‘[Devika] brings to the reader the delight of reading a book rich in concepts and sources’ Contributions to Indian SociologyThe Malayalam literary public is one of the most vibrant in India, and thrives on the long history of widespread literacy in the state of Kerala. It is well described as the ‘beating heart’ of Kerala’s publiclife. Historically, it has been the space in which entrenched power structures encountered their earliest challenges. Not surprisingly, then, critiques of patriarchy in twentieth-century Kerala were first heard and continued to be raised there, even when they had become muffled in wider public discussion.Womanwriting = Manreading? is a provocative take on some of the raging debates in Malayalam literature, which surely resonate elsewhere. But it also raises the important question: can we tell the story of women’s anti-patriarchal writing in Malayalam in a way that highlights the force and drama of their confrontations with the male-dominated literary establishment?
Archives: Books
Womanwriting=manreading?
Time Present And Time Past
‘An exceptionally well-written book’ Ian Talbot
In over three decades as a police officer, Kirpal Dhillon handled some of the most challenging assignments in independent India, from anti-dacoity operations in Madhya Pradesh to revamping a demoralized force as police chief of Punjab in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star. These memoirs describe his experiences in fascinating detail, and present vivid portraits of a range of people, including sadhus and swindlers, maharajas and brigands, scheming politicians and back-stabbing colleagues.
There are evocative descriptions of his village in Punjab, of Partition, and of the leaders he worked with, such as Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Morarji Desai. He writes with insight and expertise about terrorism, law-and-order problems, the training of administrators and policemen, and what can be done to ensure that they function with greater autonomy, accountability and humanity.
The Ex Files
Ex-Files is the story of a woman, who despite her best efforts to save her marriage, finds herself facing a divorce petition. But instead of wallowing in self-pity, Vandana picked up the pieces of her shattered life and moved straight on. She not only finds a job and becomes self-sufficient, she also starts India’s first divorce support group, and deals inappropriate and hurtful remarks with grace and equanimity.
While being true to both the pain and challenges of divorce, Vandana’s personal stories reveal the hardships and joys of moving through emotional upheaval and emerging stronger with her positive thinking and humour intact. The book also deals with the legal and social aspects of a divorce which are so often overlooked while women are dealing with the emotional upheaval of divorce.
At once funny, tragic and uncompromisingly honest, this memoir will resonate with anyone who has endured the end of a marriage and come out changed.
Moon Mountain
An ageless tale, now in a stunning graphic novel edition
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s classic Bengali novel Chander Pahar paints a portrait of Africa that is hauntingly beautiful and terrifying at the same time. This adaptation brings Bandopadhyay’s vivid descriptions of the vast continent to life, while keeping the essence of the original story untouched. Join Shankar and his friend Alvarez as they make their way through the rugged wilderness of pre-First World War Africa and encounter wild beasts, lost tribes, labyrinthine trails, raging volcanoes and mythical monsters that seem all too real, in search of the fabled diamond mines of Richtersveld, the mountain of the moon. A powerful tale of wanderlust and adventure, Moon Mountain is all about giving wings to your dreams.
Champs Of Devgarh
In Devgarh, a fictional town, the boys of the Star Eleven cricket team are the good and bad boys of the Holy Mission School. Captained by Ajay but led by Aakash, the team, both individually and together, get into all kinds of scraps with only one goal in sight-being the best cricketing school side in Devgarh. Follow their capers as they go through a gamut of experiences, from learning the value of money and honesty to first love, examination blues, and victory and defeat.
Full of action and fun, this hugely exciting story of friendship and rivalry maps the pleasures and perils of life in a small town.
When Santa Went Missing
All eleven-year-old Noel wants to do is live a normal life-something that’s the tiniest bit difficult when your dad is Santa Claus. Just as Noel is struggling to cope with her dysfunctional family, her father goes missing in prime Santa Claus season!
When rumours of his disappearance start leaking, a reluctant Noel is packed off on a quest to prevent worldwide elfish panic. And if that wasn’t enough, Gilmore, Coral and Bean, three elves with personality disorders, are along for the ride. This ragtag team has one week to visit six toy factories around the world and stop them from falling into chaos.
With crazy adventures at every turn and Santa still refusing to budge from the missing persons list, saving Christmas seems just a little out of their league
Blood Song
Simran Kaur Banga-a quiet, reserved girl living with her conservative Sikh family in Southall, London-is a poet at heart. But a brutal rape and rejection by her own family lands her in Amritsar where amidst strangers begins her nightmare of loneliness. Then one day she finds a friend-or so it seems to her.
Unknowingly, however, she’s become privy to an extreme terror plot.
Accompanied by Captain Suvir, she starts her battle to quell the storm that is brewing in the by-lanes of Punjab, of drugs and dera god-men.
Blood Song is a coming-of-age story of a woman scorned.
The Eye Still Seeks
A superb art book of one of the most arresting art movements in the world today
Pakistan’s contemporary art scene is arguably the most exciting in South Asia. Well-known curator, artist and teacher Salima Hashmi gives us a superb overview in this lavishly designed book, which includes interviews with artists such as Rashid Rana and pieces by writers like Kamila Shamsie and Mohsin Hamid.
Time Will Write A Song For You
The threedecadelong conflict tore apart the Tamils’ world in Sri Lanka. This anthology, framed by war, brings together poems, stories and a memoir by Tamil writers living there and in the diaspora. Wideranging and from recent decades, till the war’s ending, these pieces have been translated with great skill for the first time into English. Stark, and sometimes lyrical, distilling memory, history, mythology and classical literary tropes, they powerfully echo the Tamils’ sorrows and deep fears, their longings and hopes for tomorrow. Laments about youths felled by gunfire, their forced disappearances, the loss of family and homes, desecration of shrines, repeated displacements, becoming international refugees alternate with remembrance of the beauteous forests and sea, of celebrations of Tamil language and culture, and the compassion of women providing people succour.Accompanied by an introduction to set the context, this rich and moving volume reveals the spirit of a wounded island and brings its voices to a new audience.