Traveling South Asian Literary Festival
Sweet Malida
Zilka Joseph, an Indian American poet currently living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, explores food, religion, and the history of Bene Israel Indian Jews in "Sweet Malida." The volume, consisting of nineteen pieces in prose and poetry, is dedicated to her ancestors, parents, and the eminent Indian English poet Nissim Ezekiel who, like Joseph, hails from the Bene Israel Indian Jewish community.
Inside the Mirror
Inside the Mirror by Parul Kapur is a poignant exploration of women's agency and ambition set against the backdrop of 1950s Bombay’s dynamic art scene. At the heart of the novel lies the struggle of twins, Jaya and Kamlesh, to carve out their identities within the confining societal norms of the time.
Forgive Me, Dear Papa and Other Poems
Shyamasri Maji dedicates her debut collection of poetry "Forgive Me, Dear Papa and Other Poems” to her ‘incurably romantic self.’ She explains her notion of ‘romantic’ as being imaginative, reflective, puerile, rebellious, and emotional. It is through this feminist lens that Maji navigates the complexities of womanhood, societal expectations, and the conflict between tradition and individuality.
On the Edge: 100 Years of Hindi Fiction on Same-Sex Desire
This collection of sixteen stories translated from Hindi into English maps the trajectory of gay and lesbian narratives in modern Indian literature from the 1920s to 2022. Ruth Vanita, the translator, and editor of the volume, ushered a new era in gender and sexuality studies with her works such as Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History (Ed. with Saleem Kidwai, 2000) and Love’s Rites: Same-Sex Marriage in India and the West (2005). The collection unfolds different shades of “chaah,” a Hindi word referring to both love and desire, in romantic relationships between men and between women.