MANY INDIAN GENERATIONS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES IN AMERICA. EVERY INDIAN HAS A CURIOSITY TO PEEP INTO THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE OF AN AMERICAN. WE ALL ARE ATTRACTED TO THIS RICHEST AND STRONGEST COUNTRY. SHOBHA CHITRE COMES UP WITH MANY SHORT STORIES, ALL ABOUT AMERICANS, THEIR CULTURE AND THE LIFESTYLE OF INDIANS WHO HAVE SETTLED DOWN IN AMERICA. EACH STORY HAS A STRONG AND TRUE BASE. EACH TELLS US MORE AND MORE ABOUT THE CULTURE THERE, THE WAY PEOPLE THINK AND PLAN THEIR FUTURE, THE WAY THEY EMBRACE LIFE AND FIND OUT SOLUTIONS FOR EACH PROBLEM. THESE STORIES HELP US TO LEARN MANY GOOD THINGS ABOUT AMERICA AND AT THE SAME TIME ASSIST US TO PROBE INTO OUR MINDS TO SHED AWAY THE WRONGFUL NOTIONS WE HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS. SHOBHA’S LANGUAGE IS SIMPLE AND HENCE TOUCHES THE CORE OF OUR HEART. SINCE LAST 40 YEARS SHE HAS LIVED IN US YET, SHE HAS NOT LEFT HER BASIC CULTURE ANYWHERE OUT IN THE OPEN. SHE HAS MANAGED TO BALANCE BETWEEN HER INDIAN UPBRINGING AND AMERICAN THINKING. THIS HARMONIOUS BLEND HAS HELPED HER TO ADAPT HERSELF TO HER ENVIRONMENT. WHILE DOING SO, HER SENSITIVE MIND HAS ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY THE REALISTIC NATURE OF AMERICANS. SHE PRESENTS THIS NATURE IN A SUPERBLY COOL MANNER AND A NEUTRAL WAY YET CAPTIVATES OUR MINDS WITH HER AESTHETIC SENSE.
‘एक दिवस’ ते ‘असाही एक दिवस’ या अकरा ललित लेखांचा संग्रह म्हणजे शोभा चित्रे यांच्या सातत्याने चाललेल्या संवेदनशील धडपडीचा आलेख आहे. अमेरिकेत ४० वर्षांहून अधिक काळ राहूनसुद्धा आपल्या मातीवरील, माणसांवरील, भाषेवरील प्रेम विरळ न होऊ देता ‘तिथल्या’ आणि ‘इथल्या’ संस्कृतींना अनुभवाच्या माध्यमात जोडून मराठी साहित्य समृद्ध करण्याचा त्यांचा अनाहूत प्रयत्न, साध्या, सोप्या, सरळ भाषेतून वाचकांशी संवाद साधत त्यांच्या हृदयाचा नकळत ठाव घेण्याची त्यांची वृत्ती, आणि संयत व शांत स्वभावाच्या लेखनातून त्यांनी शमविलेली वादळे अथवा निर्माण केलेली खळबळ – या सगळ्याचा एक विलोभनीय चित्रपट या संग्रहात पाहायला मिळतो. मराठी साहित्यात त्यांच्या लेखनातून उतरणारे हे वेगळे अनुभवविश्व यापुढेही वाचकाला खुणावीत राहील; भुरळ घालील.