1. Kalyana is a historical fiction. It’s set in the late 1960s to 1970s and the early 90s. Do you feel the author remained true to the events of this time and conveyed the social structures and political events of this era well? In this context, are there any scenes that particularly speak out to you?

2. Kalyana is mostly set in the Fiji Islands; the latter part of the book is set in Vancouver, Canada. Was Fiji a part of the world you were familiar with before reading the book? Did the novel increase your understanding of the cultural practices of this part of the world?

3. Indians were brought to Fiji from India to work on the sugar cane plantations under the indenture system from the 1880s to 1920 when the system was abolished. Prior to reading this book, did you know anything about the indenture migration system? Did it shape the understanding of this novel for you?

4. There's an array of vibrant women characters in Kalyana. From Kalyana's mother Sumitri, who was a great storyteller, to her auntie Manjula, who has a limping gait, so was limited in her opportunities. Then there was Kalyana's friend Angela, and the housekeeper Roni, as well as Kalyana herself, who grows into a woman with her own voice. Who was your favourite character and why?

5. Kalyana is written from the child’s perspective, in the first person narrative. Writing from a child’s point of view poses a challenge as their worldview is limited. Do you think Khelawan was able to explore themes of domination and submission, patriarchy, and women’s lower social status, and general themes of pain and suffering in Indo-Fijian culture from a child’s limited point of view well?

6. Khelawan explores the concept of patriarchy through an exploration of the relationship Kalyana has with her father and brother, and her observations of the bond her father shares with her mother and her Auntie Manjula. Do you think Khelawan does this well? In comparison, what were your own relationships with the men (or for men, with the women) in your family like?

7. Kalyana is ridden with nightmares about snakes, which, according to her mother, symbolize divinity and protection. Growing up, did any dreams or nightmares affect you as a child?

8. Kalyana’s relationship with her mother changes at different stages of her life and especially after her mother silences her about her abuse. Can you discuss the ways her relationship with her mother changes and the impact it has on both of them.

9. There were a lot of references to second wave feminism in the Western world. Discuss in what ways Kalyana’s experience growing up in a traditional Indo-Fijian environment was different from women in Britain and America in that era.

10. “But the truth was, there were no teachers here, only students.” What do you think Khelawan implies by this quote in relation to the themes of oppression?

11. Kalyana is a story about sisterhood. It portrays the idea that women, regardless of their standing in society, race, religion, or country of origin, are bonded by blood of sisterhood. In that essence, the journeys of women living in Fiji in the 1960s through the 1990s is similar to the journeys of women living in contemporary Western societies. Looking at the women around you and perhaps yourself, do you feel this is true in some ways? In what ways are our journeys similar or different than the women portrayed in Kalyana?