A World Without Judgement

A couple of months ago, Rakhi Chakraborty, 34, a former communications professional, and her friend Rupanjali Samaddar, 26, a psychotherapist, started a Jane Austen Book Club in Kolkata, inspired by the movie, The Jane Austen Book Club.

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A couple of months ago, Rakhi Chakraborty, 34, a former communications professional, and her friend Rupanjali Samaddar, 26, a psychotherapist, started a Jane Austen Book Club in Kolkata, inspired by the movie, The Jane Austen Book Club. "As of now, seven people have signed up, all women, and we want to cap the membership at eight," Chakraborty says. "The ages range from 26-41."

To join the book club, people have to fill out a form explaining the reason behind their interest. As Chakraborty began screening the responses, she was deeply moved to discover how Austen's novels have influenced the lives of women living in another time and part of the world.

"I've inherited as much Austen as I have my great-grandmother's cheekbones! As a young adult, her stories helped me figure out who I wanted to be—or more importantly, the kind of woman I refused to become," wrote a 41-year-old learning designer. "I filled up too many slam books dreaming of Darcy. But I also learned to question why we romanticize him. That's the thing about Austen—you can love her and still push back. Austen has always been both a mirror and a map."