| 1. |
The novel begins with Meera’s sensual description of breast-feeding her son, Ashvin. Why do you think Suri chose to open the novel this way? How did you react to this passage and to the evolution of the physical bond between Meera and Ashvin later in the book?
|
| 2. |
On the night she first encounters Dev, Meera hears the voice of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of modern India, crackle through a loudspeaker, speaking of the opportunities promised by independence. The theme of opportunity pervades the novel. What are some examples of opportunities—political, economic, sexual, gained and squandered—in the narrative?
|
| 3. |
What is the role of music in the novel? How does Meera’s reception of Dev’s oft-heard refrain—“Will you light the first of your heart / To dispel the darkness of my life?”—change during the course of the novel?
|
| 4. |
Paji calls Dev’s family “not fit to eat off our plates,” but he decrees that Meera must marry Dev anyway. Why? Why is Dev’s family more sanguine about the nuptials?
|
| 5. |
Though the political strife and armed conflicts in India and Pakistan after Indian independence remain a backdrop to the more immediate plot of the novel, what role do these larger histories play in lives of the characters?
|
| 6. |
Meera’s behavior in the novel often challenges the norms of gender roles in Indian society. Would you call Meera a feminist?
|
| 7. |
Why does Meera choose to prostrate herself before Dev’s feet at the ceremony to conclude Karva Chauth? What are the consequences of her behavior?
|
| 8. |
How would you describe the Bombay of this novel? Is the city an appealing place? How does it seem to differ from Delhi?
|
| 9. |
In the course of the novel, Dev’s actions often betray the reader’s sympathy, but Suri seems to paint Dev’s death in a tragic light. Is there any redemption for Dev in the novel?
|
| 10. |
When she is in her sixties, Biji suddenly begins participating in student activism. Why? How does Biji’s metamorphosis contrast with the evolution of other characters?
|
| 11. |
Though all of the primary characters in The Age of Shiva are Hindu, several secondary characters, such as Meera’s neighbors in both Nizamuddin and Bombay, are noted for being Muslim. Meera also describes at length her parents’ attitudes toward Muslim guests. How are religion and religious differences important in the novel?
|
| 12. |
How would you characterize the relationship between Meera and Sandhya? Why does Sandhya continue to be a potent force in Meera’s life long after Meera moves to Bombay?
|
| 13. |
Surely one of the most complex characters in the novel, Paji and his attitudes are depicted as alternately progressive and traditional. In what ways do Paji’s ambiguities symbolize both the challenges and opportunities for India after independence?
|
| 14. |
“I have read about such tortured souls in novels, seen their stories in films; souls who suffer so that the rest of us can savor the offering of their pain.” This thought enters Meera’s heard when she first hears Dev sing. Are there any characters in the novel who fit this description?
|
| 15. |
How does Arya change during the course of story? How would you contrast Arya and Dev? What forms of masculinity in India emerge in the novel?
|
| 16. |
Why does Ashvin suddenly request assistance from Paji in being admitted to boarding school? How is his request similar to the often brazen behavior of his mother during her adolescence, and how is it different?
|
| 17. |
How does Suri use Shiva in the novel? What parallels are drawn between Meera’s story and the myths involving Shiva and Parvati? How do you interpret the novel’s title?
|
| 18. |
“To be a parent is to be guilty,” Paji writes. Do you agree?
|
