Volume V Special Issue III August 2025

Name of Author : Priyanka Das

Title of the paper : Diasporic Sensibility: Alienation and Quest for Identity in The Palace of Illusion by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Abstract: Contemporary writers have been experimenting with retellings of the stories of great works of literature, including epics, by bringing in fresh perspectives. The novel The Palace of Illusion by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, narrated by Panchali, helps us to get a new interpretation of this legendary epic from her perspective. Though the setting of the novel is mythological, the features of diasporic literature can be found in the novel. Therefore, with this research paper, an attempt has been made to look into the novel from a diasporic perspective, focusing on the diasporic aspects like alienation and a quest for identity. The theme of alienation and the quest for identity has a lot of relevance in contemporary literature, especially in the context of migration, gender, and cultural dislocation. Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis The Palace of Illusions retells the story of the Indian epic Mahabharata from the perspective of Draupadi Panchali. It vividly brings out the emotional and psychological aspects of alienation experienced by individuals who are caught between tradition and transition, home and exile, myth and modernity. This paper explores how Divakarunis reinterpretation of Maharashtra powerfully reflects identity formation within a mythological framework.

Keywords : Diaspora, Immigration, Displacement, Alienation, Quest for Identity.

DOI :

Page Number : 208-214