Lavanyadevi

Marwari literature from Bengal reflects a rich interplay of migration, dislocation and fluid identities. As a Kolkata Marwari, in Kusum Khemani's fiction the schisms between 'Bengali' and 'Marwari' blur to reveal a delightfully plural, composite, and distinctively Indian ethos. Lavanyadevi, her award-winning 2013 novel, follows a traditional aristocratic Bengali family as it transitions into modernity, from British India to the present. Spanning five generations of a zamindar family, Lavanyadevi is a story about women and their search for self, about shared laughter and friendships that endure across generations, beliefs and cultures**x2014;between mother and daughter, grandmother and granddaughter, and Marwari and Bengali women. Khemani's women protagonists are strong, clear-sighted, both worldly and sublime, embodying a larger-than-life idealism while being grounded firmly in the everyday. Lavanyadevi**x2014;a compelling woman of perfection, extraordinary vision, qualities, and grace**x2014;remains real and credible because she is self-aware, self-critical, open to others, and to change.