A N Damle

The Edible Goddess A N Damle

Anand lives in a tyrannical Hindu cult in Varanasi, Oregon. A sculptor by profession, it is Anand's responsibility to sculpt marble statues of the cult goddess, Mataji. He is aware that in Varanasi, sculptors are prohibited from using any medium other than marble. Still, Anand agrees to sculpt with modeling chocolate as he is lured into creating illicit erotic figurines for a prominent art historian and smuggler, Prakash Hirani. The reason behind choosing chocolate over marble is simple. Being edible, the chocolate statuettes can be easily destroyed if the smugglers are caught while transporting the banned figurines. As Anand's involvement with the smugglers deepens, he comes face to face with a dark truth about the cult goddess and their leader, Babu Trivedi, aka Guruji. While Anand experiences a crisis of faith, he realizes that if the truth gets out, it will disappoint and harm those who still believe in Mataji. Torn between revealing the truth and protecting those he loves, Anand is forced to look within himself and ask if he has what it takes to do the right thing. Pitting chocolate against marble, malleability against rigidity, freedom of expression against oppression, The Edible Goddess hints at the alarming changes in contemporary Hinduism.