The Temple Is Not My Father: Daughters Of Destiny
()
About this ebook
In a world where justice is a luxury, Godavari, a devadasi in rural India, faces a heart-wrenching choice between revenge and forgiveness.
Betrayed and married off to a temple at the tender age of eleven, Godavari is no stranger to hardship. Her only joy is her daughter, Sreeja, a beacon of hope born out of wedlock amidst her life of servitude. But the arrival of mysterious relatives from America threatens her fragile world, putting everything she holds dear, including Sreeja's life, in peril.
As she grapples with her haunting past and an uncertain future, Godavari stands at a crossroads. Will she succumb to the burning desire for revenge against those who betrayed her? Or will she find the strength within to forgive, even when justice seems a distant dream? The path she chooses could determine the very survival of her and Sreeja.
The Temple Is Not My Father invites you on a journey through one of India's lesser-known subcultures, offering a poignant exploration of a mother's sacrifice and the empowering bonds of sisterhood. Godavari's story stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of humanity, illuminating the path to resilience and healing for those who have endured unimaginable hardship.
◆ Spellings used in this book are British/Indian.
◆ All books in this series may be read independently.
Rasana Atreya
Rasana Atreya’s debut novel, Tell A Thousand Lies, was shortlisted for the Tibor Jones South Asia Prize. This novel was taught at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque’s English 479. Glam magazine (UK) calls this “one of our five favourite tales from India.” The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque’s publication Emerging South Asian Women Writers: Essays and Interviews (From Antiquity to Modernity Book 1) by Feroza Jussawalla and Deborah Fillerup Weagel has a writeup on Rasana. After working in IT for several years, Rasana made a successful transition to writing fiction. Rasana was one of India’s self-publishing pioneers. She did this after declining a trade-publishing contract. Amazon flew her to New Delhi for the launch of the Kindle. Rasana lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two children. Her son is in college, and daughter is grumpily finishing high school over Zoom. Her novels, all standalones, are loosely tied together in a series, Tales From The Deccan Plateau: * Tell A Thousand Lies (March 2012) * Talking Is Wasted Breath (Previously 28 Years A Bachelor. December 2020) * Daughters Inherit Silence (February 2021) * The Water Wives (Launching in 2022) * The Temple Is Not My Father (Expanding novella into a novel. Launching in 2022) * Tell A Lie, Beget A Daughter (Launching in 2022) Sign up https://RasanaAtreya.com for news about launches and promotions.
Read more from Rasana Atreya
Tell A Thousand Lies: Daughters Of Destiny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughters Inherit Silence: Daughters Of Destiny Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTalking Is Wasted Breath: Daughters Of Destiny Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Temple Is Not My Father
Related ebooks
Hidden Colours Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeneath a Thousand Apple Trees Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Wave Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Under the Shadows Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMolly Fox's Birthday: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Haunting of Prescott Hall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGirls in the Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Forever Summer: A Chelsea High Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTreasure Hunter: A Pet Detective Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silk Tether: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cub Reporter: A Pet Detective Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Detective Mya Dove 2 Book Collection: Detective Mya Dove Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRipples Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKing of Nod Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGirl in Shades: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Seeing Hands of Others Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kinship of Secrets Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Among Thorns and Stardust Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen in Vanuatu: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummer of Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Nights in the Dying Castle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Summer of Lies: The BRAND NEW novel from NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER Louise Douglas for 2024 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMiss Kopp's Midnight Confessions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anatomy of a Heretic: a thrilling historical adventure of treachery and vengeance on the high seas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGhost of Tomorrow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProsperous Friends: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chameleon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGeocacher: A Pet Detective Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rise: Extraordinary Women of Colour who Changed the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
General Fiction For You
The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The King James Version of the Bible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Outsider: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anonymous Sex Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Beartown: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mythos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life of Pi: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unhoneymooners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Sister's Keeper: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Black Girl: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dry: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dante's Divine Comedy: Inferno Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shantaram: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Temple Is Not My Father
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Temple Is Not My Father - Rasana Atreya
THE TEMPLE IS NOT MY FATHER
by
RASANA ATREYA
Copyright 2014 Rasana Atreya
For
My children, Sunaad and Aamani Gurajada, who really, really wanted to design the cover of this book. Because I wouldn’t let them, they wrote, illustrated and published their own book.
My parents, long deceased
Part I
"Is the Goddess your husband, Amma?"
Godavari smiled at her young daughter. No, she’s not.
But you’re married to her.
Godavari nodded. Years ago, when she still believed in goodness and decency and all that foolishness, her father had dressed her in bridal finery and walked her through the streets of their village. She skipped along, feeling important and pretty in her brand new clothes. It wasn’t every day that a girl got married – and to the Goddess herself! The only irritant was Godavari’s own mother. She followed them, wailing and beating her chest, grabbing her husband’s arm every once in a while, falling at his feet, making a complete nuisance of herself.
Why couldn’t her mother understand that this was an honour, something bestowed upon only a chosen few? Why did she have to ruin everything special that Godavari’s father tried to do for her?
Godavari forced a grin on her face, trying to ignore her mother’s embarrassing behaviour. But her mother only wailed harder. Godavari entwined her fingers with her father’s, swinging his hand as high as it would go. She called out to the villagers lining the road to the temple but the men clapped their hands to their mouths and the women hid their faces behind their saris. Meanwhile, Godavari’s mother continued with her wailing.
Amma?
Sreeja asked, snapping Godavari back from the past. When did you get married?
Godavari leaned back against the trunk of the scrawny guava tree and sighed. A long time ago.
In their tiny enclosed courtyard, with its packed-mud floor and ten-foot-high cow dung-coated walls, the narrow metal built-in gate their only access to the world outside, she pondered her life. Though the high walls kept the world out, it also caged the two of them in. But it was important that she remember that no matter how small the house – front room, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, all interconnected and opening into their miniscule courtyard – it was hers, and hers alone. And, no matter how hard her life, she was so much better off than other women in her situation.
Is the temple my father?
Startled, Godavari laughed. What gave you that idea?
You’re married to it.
Yes, but the temple isn’t your father.
Sreeja twirled her braid with a finger. She seemed to be in deep thought. You’re married to two things. How can that be?
Godavari lifted Sreeja onto her lap, savouring her little girl smell. I was dedicated to Goddess Yellamma. Some people call that being married to the Goddess, others call it being married to the temple.
That’s a good thing, right?
Was it? A long time ago, being married to the Goddess was indeed an honour. This was back when classical dance and music were an integral part of temple worship. Then, women like her enjoyed a high status in society.
Amma?
Sreeja prodded.
Yes, it’s a good thing.
Then why do the villagers make faces when they say it?
A tear, perfectly formed, teetered at the edge of one of Sreeja’s beautiful brown eyes.
Oh child!
Godavari pulled Sreeja closer, her heart overflowing with love for this child of hers. Soon – too soon – she’d be old enough to know what those taunts meant.
Sreeja buried her face in her mother’s shoulder. Everyone else has a father at home. How come we don’t?
Godavari ran a loving hand over her daughter’s hair. You have a grandfather who loves you.
But he’s not my father.
She should have seen this coming. She should have been prepared with an answer.
I do have one.
The child looked