THEME OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN CHITHRA BANNERJEE DIVAKARUNI’S 'SISTER OF MY HEART' AND 'QUEEN OF DREAMS' (Pages 61-68) by Ms. N. Nasmeen * and Ms. R. Rajalakshmi ** in THE ENGLISH RESEARCH EXPRESS / ISSN:2321-1164 (Online); 2347-2642 (Print)

This dissertation deals about the WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI’S SESTERS OF MY HEART AND QUEEN OF DREAMS. It is all about the women education and identity. we talk about women empowerment only and not men empowerment. women make almost fifty percentage of the total population of the world. They are the target of varied types of violence and discriminatory practice done by men all over the world. India is no different. India is a complex country. we have, through centuries, developed various types of customs, traditions and practices. These customs and traditions, good as well as bad, have became a part of our society’s collective consciousness. We worship female goddesses; we also give great importance to our mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, and other female relatives or friends. But at the same time, Indians are also famous for treating their women badly both inside and outside their homes. Indian society consists of people belonging to almost all kinds of religious belief. In every religion women are given a special places and every religion teaches us to treat women with respect and dignity. Women education is very important for the country to fully develop. It is like an effective medicine to cure a patient completely and provide health back. Women education is a big opportunity for India to be developed socially and economically. Educated women are the weapon who yield positive impact on the Indian society through their contribution at home and professional fields. They are the reason of improved economy in the country as well as society. An educated woman has capability to handle her home and profession life. They can effectively contribute in controlling the population of India as they would like to marry at a later age in comparison to the uneducated woman. Keywords: Women empowerment, identity, education, freedom, silence, sisters relationship, mother & daughter relationship etc.