Song of the Cuckoo Bird

1. Perhaps the most pivotal moment of this novel occurs at the beginning when Kokila decides to leave her marriage and stay at Tella Meda. Did you agree with her decision? Would you have made the same choice at her age in her situation? Would you make the same choice knowing how her life turned out?2. Do you think Kokila was satisfied with her life and, at the end of the novel, felt she had lived a productive and worthwhile life? Do you feel she lived a productive and worthwhile life?3. InSong of the Cuckoo Bird,the women of Tella Meda frequently discuss their need for a husband and children, and the placement those things will guarantee them in society. How important is marriage and having a family to a woman's identity today where you live? How much is it a part of your own identity?4. Which of the women at Tella Meda did you identify with the most closely? Did you have trouble connecting to any of the women and if so, why do you think you found her difficult to understand?5. Both in the novel and in the conversation between Amulya Malladi and her mother in this reader's guide, there is much discussion of whether Charvi is a good person, particularly in terms of her acceptance of money. Did you feel she was a good person? What inconsistencies of character did you spot in Charvi? Can a person be both good and bad?6. Are there any purely good or purely evil characters inSong of the Cuckoo Bird?7. How did you feel the men in the novel were portrayed? Fairly or unfairly? Realistically or unrealistically?8. Did you find the news headlines at the start of each chapter helpful or were they unimportant to your understanding of the characters and setting?9. Would Tella Meda be a good place to grow up, whether it was located in your hometown or in India, or during different time periods?10. What do you think happened to Vidura?Malladi, Amulya is the author of 'Song of the Cuckoo Bird ', published 2005 under ISBN 9780345483157 and ISBN 0345483154.