The Chaos Curse (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond #3) - Sayantani DasGupta Page 0,96
Jersey, which is clearly not true to the original tale in the least!
Weddings
Like other South Asian weddings, Bengali weddings are usually grand, multiday affairs. Guests are invited by elaborate, hand-delivered wedding cards, although not usually with as mean-spirited messages as Sesha and Pinki’s card! I have included or referenced several pre-wedding events in this book, including engagement ceremonies, where the marrying couple usually asks elders for their blessings, and the gaye halud (“turmeric on the body”) ceremony, where everyone traditionally dresses in yellow and the groom and bride are (separately) purified with turmeric paste. In Bengali weddings, this is also the time that the two sides of the family often exchange gifts in the form of elaborately decorated “tottho”—trays of everything from fancy clothes to makeup to food that travel from one house to another. Bengali weddings don’t traditionally have a mehendi ceremony, where the bride has her hands and feet decorated with swirling henna designs, or a sangeet, where song-and-dance numbers are performed by and for guests, but these North Indian traditions have been adopted by many Bengali couples these days and so I include them here (although Bunty the tiger does comment on them not being traditional practices). Bengali brides usually wear red silk saris embroidered with silver or gold thread, gold jewelry, shola pith tiaras, and have their faces decorated with sandalwood paste designs. Bengali grooms usually wear white dhotis (cloth wrapped and folded around the waist) and kurtas (tops) along with shola pith topor, a pointed white hat, on their heads. The doll bridal party that Kiran sees during her search for her moon mother is dressed in these traditional ways, and the bride is riding in a palki, or small house-like palanquin carried by two or four bearers.
Astronomy
Like in The Serpent’s Secret and Game of Stars, there are many references to astronomy in this book, most notably the idea of string or membrane theory, that there may exist many universes in parallel to one another that are simply not aware of the other universes’ existences. This to me seemed very much in keeping with the immigrant experience—the idea that immigrant communities are universe-straddlers! In this novel, I also played with the idea of the big bang, or the beginning of the ever-expanding universe, and the potential of a big crunch, or the eventual collapsing of the universe as we know it. I connected this idea of an expanding universe to the need for many types of stories, and linked Sesha’s plan to collapse down diversity and smush stories together to the notion of the collapsing of the universe. I also was intrigued by the idea of a gravitational singularity in the center of a black hole, which contains a huge mass in an infinitely small space and where the known laws of physics cease to operate. The dragon boy Ned Hogar/Nidhoggr also refers to a theory called Laplace’s demon, an all-seeing entity which to me seemed like a very ominous and scary monster—which also fit with Sesha! Albert Einstein makes another appearance in this book and Stephen Hawking is also mentioned, but these characters have nothing to do with the real scientists—they are merely fictional imaginings of space scientists I admire!
Like in the previous two books in this series, rakkhosh in The Chaos Curse are the manifestation of black holes. Even though this pairing of folktales and cosmology may seem strange, I did so to tear down the stereotype that cultural stories are somehow unconnected to science. In fact, like in every culture, traditional Bengali stories are often infused with stories about the stars and planets. That said, please don’t take anything in this book as scientific fact, but rather use the story to inspire some more research about astronomy, astronomers and physicists, the big bang, singularities, and string theory!
Pink-Sari Skateboarders
The Pink-Sari Skateboarders of this book, and Game of Stars, were inspired by at least two groups of Indian women that to me exemplify female power. The first is the Gulabi Gang—a group of modern-day pink-sari-clad women activists in Northern India who, armed with bamboo sticks, go after domestic abusers and other men committing violence against women in their rural communities. The second group is the young women involved in India’s slowly emerging skateboard and surfing scene, some of whom are featured in the movie and organization Girl Skate India.
Nonbinary Gender Identity
Like Bunty the tiger, who goes by “they” or “them” pronouns in English, there are many ways that people in South Asia express nonbinary gender identity. The hijra community, considered a non-male, non-female third gender in South Asia, is one such group. Koti and meti are other terms sometimes used in different parts of South Asia to express nonbinary gender identity. The Supreme Court of India has in fact stated that recognition of third gender groups “is not a medical or social issue, but a human rights issue.” This is not to say that there isn’t discrimination faced by nonbinary people in South Asia, but to point out the important history of nonbinary gender in South Asia, and also to honor the activism of these groups in making space and combating prejudice.
Other Random References
As in the previous two books of this series, jokes and riddles are a big part of The Chaos Curse. Variations of the riddle about three doors and three keys can be seen in many places. I learned my love of logical puzzles from my own father, Sujan, who adapted and translated many Western puzzles into Bengali, including his Bengali children’s book, Dhadhapurir Golok Dhadha (The Labyrinth Riddle of Riddle Land).
“O Amar Chander Alo” is a popular song written by Bengali Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, while Bauls are a traditional group of nomadic singers whose music is an important part of Bengali culture. In fact, many of Tagore’s songs were influenced by Baul tunes, and my own childhood visits to my paternal grandmother’s home in Santiniketan, West Bengal, the location of Tagore’s Visva-Bharati University, were often marked by visits by mystical Baul singers and truly transcendental Baul performances.
As an immigrant daughter whose connection to her own past was mediated by limited visits but unlimited stories, I am particularly drawn to the idea of love and stories being the forces at the heart of everything. I often worry about dominant stories taking over and silencing stories from more marginalized communities, but have faith that the community of diverse authors, editors, publishers, and readers, as well as groups like We Need Diverse Books, will keep our many-storied multiverse expanding and growing.
It takes a village to bring a book into the world, and I am so grateful to all the members of my story village. As always I’m indebted to my superstar agent, Brent Taylor, and his colleague Uwe Stender, for believing in me and my stories. I’m also beyond lucky to work with Abby McAden, editor extraordinaire, and her brilliantly brilliant assistant, Talia Seidenfeld.
I’m delighted that all three of the Kiranmala books can be judged by their covers! And this is entirely because of the beautiful work of artist Vivienne To and genius art director Elizabeth Parisi. Heartiest of thank-yous to Melissa Schirmer, my production editor, Jackie Hornberger, my copy editor, and to the rest of #TeamKiranmala at Scholastic, including Ellie Berger, David Levithan, Rachel Feld, Lizette Serrano, Michael Strouse, Emily Heddleson, Danielle Yadao, Tracy van Straaten, Lauren Donovan, and Elisabeth Ferrari! Thank you to the team from Scholastic Book Clubs as well as that force of nature, Robin Hoffman, and the team from Scholastic Book Fairs for getting this series into the hands of so many readers. Thank you to Donalyn Miller, John Schumacher, and all the other wonderful reading champions around the country who are out there doing the good work!
Thank you to my writerly siblings Sheela Chari, Veera Hiranandani, Heather Tomlinson, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, and all those author friends I’ve made on this wonderful journey. Thank you to Debanuj DasGupta, as well as Autumn and Kristin Reynolds for their valuable insight into the character of Bunty the tiger. Thank you to my We Need Diverse Books, KidLit Writers of Color, and Desi Writers families, as well as my dear friends Kari, Kerri, and Jovi for being always there and always supportive. Thank you to my narrative medicine/health humanities colleagues and students at Columbia and around the country. Thank you to my extended family in India and this country, as well as my wonderful Bengali immigrant community of aunties, uncles, and friends.
Thank you to the teachers, librarians, booksellers, and readers who have read, enjoyed, and shared Kiranmala’s adventures. It’s still such a dream that I get to share my stories with you.
To my superstar cheerleader parents, Sujan and Shamita, my husband, Boris, and my darlings Kirin, Sunaya, and Khushi, eternal gratitude. As the Rakkhoshi Rani says, it’s all about love and stories, stories and love.