Vic is also calling Korobi for marriage in America but Korobi stays in India because of her love for Rajat, so the grandmother agrees. When Rajat expressed his distrust on Korobi, she again starts feeling insignificance and meaninglessness in her life. She thinks that there is no love and mutual understanding between her and Rajat as existed between her parents. Singh aptly says that: “Post- feminism is a kind of peace making mission in the battle of the sexes” (Singh, Kanwar 21).

Divakaruni also wants to preach the importance of post-feminist thinking through her novels. Korobi wants to develop her significant position in Rajat‟s eyes and wants to find dignity and meaning of her life with completeness in her life with Rajat.

Korobi‟s grandmother requests Mr. Bhattacharya to help the Boses financially and Mr. Bhattacharya agrees to give a loan to the Boses for the sake of Korobi‟s grandmother.

When Rajat realizes that Korobi was not actually hiding anything from him, he comes to meet her and apologizes to her: “I‟m sorry that I gave you the impression that you couldn‟t trust me to accept the news of your parentage. That it would matter more than my love for you…Would you be willing for us to try again to build a life together?” (OG279) Korobi being an understanding girl, doesn‟t keep any feeling of grudge in her heart and forgives Rajat

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and marries him. Her grandmother is happy to see that Rajat and Korobi are reunited. She says: “Look now at our granddaughter, strong and beautiful” (OG 284). Korobi serves as a model for the present woman who develop as a strong woman of forgiving and generous heart. Beauvoir also says about modern women that: “The modern woman accepts masculine values,…she declares herself their equal. They do not want to become superior to male and imprison males” (Beauvoir 850). Divakaruni has also presented the journey of a woman from immaturity to maturity. Korobi has turned into a different girl, who has become an emotionally balanced woman and can face any future challenge. Korobi has turned into a perfect oleander girl.

Divakaruni preached through Oleander Girl to be a balanced woman like Korobi.

Divakaruni's protagonists never try to escape from their reality, never develop an illusionary world around them, never escape from their responsibilities and never try to liberate themselves from their male counterparts. They adopt the post-feminist thinking of respecting their male counterparts.

Divakaruni teaches the present woman to develop and survive in the society by following a balanced path. By becoming strong, confident, honest and by adopting individuality and virtuous ways in life a woman not only can adjust in a relationship but also can enjoy her individuality and attain purposefulness and meaningfulness in life.

Korobi doesn‟t want to remain like a commodity in Rajat‟s life and that‟s why she fights against every odd to find her dignity, identity and to find meaningfulness in her life. Korobi not only develops her a true identity but she also wants to attain a sustainable development or meaningful life. That‟s why even after knowing her true identity she seeks a meaningful life with Rajat and waits for Rajat‟s complete acceptance of the real Korobi who has a mixed heritage.

Divakaruni's characters adopt post-feminist thinking of respecting their male counterparts. They never become a burden on their male counterparts and lead a respected life for themselves with their life partners. Renowned feminist Jasbir Jain says that: “No reconstruction of feminine space can come into being in a one sided manner, it has to interact with the notion of masculinity” (Jain; 2003). That‟s why women must make harmonious relationship with their male counterparts.

Divakaruni's characters struggle themselves individually, without expecting anything from others, they reevaluate their own character, they develop through overcoming their character‟s weaknesses, learn many things from their struggle, make themselves strong and develop themselves by finding their life‟s meaning. They develop their own character so powerful that they become an ideal for their male counterparts and their male counterparts surrender themselves in front of these virtuous women. Divakaruni‟s women also present an example of women with big hearts by adjusting with their male counterparts and by being social at the same time keeping up their individuality. The women become capable of finding a truly developed, purposeful or meaningful life through self-struggle and find ultimate satisfaction, dignity and mental peace in their life.

Divakaruni‟s women get success in finding a „developed or meaningful feminine existence‟ in the society. They present a way to all the women to develop their inner strengths and to develop with dignity.

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