India has been an overwhelming experience for even the most prepared of us. Every day we go out, our senses are bombarded by the variety that is city street life. It is wonderful, exciting, but sometimes really draining. One of my hidden pleasures of being in Chennai has been choosing times to find the quiet and read. I read at cafes. I read at the hotel. I read any chance I can get. It partially for my research but also a nice way of coping and balancing my energy. For my topic, I have been exposed to a variety of authors I had never heard of before coming here. Here are some amazing recommendations from my Chennai reading list:
The Hour Before Midnight by Salma:
Tamil Poet Salma’s first novel in translation, as published by Zubaan publishing from Delhi. We were able to meet both the publisher, Urvashi Butalia, who heads a feminist publishing house in Delhi, and Salma came to speak with us here in Chennai. What is significant about her work is the incredible details and insight she gives about the lived village experience of Muslim women in Tamilnadu. After facing many years of hardship in order to write and publish, Salma ‘s work has received attention and a documentary was made about her last year. Her poetry, documentary and novel are all must reads!
Unbound: 2,000 years of Indian Writing edited by Annie Zaidi:
This book makes a brave attempt to canonize and bring together some amazing highlights in writing over the past 2,000 years. While nowhere near the scope of women’s writing here, it is a good beginning to reading a wide variety of authors from different genres that represent the diversity of India.
Wild Words: Four Tamil Poets translated by Lakshmi Holmström
An incredible compilation of the works of Malathi Maithri, Salma, Kutti Revathi and Sukirtharani in translation. Themes of sexuality, body politics and clear feminist roots create this beautiful book. If you get any book to learn about Feminist politics in Tamilnadu, this is it!