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Home Archive by category "Blog"

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Book Review: ‘Intimate City’ by Manjima Bhattacharjya

November 12, 2021 byPurnima PV / 0

By Vivek Tejuja

Manjima Bhattacharjya’s Intimate City

This is a book that should be read by everyone. It is not only about sexual choices and rights exercised by women, but also about how technology enables that or sometimes not. Intimate City is a fascinating read about the business of pleasure and how that is coupled with the autonomy of the body, in relation to how the Internet has redeveloped intimacies in the times we live.
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Intimate City looks at feminism and its understanding in the space of sex work, choice, and agency, all of this playing out in the city of Mumbai. I think Mumbai and its nuances plays out beautifully as another character altogether in this very reflective and profound non-fiction narrative of how sexual commerce comes full circle (well, almost does).
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Manjima through her incisive and very detailed writing also looks at patriarchy and the role it plays throughout in the lives of not only sex workers, but also bar dancers, massage boys, and escort girls as service providers. It was for me very interesting as a queer man to see sex politics play out in this industry – with reference to how sexual commerce is viewed by the world at large, about whether it can ever be seen as a “regular” job, and how it all operates offline vs. online.
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Intimate City, for some may not be revealing or earth-shattering in a sense. We think we might know it all, till we read something like this, and that’s all it takes perhaps to demolish our preconceived notions about who is paying for sex, and who is getting paid. I repeat, it is definitely a book that is a must-read for all.

Sharbati Shaam: Sex Work and the City with Manjima Bhattacharjya and Paromita Vohra

Head to Vivek Tejuja’s blog for more book reviews or follow him on Instagram!

Tags: agents of ishq, Intimate City, Manjima Bhattacharjya, Mumbai, Paromita Vohra, sex work

The Rainbow List: A Collection of Essential Queer YA Literature

September 12, 2019 byupasruti_zubaan / 0

6th September marked the one year anniversary of the decriminalisation of Section 377 of the IPC in India. This archaic law made non-reproductive and non-vaginal sex illegal, representing it as ‘going against the order of nature’, and thus directly affecting the lives of queer individuals, While this is a huge step forward in the history of queer acceptance in India, many steps are yet to be taken in order to reach a place where queer residents feel as safe and welcome as their straight counterparts. Part of this can perhaps be achieved by making sure that the younger generations do not have to go through the forced repression and humiliation that older people faced and still face. Socialisation is key in helping young people learn to accept themselves and others as they are, without requiring everyone to conform to certain performative gender ideals. As Young Zubaan always believes, reading is an important part of the process and a great way to bring change, one page at a time. Talking about LGBTQIA+ identities might still be hard for some parents, and in such situations, books can become stairways for children and young adults exploring themselves only to find that they don’t quite “fit in.”

Books also help familiarise young people with things like neutral pronouns, or gender fluidity, normalising ‘queerness’ to the point where they don’t find it necessary to harass or exoticise people who are ‘different’ from them. They’re also places of comfort for young people searching for concepts and words with which to talk about or understand themselves. While the conversation is gathering speed in the realms of the adult world, youth literature in India is still wary of broaching this sensitive subject. Fiction for young people featuring anything but straight protagonists who reproduce standard gender roles is rare. The legal taboo only made things more difficult, with any mention of queer sex (criminal activity till a year ago) opening up potential for unwanted government scrutiny. This makes reaching outward important, bringing in books from places where authors, many from across the rainbow themselves, are writing representative queer fiction. And one would be wrong to imagine that such literature is only originating from the so-called Western countries. Countries like Japan and Nigeria are stepping up, as are a select few from India, in order to create a diverse, representative and rich world of literature for young people. People from all across the globe are creating beautiful and important books, writing about their own experiences and sharing hope and love with the youngest members of the queer community. Here is Young Zubaan’s curated list of YA books everyone should read, spanning a crazy variation of genres, countries, identities and themes, united in one crucial aspect — a heartfelt celebration of young pride.

 

Cof A

 

One of the most popular themes of queer YA fiction is coming-of-age literature. It’s a simple way to represent even the most complicated stories of self-acceptance. The protagonists go through often highly emotional journeys of self-discovery at the end of which they acquire some amount of introspective understanding, helping them to better deal with the world they live in. The best part about coming-of-age stories is that they can be based in any world! These stories can be historical, wildly fantastical, dystopic, you name it! Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir by Kai Cheng Thom is a surreal fantasy featuring trans women with brilliant personalities which go way beyond simply their gender identity. The Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew A. Smith and The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan depict multiple queer and fluid characters living in dystopian worlds, facing apocalypses that involve grasshoppers or a messed-up environment. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz and Kings, Queens And In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju on the other hand, feature queer leads on a deeply explorative journey, building strong friendships, discovering new worlds like drag, and juggling multiple identities.

 

art

 

Art can be very eloquent, and the numbers of expressive comics/manga/graphic novels engaging with the queer narrative testify to that fact. Kabi Nagata sketches intimate and personal stories as a lesbian in Japan in her manga My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, while Alice Oseman depicts a sweet queer romance in her webcomic Heartstopper. Princess Jellyfish by Akiko Higashimura is a josei manga which features a woman-only living space, cross-dressing and gender fluidity. Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, on the other hand, explores themes like toxic relationships and queer romances. Kari by Amruta Patil is an intense graphic novel following the life of a queer woman struggling through life in the smog city of Bombay, and Kiss Number 8 by Colleen A.F. Venable and illustrated by Ellen T. Crenshaw is a funny graphic novel about the everyday life of a teen exploring her sexuality.

real real

 

As much as we all adore fantasy, reading realistic fiction helps us to take stock of the actual situations in which we live, and sensitise to the differently lived lives all across the world. Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta is a wonderful story depicting a war-torn Nigeria, and the navigation of queer and religious identities within that context. God in Pink by Hasan Namir talks about being gay and religious in war-stricken Iraq, while Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy depicts the experience of being gay in Sri Lanka of the past, amidst political unrest and social stigma. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour explores grief and queer romance, where the queer identity of the protagonist is, refreshingly, not the prime focus. Hannah Moskowitz deals with questions of bisexuality and belonging in her Not Otherwise Specified, while e. E Charlton-Trujillo brings in much-needed intersectionality with his Fat Angie which talks about the perils of being both fat and lesbian. Himanjali Sarkar is one of the pioneer authors of queer YA fiction from India, with her book Talking of Muskaan exploring the darker side of being queer — school bullying, attempted suicide and family troubles.

 

light fic

 

Light fiction on the other hand, like For Sizakele by Yvonne Etaghene and Lunaside by J.L. Douglas, are fun yet sensitive reads which reprise the popular themes of romance and friendship while still championing the queer community and often including diverse representation in terms of nationality, ethnicity or race. Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert is a heart-warming story with a very likeable queer protagonist, which also helps to open up conversations about mental health! Hostel Room 131 by R.Raj Rao is set in India of 1978 and, through the depiction of a gay romance, brings in the perpetual thorn of homophobia.

 

sci fi

Science fiction/speculative fiction featuring bamboozling new worlds and dystopian ways of life are very popular in youth fiction right now, and some authors are making sure that this genre has its fair share of queer representation. Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie has diverse queer representation including an aroace lead, fighting for survival in a classist, futuristic, cyborg-soldier infested world. Jacqueline Koyanagi puts queer romance and family bonding into a Star Wars like setting in Ascension, while Alaya Dawn Johnson paints a dazzling, futuristic Brazil as the location of her political intrigue and bi-sexual romance laden story The Summer Prince. Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee is a queer superhero/villain style story with an adorable, bisexual protagonist, while Malinda Lo weaves in Chinese lore into her quest fantasy Huntress which features a strong lesbian lead.

 

magic real and period

 

Then we have the magic realism and surreal fantasy section, which homes the queerest but most exquisite books, artworks almost, in their strange, twilight world storylines. Anna Marie-McLemore, the queen of magic realist YA, brings people of colour and transpersons together in a romantic story entwined with Latino folklore, titled When The Moon Was Ours: A Novel. Patrick Ness explores questions of belonging and queerness in his dreamlike world of More Than This, while Heidi Heilig conjures an adventure in For A Muse of Fire that brings in themes of colonisation and mental health.

 

Period fiction is a great way to send readers on a journey to see how things used to be, and the next two selections are at the top of their game. Lindsay Smith, in A Darkly Beating Heart, concocts a dark drama around a bisexual teenager who time-travels to 19th century Japan. Mackenzie Lee, on the other hand, executes a flawless Regency-meets-roadtrip novel, about a bisexual gentleman and his asexual sister, in The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

 

short true

 

For young people who do not have the patience or fondness for novels, short story collections offer a shorter time commitment while still providing crucial food for thought. Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean is a collection of queer science-fiction and speculative fiction, edited by Payal Dhar, Kirsty Murray and Anita Roy, interspersing regular stories with exquisitely illustrated short stories (also, it’s our book club pick for September 22!). All Out: The No Longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages is an anthology compiled by Saundra Mitchell with diverse contributions from brilliant YA authors from across the rainbow. A Safe Girl To Love collects unique short stories by Casey Plett, about young trans women going about their usual and unusual lives. Ivan E. Coyote’s mostly-autobiographical collection of vignettes called One in Every Crowd about life as a lesbian woman and experiences of being queer is also a brilliant read. Sarah Prager’s queer history book Queer, There, and Everywhere: 23 People Who Changed the World is a necessary non-fiction addition to the list, bringing visibility as queer to icons from various industries.

 

Finally, for young adults on the bridge to older adulthood, A.Revathi’s The Truth About Me: A Hijra Life Story is a brilliant read. An autobiographical account of her life from her realisation to her attempts to fit into the hijra community, it’s a good place to begin for curious teenagers wanting to research the innermost workings of this community in India.

 

Tags: children's literature, Feminism, queer sci-fi, queer writers, Queer writing, queer YA fiction, women's writing, Zubaan Books

Representing Diversity: Youth Literature by the South Asian Diaspora

September 5, 2019 byupasruti_zubaan / 0
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Growing up, we look for personal connections with everything we encounter, such as toys, books or movie characters. While reading, seeing a bit of themselves in the story helps make reading itself appealing to younger people. In India, children grow up reading an assortment of books which are not always context-specific. Due to the abundance of ‘foreign’ literature, much of the popular youth fiction here has white leads living in distant lands with traditions quite alien to the large majority of readers. Not finding any characters like us we, despite colonial histories, end up awkwardly fitting ourselves into the white universe of the stories, glorifying white culture and “whiteness” in general, as the default way to be. How many of us have despaired at not being able to have clotted cream with scones, with only vague ideas as to what either of those actually are?

 

Representing various kinds of people in literature is important. It doesn’t only serve the purpose of normalising diversity among people. It also helps to broaden the young reader’s imagination of the ‘other’ – of ‘developed’ or white countries, by opening up nuanced discussions about all the people living in these places. It chips away at the hegemony of the white narrative, introducing the varied groups which live in ‘white default’ countries, telling the stories of their oppression and struggle for acceptance. Lack of representation in literature might make life harder for the children of the South Asian diaspora, reducing their visibility, and therefore, often de-legitimising their rights.

 

The existence of a politico-cultural hierarchy between the ‘East’ and the ‘West’ often translates into quite strong experiences of discrimination and identity confusion for South Asian children born, or largely raised in ‘Western’ countries. They look South Asian, but they speak the language of their own home country and share its traditions, instead of that of their parents’. These children are born with a complex jumble of identities, juggling multiple languages, varied expectations, and sometimes religious prejudice, all the while balancing their personal desires and the everyday struggles of growing up. For these young people, representative fiction can be a place where they find people just like them, to whom they can relate.

 

South Asian diaspora literature features a diverse array of leads, each fighting their own battles in a bid to find their place in countries which are often suspicious of them, while still holding on to their families and their heritage. They have unique crises, ranging from terrorism to pimples. They also tell children about others like them, across the world, in other countries, helping shed some perspective on their situations, offering the knowledge that others of their age also face troubles, which are sometimes even greater in magnitude.

 

Young Zubaan believes in this spirit of inclusion, in books which help young people accept their differences as parts of themselves, rather than something which needs to be destroyed.

 

Here are 6 representative books by writers from the South Asian diaspora, which explore the experiences of South Asian children in general, offering readers a lot to mull over.

1. Radhika Takes the Plunge – Ken Spillman (2014)

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For younger readers who have just begun to notice their “difference”, Ken Spillman’s book is a gem. Quirky design and larger print make it easy to read. Radhika has just moved to Australia with her parents, who are overly paranoid and protective, in her opinion. All of her new friends are as comfortable in water as fish, and she longs to join the team—if only her mother would let her!

 

The story follows her adventure at the pool as she finally learns how to swim. In the process she gets over her fears, including that of standing out from the crowd. She also finds out a secret about her mother’s past, which helps her to understand the restrictions placed on her. The book gently nudges younger children to be patient with their parents whose parenting may be different from that of their friends’, and retain confidence in their own abilities, even when they are under question.

2. Does My Head Look Big in This? – Randa Abdel-Fattah (2005)

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Randa Abdel-Fattah’s book explores a situation where a young girl in a white, Christian-dominated country decides to wear the hijab full-time. Amal is an Australian of Palestinian Muslim heritage. Religious and brave, she starts the third term of Year Eleven at her exclusive grammar school with a scarf on her head. Supported by a few faithful friends, as well as her loving parents, Amal navigates the world of casual racism, including facing slurs like ‘nappy head’, alongside the regular pressures of any other school-going teen. Featuring other characters dealing with diverse crises, like Eileen (the daughter of Japanese immigrant parents) and Simone (a teen struggling with an eating disorder), the book delves into multiple themes which might be close to the hearts of conflicted young adults.

 

What does it mean to be a Muslim? How does one practice one’s faith in a non-supportive environment? How does it feel to constantly be viewed as the expert when it comes to Islam, in school? The book asks tricky questions, tying them up in the end with the feeling that one’s identity and friendships may be guided by culture and religion, but need not be defined by it.

3. The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali – Sabina Khan (2019)

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This book by Sabina Khan raises important themes like parenting ethics and the right of a child to make her own choices. Rukhsana, a young high-schooler, is in love with an American girl. More importantly (to her), she has a scholarship to Caltech. Her Bangladeshi parents are well-meaning but conservative, with her mother practicing son-preference and policing Rukhsana. When her parents find out about her sexuality, she is whisked away under false pretences to Bangladesh, abandoning school and scholarship, to find a ‘good Bengali boy’ that she must then marry so that she can walk on the ‘right path’. Rukhsana manages to make allies and return to her country, but not before going through a lot of trials which threaten to separate her from her family forever.

 

The book depicts the predicament of families of the diaspora, showing the importance of communication and trust in maintaining the fine balance between the traditions of the older generation, and the evolving needs of the younger ones. Relationships within the ‘family-first’ Bangladeshi culture are also beautifully portrayed, such as Rukhsana and her brother’s, Rukhsana and Nani’s, and those within her strong woman-only friend circle.

4. Aru Shah and the End of Time – Roshani Chokshi (2018)

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The delightful fantasy by Roshani Chokshi kicks off an epic series around Aru, a reincarnated Pandava from the mythological Mahabharata. It’s presented by Rick Riordan and smells distinctly of his inimitable style of rebooting popular mythoscapes. Aru is a middle-schooler in New Jersey, living with her archeologist mom. Not very popular at her posh school, she often makes up lies to fit in. She lights a cursed lamp under pressure from her classmates who believe they’ve caught her in one of her lies, and inadvertently sets free the Sleeper, a shadow monster out to destroy the world. It’s up to Aru and her divine sister Mini to save humanity, their quest taking them to the celestial council of guardians to be claimed by their god-fathers and through the Underworld, as they fight any number of monsters to activate their weapons for the final battle.

 

The story takes the characters and settings from the Mahabharata, but the events are all new. A fascinating guide to the world of Hindu mythology, it presents to children a digestible version of the Hindu epics, with just enough modern twists to make it feel cool. For Indian children living away, it’s a dose of heritage wrapped in the garb of a fiercely feminist fantasy, with the potential to instigate curiosity about the cultural history of their parents’ home country.

5. One Half From the East – Nadia Hashimi (2016)

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Nadia Hashimi’s first realistic fiction for young adults is about the bacha posh tradition of Afghanistan. In an unapologetically patriarchal society, the women in the family are usually destined for eternal incarceration within the house. Growing up in the big city of Kabul, 10-year-old Obayda was free to go to school, dance to Bollywood music and wear her favourite dresses. Forced to shift to the village after a bombing, with a now bitter father and a mother struggling to make ends meet with 4 daughters, they feel suffocated and judged for having no sons. Obayda’s mother then gives in to a relative’s advice of turning the young child into a bacha posh: a young girl dressed up as a boy, and accepted as such by society. The bacha posh have greater privileges than their sisters, for they can go to school, go to the market, play, run and so on. Obayda being forced to wear male attire and shear her hair were the only physical changes made to her. The rest of the transformations were sociological:  renaming her as Obayd, and reorienting her entire behaviour to mirror that of a traditional man’s. The story follows her transformation to the day her mother decides to ‘change’ her back into a girl, and ends only after she comes to terms, in a way, with the second forced change.

 

The book is an amalgamation of themes such as gender identity-performativity-fluidity, personal choice, and women’s rights, underscoring everything with the heavy question of whether children are merely slaves to parental will. It’s meant to make young people aware about this still under-researched tradition, and help them realise that vulnerability due to age or gender and subsequent oppression are often universal, regardless of the geographic location.

 

6. Swimming in the Monsoon Sea – Shyam Selvadurai (2005)

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Shyam Selvadurai’s coming-of-age novel about a 14 year old in Sri Lanka of the 1980s is special, as diaspora literature for children based on or around Sri Lanka is rare. Amrith is quite a regular teenager, worrying over the gaping hole of boredom that is the summer holidays. He is an orphan, being raised by the protective Auntie Bundle and Uncle Lucky, who also have two daughters of their own. Even though he is not quite over the deaths of his parents, he still manages to be excited about everyday schoolboy things like learning how to type, and practising for his school play. The arrival of his older, exciting cousin Niresh from Canada stirs up emotions in Amrith, setting off events which force both of them to confront their family’s past, the nature of their disturbing fathers, and in Amrith’s case, his sexuality.

 

The drama plays on themes like injustice, jealousy (much in the theme of Othello, the school play Amrith was practicing for), and discovering one’s ‘deviant’ sexuality in a time when there is no acceptance of it whatsoever. Young children struggling to come to terms with their sexuality, and those afraid to come out to a repressive family, might find this an encouraging read. It helps to gently plant the idea that belonging has to come from within, rather than from one’s geographical location, economic position, or even cultural identity.

 

 

Tags: amazing women, brown literature, children's literature, diaspora authors, diaspora fiction, Feminism, Queer writing, South Asian authors, Young Zubaan, Zubaan Books

Five Women Changing The Face of Youth Fiction

August 22, 2019 byupasruti_zubaan / 0

If one were to walk into any regular bookstore in India and head to the youth fiction section, they’d immediately notice a veritable forest of colourful books. The age-old Enid Blyton and Lady Bird books in the pride of place, surrounded by more recent hits, like the Twilight series, or books by the indomitable Ravinder Singh. Guided by the fervour of nostalgia or mass popularity, we don’t usually stop to notice the problems that many of these ‘traditional’ books can pose.

 

Some of these, written specifically for young American or European readers, fail to resonate with the Indian context or existence. Others, including those written by Indians, follow predictable patterns, reproducing toxic patriarchal ideals, with publishers favouring these time-tested formulas for ‘safety’. Youth fiction from all over the world is often full of casual sexism, xenophobia or snobbery, passing unnoticed in the garb of humour.

Young Indians have been gradually gaining access to Western fiction which feature unconventional storylines probing normalised systems of oppression. However, much of the youth fiction available in India, whether originating here or outside, is still regressive and ‘traditional’.

 

It’s understandable, of course. It’s never easy to come out of safe zones into uncharted territory.

But the times they are a-changin’, and the hourglass seems to be running out of sand for ‘safe’ children’s literature. Contemporary authors have shouldered the challenge, and one brave book at a time, are taking over the very structure of youth fiction. Foremost in this word-lead march for change are women, broaching supposedly unspeakable topics (think queer identities) and fighting societal norms.

 

Inclusive, representative fiction is the order of the day, portraying young protagonists who are going through real struggles that any young person might face. Indian children are now being offered Indian fare, books they can connect to and which affirm their value, no matter how bold or different they are.

To spread the spirit of that change, here’s a short list of five women in India and neighbouring countries who are making this possible with their hilarious and exciting “different” books for young people. They deal with a wild array of topics, ranging from gender equality to newly discovered identities to incomprehensible emotions.

 

Natasha Sharma 

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Though Natasha has experience in fields as disparate as pizza and watches, what she does best is read the minds of children. Her books are a curious mix of laughter and gently slid in trivia which keeps young people wanting to know more. Icky, Mucky, Yucky (Young Zubaan) and the Squiggle’s Adventures in English series (Young Zubaan/Penguin) are two of her extremely popular creations, which broach the issues of bad manners and punctuation without ever being preachy. Wholeheartedly silly and easy to read, they are often chosen for dramatised re-tellings in schools and libraries.

 

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Natasha also writes historical fiction for young people, such as Razia and the Pesky Presents, which tells the story of ‘Sultan’ Razia, humorously questioning gender performance practices. With the severe dearth of Indian historical fiction for kids and teens, books like this are a welcome gift.

 

Payal Dhar

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If the lack of gripping Indian YA fantasy fiction had ever been an issue, Payal Dhar exterminated it. Her ability to weave magical worlds into the fabric of mundane adolescent girl issues led to the creation of her A Shadow in Eternity trilogy, published by Young Zubaan. Based in a parallel universe and still somehow relatable, her books strongly reiterate that all heroes are not men.

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Payal’s Slightly Burnt, published by Bloomsbury deals sensitively with the question of adolescent queer identities, offering a supportive narrative which could help young people figuring themselves out. And she does this without falling into the YA love triangle plot trap! Her ability to write smoothly about issues which are still not quite mainstream, even in adult fiction, is brilliant.

She has also co-edited a fantastic collection of dystopian, sci-fi short stories and graphic stories called Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean (Young Zubaan). The anthology is proudly feminist but also manages to successfully juggle other critical issues like human rights, food security and environmental degradation.

Rupa Gulab

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Rupa Gulab is a columnist and successful author of several YA books. She builds simple stories to address complex emotions which slightly older children may be experiencing. Her Hot Chocolate is Thicker than Blood (Duckbill) addresses questions of adoption, showing it from the non-adopted child’s point of view, intertwining it with themes of family bonding and teenage angst. The protagonist is a conflicted young girl, going through school and life much like the targeted reader would be, as well.

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Daddy Come Lately (Duckbill) too, is an emotional roller-coaster, offering the reader an understanding of the internal turmoil that single parent families often face. The captivating and unabashedly feelings-oriented story line sends out the subtle message that it’s okay for life to be turbulent.

 

Kunzang Choden 

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An award-winning writer from Bhutan, when Kunzang turned her hand to children’s books, she chose an endearingly simple medium: picture books. Her two picture books are beautifully illustrated by Pema Tshering, making them favourites of even very young children. While Aunty Mouse (Young Zubaan) is a charming retelling of a classic Bhutanese folktale, Room in Your Heart (Young Zubaan) is an original story, written in a similar folk rhythm.

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Inspired by the tales she heard during her own childhood, she firmly states in an interview with the Hindu, ‘stories are not just to be told, but they have to be interactive. That is how Bhutanese stories are.’ Both her picture books live up to this legacy. The stories feature women who control their own lives, and take their own decisions, even if it leads to a sticky end in certain cases. They can be instrumental in helping little ones think about life choices without feeling like a strict moral lesson.

 

Geeta Dharmarajan

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A well-known social entrepreneur and educationist, Geeta Dharmarajan is also the mind behind Katha Books, which publishes socially conscious literature for children. She deeply believes in the power of translation as a unificatory tool in India, and thus, Katha often publishes books in multiple regional languages. Her interest in children has led her to becoming the Honorary Chairperson of the National Bal Bhavan.

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Most importantly, however, Geeta is also an author. Her books for children feature irreverent and unapologetic women leads, who don’t let any restrictions stop them from achieving their goals. So Lachmi, in Lachmi’s War (Katha), fights for women’s education, and Jivuba in Choo…mantar! (Katha) battles opposition to achieve her aspirations. Told in the form of mythical fairy tales, they are captivating and thought-provoking at the same time.

Tags: amazing women, children's literature, Feminism, feminist literature, Queer literature, women writers, women's writing, Young Zubaan, Zubaan, Zubaan Books

Filling the Gaps: Talking About Kashmir and Conflict

August 15, 2019 byupasruti_zubaan / 0
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It’s always hard to talk about the darker side of things. Sadness, fear, anger — we don’t really have conversations about any of these things, and when there are children involved, it’s harder. We try to protect younger people by shielding them from painful information, forgetting that despite their age, they’re living the same reality as we are. It’s becoming more important for children to have a space where they can get simple answers to their questions, and learn more about things happening around them. Let’s consider Kashmir. Children are often exposed to the idea of Kashmir as a once-idyllic, now unsafe tourist destination. But why is it unsafe, and what does that mean for the people who live there? Who is fighting whom and why? What is Kashmir’s relationship with India? The answers are usually left hazy, filled in by garbled information gleaned from peer groups or media.

 

Books are usually helpful sources of information, helping us grasp what’s going on and the nuances of issues. While there are now some brilliant books adults can read about ‘sensitive’ issues like communal violence, or Kashmir, children’s literature willing to feature the same topics tends to be rare. There are few pieces of work for children emerging from Kashmir by Kashmiri authors, and this is worrying. Is it a result of mainland publishers wishing to avoid the potentially ‘disruptive’ narratives which may challenge the existing political status quo? Is it an extension of the suppression of freedom of speech that Kashmir has had to face multiple times over the years? Or is it because the authors do not have the words or the inclination to make such ‘adult’ topics accessible to children? But then, why aren’t there more pieces of writing which feature Kashmir, if only as a backdrop?

 

We do not have the answers to these questions, unfortunately. But what we do have is courage, brimming from a few women, braving censure to the point of even getting their books banned. They are writing about Kashmir as a real place instead of merely a hell-hole of violence or a lost piece of a blissful past; and of violence as a real thing, fueled by acts carried out by real humans, rather than faceless groups or monsters. While realistic fiction depicts the reality of oppression, historical fiction and fantasy can be clever methods of opening heavier topics up for discussion, while still maintaining a reasonable distance.

 

Here are some books we think might help to start the conversation with younger people, so that they can begin to form their own opinions.

 

 

For Very Young Readers

 

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Okus Bokus, Onaiza Drabu (2019)

It’s never too early to explore different cultures, and for a Kashmiri youngster curious to explore their cultural heritage, Onaiza Drabu’s Okus Bokus is a great place to start. Essentially a picture book, with adorable illustrations by Ghazal, it takes the reader through the ABCs of Kashmiri tradition and cultural markers. Written in the classic style of grandmother’s fireside tales, it follows two small Kashmiri children Billa and Munni as they learn about their traditional food, art, music and even some folklore.

Drabu’s driving force was a desire to hold on to the Kashmiri language and provide representation to Kashmiri children in the literary mainstream. But her Okus Bokus, with its attention to the finer details, such as what kind of bread is to be had at specific times of the day, also has the potential to become an important archive of Kashmiri daily life, preserving in type the cultural traits which may have disappeared across generations.

 

For Independent Readers 

Historical/Fantasy Fiction

 

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The Night Diary, Veera Hiranandani (2018)

This book by Veera Hiranandani shows a child’s eye view of the experience of living with communal violence and surviving. Nisha and Amil are twins living in Mirpur Khas with their Hindu family and a Muslim cook, called Kazi, who is almost family. Their mother, who died giving birth to the children, was Muslim — a fact which had forced the young couple to leave their homes to avoid censure. Everything seems perfect until Partition is declared and the historic riots start breaking out. The children are no longer safe, with men breaking into their house to demand the date of their departure from the new Pakistan. The family then makes an arduous trek across the desert, risking their lives to reach the ‘new India’. Hiranandani keeps the story feeling real, only becoming idealistic in certain places, with her mentions of absolute communal harmony in Mirpur Khas before the Partition.

 

The book also explores themes such as loss of a parent, religious identity and the internal turmoil that is caused by visible violence that seems to have no rhyme or reason. Nisha’s love for Kazi plays on the reader’s own emotions, forcing one to imagine leaving behind a part of themselves. The scenes of the riots are not excessively graphic, which allows squeamish readers to continue reading while still learning of real incidents which still influence the politics of the country today.

 

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The House That Spoke, Zuni Chopra (2017)

15-year-old Zuni Chopra’s fantasy is an important addition to this collection, because this a young adult author writing for her peers, making difficult themes more accessible. The spell of magic she weaves into her tale works to cushion the effects of the ‘darkness’. Kruhen Chay, the shadow demon bringing discord and despair to the valley, is an embodiment of the religious and cultural persecution people face in Kashmir. The constant presence of the Indian army, and bombings wiping out entire neighbourhoods, form the grim background of the story. It acquaints readers with a display of political force and power that is so everyday to Kashmiris, that the surprise often lies in survival.

 

Chopra uses nature symbolism to depict the condition of the state, with picturesque descriptions of a lush valley changing to those of decaying chinar trees and holy lakes turning black as the story goes on. In the middle of all of this lies the house that is magic itself, imbued with enough enchantment to be able to trap and hold the darkness underground. Zoon, the young protagonist, is destined by her bloodline to be the Guardian of Kashmir. Aided by the sentient furnishings of the house, she is soon drawn into a battle of the light and dark in an attempt to save her own life and all that is good in her world.

 

 

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 Queen of Ice, Devika Rangachari (2014)

This historical fiction, told in fairytale style by Devika Rangachari, unravels the story of Didda, the “ruthless queen” of Kashmir. Didda, despised by her father for being lame, is born with greatness predestined in her star-charts. Her childhood, with only a vicious cousin and heir apparent Vigraharaja for company, suddenly becomes much happier when she befriends Narahavana and Valga, who is also her faithful carrier. After the death of her husband, then-king of Kashmira, she uses her intelligence and cunning to establish herself as regent to her minor son.

 

Determinedly quelling rebellion, she then orchestrates a series of take-overs. After the untimely deaths of her son and grandsons, she finally becomes the true monarch. It’s an exhilarating story of a strong woman from the past, who made no compromises on living on account of her disability. Set in the backdrop of a snow-clad Kashmir, Didda’s tale extends the story of conflict backwards into the tenth century, throwing light on the present day situation. Demonstrating how political conspiracies work, it helps readers understand that though conflicts manifest at local levels, they are most often brought into existence by the maneouverings of authority.

 

Realistic Fiction 

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No Guns at My Son’s Funeral, Paro Anand (2005)

Paro Anand is one of the few authors writing unapologetically about Kashmir’s internal conflict and its impact on the children there. The protagonist Aftab, is like any other teen: curious, with implicit trust in the ones he loves, yet likely to withdraw at the slightest rebuff. His boredom with his life, and teenage angst towards his family, make him vulnerable to recruitment by a militant outfit run by Akram, a ‘firangi’ from outside Kashmir, who seeks to ‘restore peace and harmony’ to the valley. Led by the casual murderer who is also his hero, Aftab soon loses sight of his love for his family and friends, eager to please the charismatic Akram, who cares for no one. By the time the young boy starts having doubts, it’s too late.

The poignant character of his older sister, who realises the futility of violence after the tragedy happens, is a sharp reminder of the fall-out of such incidents. Descriptions of police brutality, militant training, and follower induction tactics are crystal clear. It’s a book meant to make the reader think about the children caught in the crossfire, and the price they have to pay for their innocence.

All of these books, while not always speaking of the same events or places, have a common thread in the experience of conflict. At first glance, the events of The Night Diary may seem widely disparate from those in The House that Spoke, but the question is, are they really? Recurrent patterns, such as the loss of a parent, unexplainable violence affecting regular life and communal sparring egged on by those in power tie together Nisha and Zuni’s lives, even though they exist in different timelines, in different geographies. Most of the young protagonists have lived with violence, and are ready to share their stories with others of their age. Perhaps, it’s time we let them.

 

Tags: children's literature, conflict, Kashmir, Kashmir in literature, violence, women writers, YA fiction, Young Adult Literature, Young Zubaan, Zubaan Books

Seven Children’s Books of 2019 About Social Justice

July 19, 2019 bygayatri_zubaan / 0
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Our favourite childhood stories tend to stick with us forever. For children who grew up on a steady diet of Panchatantra or Jataka Tales, animals are prominent characters in the books they loved. More than the animals’ adventures, one remembers the way that the stories made one feel, and the lessons they taught. There were lessons of curiosity, persistence, discipline, risk-taking, and problem-solving that reinforced values of friendship, empathy and compassion. Growing up, one realises how much power these stories hold and how they shape one’s understanding of the world.

Looking back, it’s easy to notice how children’s books have reflected attitudes in our society about diversity, power relations among different groups of people, and various social identities. The visual and verbal cues children pick up from books influence their ideas about themselves and others. Books can reinforce positive values, and teach accurate information about people of various identities. Books about social justice often allow children insight into what it feels like to encounter discrimination. To raise responsible children, we need to teach them about people outside their immediate family and neighbourhood. On the other hand, some children grow up not seeing themselves represented in any of the books they read. It is important to fix this so that children from various backgrounds can see their lives reflected in the stories they engage with.

Young Zubaan hopes to create socially conscious and politically responsive books for children of all ages. This commitment has led us to seek out books that inspire conversations about social justice and encourage children’s passion and action around the anti-caste struggle, feminist organising, LGBTQ rights and environmental protection, among other subjects. Here is a list of our favourite children’s and young adult books published in 2019 from India, that explore social action and foster critical-thinking:

 

1. Guthli Has Wings 

Age Group: 6+

Category: Picture Book

Guthli Has Wings

On the face of it, Guthli is like any other child; she talks non-stop, loves to draw fairies and has a chicken for a friend. However, she becomes very upset when she isn’t allowed to wear a pink frock for Diwali, and is asked to wear her ‘boy’ clothes. Published by Tullika Books, Kanak Shashi’s latest book Guthli Has Wings attempts to familiarise children, parents and educators with the concept of gender identity. Gender identity, a complex subject that has multiple connotations has been broken down to suit the understanding of a child. In an interview with The Hindu, Kanak explains how she developed the concept in 2010 when she was working with school children, and among many other things that struck her, the performative aspect of gender drew her attention, “This whole process starts fairly early in life — probably right from the moment an infant starts perceiving the world and forming ideas about it. I just wanted to create something that subverts this whole process.”

 

2. Ten Indian Animals You May Never See in the Wild

Age group: 8+

Category: Non-fiction

Ten Indian Animals You May Never See in the Wild

This book tells the survival stories of ten of India’s rarest animals. A few have made a heroic comeback from the very brink of extinction; others have not been so lucky and are spiralling to their inevitable doom. Award-winning novelist Ranjit Lal writes an engrossing account of how human activity has driven so many beautiful animals out of their natural habitat. A part of the new non-fiction series — The 10s — published by Duckbill books, this book is perfect for children to understand that the need of the hour is to coexist in harmony with the natural world.

 

3. My Country, My Government

Age group: 10+

Category: Reference

My Country My Government

What does the Prime Minister do? How are judges chosen? In My Country, My Government Rohini Oomman takes on and breaks down the complicated functioning of the Indian government into bite-size nuggets of information. From the formation of the Indian Constitution to today’s election system, this book tackles complex subjects in a clear, easy-to-understand way with exercises and explanations. Learning about the way the government works can help awaken a child’s sense of social responsibility. An experienced and well-known educator, Rohini has put together an informative guide which helps children understand how the government functions, while also helping them realise how politics governs every aspect of life.

 

4. Maa (Hindi)

Age Group: 12+

Category: Fiction

Maa

Kancha Illaiah Shepherd, a well-known political theorist and anti-caste activist authored Maa, which details the story of a young professor at a university. The professor, who belongs to a shepherd community, fondly recalls how his mother fought against caste atrocities and mobilised the people of his community to rally against the discriminatory and casteist attitudes prevalent in his village. Published by Eklavaya, Maa has been illustrated by Lokesh Khodke and Shefalee Jain. It is an essential read for parents, educators, teachers who wish to sensitise young children about the caste-system and for young adults who wish to read an inspiring story of how a lower-caste woman mobilised her community to struggle against inequality.

 

5. The Case of the Missing Water (Multilingual)

Age Group: 12+

Category: Fiction

Case of the Missing Water

In the middle of summer, the tank in Ranj’s village dries up and the villagers are left with no water. Most families have left the area and classrooms in the school that Ranj attends are half-empty. There is only a dried-up stream running through the village, the birds and animals have left too. Frustrated at the state of affairs, Ranj and her friend Sapna have fixed their mind on finding the missing water. Will they succeed in their mission? Find out in this book written by Shalini Srinivisan and illustrated by Upamanyu Bhattacharya.

 

6. Pops

Age group: 10+

Category: Fiction

POPS

Seven-year-old Varun has never met his father and only seen photographs of him in the wedding album. Varun meets his father ­— the Man —  for the first time in the court after his mother files for divorce. When the court mandates that the father meet Varun every month, he is scared and angry. But why does the Man keep bringing gifts for him? Why does climb trees like a monkey? Why does he keep saying ‘Pop! Pop! Pop!’? As if Arun could ever start calling this strange Man ‘Pops’!

Published by Duckbill books and written by Crossword Book Award winner Balaji Venkataraman, this book delves into the complex emotions experienced by a child when his parents are estranged. It is also a great reminder for children who come from single parent families that they aren’t alone and loving families come in all different shapes and sizes.

 

7. Behind the Lie

Age Group: 10+

Category: Fiction

Behind The Lie

Behind The Lie

Valli and Ramesh live under a cloud of fear because of their father, who has a frightening temper. Their mother suffers the brunt of their father’s violence and is unsure about how to escape the vicious cycle of abuse that she is stuck in. Will this ever change for them? This is a moving story about how a family fights domestic violence with some quick thinking and a little help from their neighbours. Written by Asha Nehemiah and illustrated by Aindri Chakraborty, this book is extremely relevant for children who have undergone similar experiences as it can help them identify the triggers or situations in which the triggers or situations in which domestic violence may be present. And reading a story of how another child came forward and sought help may encourage other children to do so, too.

Tags: activism, children's literature, Feminism, picture books, Young Adult Literature, Young Zubaan

Queer & Here: Your Reading List for Pride Month

June 18, 2019 bygayatri_zubaan / 0
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New York’s Stonewall Riots of 1969 saw members of the LGBTQ+ community clash with the police in what is widely known as the catalyst for the modern queer rights movement in the United States. Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, two trans women of colour, were the main organisers of Stonewall riots. They protested against arbitrary raids and arrests by the police, targeting the queer community in New York. Their legacy of fighting for the rights of marginalised communities of colours, the LGBTQ community, people living with HIV and drag queens, have been recognised throughout the years. Though the Stonewall riots are sometimes seen as the starting point for the assertion of queer rights across the world, the queer community in every country has its own distinct history of fighting against homophobia and sexism.

 

In her book Queer Activism in India, Naisargi N. Dave proposes that India’s first known gay protest was organised outside of Delhi police’s headquarters in 1992. The first queer demonstration also occurred in Delhi in 1992, when two hundred delegates walked out of the International AIDS Conference to protest the Indian government’s stand against homosexuality. The first effort to decriminalise same-gender sex in India, came in 1994, with a petition filed in the Delhi High Court; that same court was the first in India to decriminalise same-gender sex in 2009 (though this decision was later reversed). With the Supreme Court in India reading down the archaic Section 377, which criminalised sexual conduct ‘against the order of nature’ in September 2018, queer narratives and literature are fast gaining prominence. However, queer literature in India has existed before the Supreme Court’s 2018 verdict. Scholars such as Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai collected over 2000 years of Indian writing on same-sex love in their collection Same-Sex Love in India. A Lambda Literary Award finalist, this book showed how important it is for non-Western cultures to develop a critical vocabulary and formulate context-based theories which are unique to the Indian subcontinent.

 

Fierce FemmesLiterature is an important lens through which to examine cultural shifts, as it is, in many ways, a microcosm for our society. Positive portrayals of same-gender love are slowly becoming more mainstream. Kai Cheng Thom’s Lambda finalist Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars is one such book and the latest addition to Young Zubaan’s list of kickass feminist books for children and young adults. (find the link to our web store at the end of the article). For this year’s Pride celebrations, we have curated a list of five books which pertain to the truth of living as a queer person in the global South, or as a queer person of colour in the North.

 

 

  • Cobalt Blue – Sachin Kundalkar

CobaltBlueTranslated from Marathi by acclaimed novelist Jerry Pinto, Sachin Kundalkar’s novel traces the story of a mysterious tenant who captures the hearts of two siblings Tanay and Anuja, when he arrives as an artist looking for lodging in their family home in Pune. The novel pairs interior monologues from Tanay and Anuja, both addressed to their beloved boarder, who charmed each of them before leaving without any explanation.

 

Published in Marathi in 2006, Cobalt Blue is ahead of its time in its representation of queer love. The moments shared between Tanay and the tenant are not written to satisfy heterosexual voyeurism, but realistically depict the joy and agony of love. A tale of rapturous tenderness and fierce heartbreak, Cobalt Blue with its experimental narrative style and daring imagination is a frank exploration of a gay life in India; of people living in emotional isolation and attempting to find intimacy against all odds.

 

  • A Life in Trans Activism – A. Revathi

A Life in Trans ActivismPublished in 2016 by Zubaan, A Revathi’s second book traces her life, and her work in the NGO Sangama, which works with people across a spectrum of gender identities and sexual orientations. It narrates the tale of how she rose from office assistant to the director in the organisation. The first half of the book describes her journey as a trans woman, as she becomes an independent activist, theatre person, actor, writer and organiser for the rights of transgender persons. Later, Revathi offers insight into one of the least talked-about experiences in the gender spectrum: that of being a trans man. A Life in Trans Activism emphasizes the ways in which the trans identity intersects with other identities, and how these intersections contribute to unique experiences of oppression and privilege.

 

 

 

  • Babyji – Abha Dawesar

 

BabyjiBabyji is a daring coming of age story of 16-year-old Anamika Sharma, a student in New Delhi. Abha Dawesar’s second novel details the exploits of Anamika as she romances three women, juggling her studies and her lovers while attempting to finish school. The story is set against the backdrop of Mandal Commission’s recommendations in 1980, which proposed the doubling of seats for backward castes. An upper-caste woman herself, Anamika uses her academic expertise and sexual prowess, to liberate herself from the Brahmanical mores of the society that she inhabits. Babyji is a brave exploration and moral enquiry into what it means to be a growing woman who is coming to terms with her own sexuality. This novel is the winner of the 2005 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction and of the 2006 Stonewall Book Award for Fiction.

 

  • The Devourers – Indra Das

 

TheDevourersIndra Das’s debut novel is a love story between two shape shifting werewolves, Fenrir and Gevaudan — a gay couple — and their companion, a young Muslim woman called Cyrah. The shape shifters exist on the margins of society: they wander into Shah Jahan’s empire, fleeing persecution in their homeland. Alok Mukherjee, a Bengali professor of history who narrates the novel, is still reeling from an engagement that was broken off after his affairs with other men came out in the open. The Devourers refuses to be pigeonholed into a single genre; it borrows tropes and writing devices from dark fantasy, speculative fiction and science fiction. A chilling saga that spans across various centuries and continents, this novel showcases Das’s incredible prowess with language and rhythm. The Devourers won the 29th Annual Lambda Award in LGBT Science Fiction/ Fantasy/ Horror category.

 

  • Sister Outsider – Audre Lorde

SisterOutsiderA collection of speeches and essays by a self-described “black lesbian feminist warrior poet,” Sister Outsider is considered a ground breaking work by Audre Lorde. This book contains a great mix of ideas and tones; it has poems, interviews, journal entries, and speeches interspersed with aphorisms. It proved to be an important and necessary tool in the cannon of progressive theory when it was first published in 1984. Lorde’s work centres the experience of black lesbians and critiques a mostly white, academic community of second-wave feminists for overlooking blacks, gays and women, as well as the elderly and the disabled in their theories.

 

 

 

 

 

P.S: The South Asian edition of Kai Cheng Thom’s novel Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl’s Confabulous Memoir is now on sale on our website.

Tags: activism, Feminism, Pride, Queer Activism, Queer literature, Queer writing, reading list, section 377, South Asian authors, Young Zubaan, Zubaan

THE ZUBAAN-SASAKAWA PEACE FOUNDATION RESEARCH GRANTS FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS FROM THE NORTHEAST-II

May 23, 2019 byZubaanBooks / 0

THE ZUBAAN-SASAKAWA PEACE FOUNDATION GRANTS
FOR YOUNG RESEARCHERS FROM THE NORTHEAST

 

Zubaan Publishers and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation are offering a number of grants for the year 2019 to young researchers from the eight northeastern Indian states and neighbouring areas. These grants offer a small fund to prepare a research papers/essays/translations, etc, on the themes detailed in the call below.

                                                             

Grant Details

This research grant, in its second year now, aims to encourage young writers and researchers to contribute to the diversification of knowledge production. It is set against the broad framework/themes mentioned below, which will be examined through the lens of gender in ‘the Northeast’.

This year, we are looking for applications for research under the themes of:

1. Memory: Exploring the relationship between memory and history; the importance of oral histories and testimonies; the ways in which both private and public memory live on and find articulation; the importance, for communities, of preserving ‘contentious’ memories and the reluctance of states to ‘allow’ such memories to survive; the role of memory in healing; unpacking invisible hierarchies in memory.

2. Migration: The role of migration and migrants in shaping new histories and cultures; migration as the search for a future; migration as flight in times of war or ‘natural’ disaster; migration and cultural production, for example, food, cuisines, literature, songs, stories; migrants and ‘settlers’.

3. Children’s Literature:
a. Translations or adaptions of oral folklore or folktales; reimaginings or repurposings of traditional stories through a gendered lens; and histories, analysis and research on the same.

b. Research papers on children’s literature, learnings or accounts of library projects, community engagements, and alternative or independent educational initiatives (or independent narratives from within formal education spaces).

The idea behind the grant is to provide financial and academic support to young researchers who may wish to look into particular aspects of the histories, politics, and/or cultures of the northeastern states in relation to gender and the outlined themes.

The research papers must be written in English. In subsequent years the grant may open up to other languages, but for the moment it remains limited to English. All papers written with the support of the grant will be published electronically by Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd on various digital platforms. They may also be compiled in print form, at a later stage.

The papers may be academic research papers, long-form journalistic essays or long interviews on a particular subject, thematically aligned with the call. Hybrid or creative forms are welcome.

[Note: Research papers which are a part of an ongoing or recently completed PhD thesis will not be covered by this grant.]

 

Eligibility criteria

1. If you are from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura and are less than 40 years of age, you are eligible to apply. The research grant is also open for applicants from hill regions in the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Dooars area.

2. Fluency in writing and reading English is necessary.

[Note: If you feel that you fit into the eligibility criteria and have an interesting proposal to discuss, one which may not be in English but has the scope of being translated/adapted, please write to us at projects@zubaanbooks.com before submitting your proposal.]

3. You must commit to researching and writing a 10,000 words (minimum) essay. The grant also allows for the development of graphic narratives, extended interviews, creative works such as fiction writing or photo essays in lieu of the essay, all within a specified timeline.

[Note: Since we have a limited number of grants available, we would like to encourage applicants who can commit to submitting the first drafts of their work within four months of selection.  Please apply ONLY if you feel you can fulfil this criteria so as to not deprive other deserving applicants.]

 

How to apply

Interested persons should send their applications, including the documents  mentioned below, to projects@zubaanbooks.com by 6 June 2019: 

1. Send in a grant proposal (maximum two pages) which clearly describes the research project you wish to undertake (the subject of your research as well as the methodologies and mediums you intend you use), which sources you will tap (primary and secondary), and a proposed timeline.

[Note: If you need any guidance/format for writing a proposal, please write to us at projects@zubaanbooks.com.]

2. Submit a writing sample of roughly 500 words or a two-page spread of a graphic story, or an extract from an interview transcript done by you.

3. Grant proposals may be creative and do not need to be written in academic language.

4. Submit your CV and any other relevant information about yourself that you think is necessary, including proof of age.

5. Two names of referees, ideally people with whom you have previously worked.

 

Shortlist and selection of grantees

All grant proposals will be screened by a selection committee. The committee will prepare a shortlist based on certain criteria and may wish to interview some candidates. Interviews can take place by Skype or phone or in person. The committee will then decide and the candidate will be informed. The committee’s decision will be final.

 

Duration

The first draft of the selected papers is expected in four months after the methodology workshop, details of which are mentioned below. Papers may need to be revised after the first draft depending on the feedback. Depending on the feedback, a month may be given for the required revisions.

 

Payments

The fellowship carries a grant of INR 35,000, less applicable taxes.

Payments will be made in two instalments: 25 per cent on approval of the project and signature of contract, and the remaining on the completion of the study.

 

Methodology workshops

All successful candidates will be required to attend a preliminary methodology workshop, which will be held in the late July or early August, as well as a mid-term online review where they will present a draft of their work in order to get feedback from peers and resource people. In the time remaining for the grant, candidates will be required to take the feedback on board and to finalize their papers.

Interested candidates can send in their applications to projects@zubaanbooks.com.

The last date of submission of application is 6 June 2019. Shortlisted candidates will be informed by the first week of July 2019.

Click here to download this page as a PDF.


Zubaan is an independent feminist publishing house based in New Delhi. We publish academic books, fiction, memoirs and popular nonfiction, as well as books for children and young adults under our Young Zubaan imprint, aiming always to be pioneering, cutting-edge, progressive and inclusive. For more information, log onto www.zubaanbooks.com.

The Sasakawa Peace Foundation addresses the diverse and complicated issues that human society is encountering in the 21st century. SPF and Zubaan Publishers Pvt. Ltd work together on projects linked with cultural production, writing and literature in Northeast India. For more information, log onto www.spf.org.

Tags: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, children's literature, Fragrance of Peace, grants, Manipur, Meghalaya, memory, migration, Mizoram, Nagaland, research, Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Sikkim, Translation, Tripura, Young Zubaan

Casting the Reading Lady

April 23, 2019 bySarvar Kahlon / 0

It has been a couple of weeks since I started my internship at Zubaan, and the famous ‘Reading Lady’ is everywhere as I look. On books, perched on the website header, a painting leaning against Elsy’s desk and even at lunch, up on the wall behind, except here she is in her young avtar, holding up a book as she skips. Not much of a talker, I’ve noticed, she’d much rather be with a book.  “Tch! Tch! She has no manners.” I hear people complain. “A girl shouldn’t read too much lest she gets the wrong ideas.” But she appears unfazed, and I imagine her mind somersaulting instead through the universe held inside her book.

 Zubaan Logo

Curious to know her story, I approached Urvashi Butalia one afternoon and what she told me was nothing short of fascinating. In the 1990s, she tells me, there was a “great push for literacy all across India” and women—especially ones in rural areas—emerged as its most enthusiastic participants. As a tribute to the cause, Dhokra artists from the Damar tribe in eastern Indian states began to cast images of women reading in different positions: sitting, standing, lying down or on their sides, and engrossed in books even while breastfeeding. Made of non-ferrous metal, they were cast from the same technique called lost-wax, as the Harappan Dancing Girl over 4000 years ago. Urvashi recalls that they were quite the rage at the time and came to her as the instinctive point of reference for Zubaan’s logo which, in fact, is a stylized silhouette of a Dhokra reading lady designed by Uzma Mohsin.

Dhokra Reading Ladies, from Urvashi Butalia’s personal collection

After reading some more on Dhokra casting, I imagine this is how these women would have come to be, enduring several stages of transformation before turning full metal. Each ‘Lady’, as we’ve taken to calling them in the Zubaan office, began as a vague, embryo-like clay form, coated with wax. Artists plied the clay with their nimble hands, giving shape to her limbs and features as well as to the other details that they moulded with beeswax—such as the drape that snakes her body, anklets around her feet and the chunky bangles on her wrists. She was then anointed with sheets of clay, taking on the form of the wax underneath. Once that had dried, she was ready to be planted into a mud hearth, a womb of fire in the ground where wax melted out of an opening below, as the clay hardened. She was just a hollow now, susceptible to breaking. Very carefully molten metal was poured in, slowly filling the void to give an enduring metal female form, born holding a book in her hands.

   ‘Lady’ who lent her silhouette to the logo

Everything about the Dhokra Reading Lady evokes in me a profound sense of fierceness and strength, which I also feel looking at the Zubaan logo, where she sits with a pronounced vertical posture and head placed confidently on her shoulders. Not cowering or sitting with her back turned, but holding the book to her face in full view of society, as though challenging detractors to stop her if they can. I take is as a profound indictment of the systems of oppression that have been in situ for centuries, denying women even this basic human right. She also appears very much at ease in defiance, arms resting comfortably on her knees drawn in just the right amount to make for a sustainable sitting position, which is important if she is to exist like that in the foreseeable future. I find it interesting that the surrounding rectangle does not enclose her fully but stops short with her head rising above, which Urvashi mentioned was intentional,  “symbolizing breaking of boundaries.” Sitting firm on the word ZUBAAN, she makes a loud and most unequivocal claim to the voice that she has fought for. I think she is Zubaan’s most overworked employee because, no matter what time of day it is, she squats tirelessly with her nose in a book as if reminding people that read we must. To not only discover new stories, but also learn to tell our own. She takes me back to my room, to those moments of private absorption only a reader can know, and gradually I begin to think of her not only as a woman but also a mould that I have come to cast myself in unknowingly.

Tags: Dhokra, Feminism, Feminist Visual Culture, literacy, Read, reading women, visual culture, women's movement, Zubaan Books

What We Read: Feminist fiction book club, 2018

December 31, 2018 byZubaanBooks / 0

Since February of 2016, Zubaan has hosted a book club that reads and discusses feminist fiction every few weeks. In 2018, these discussions covered the following eight books:

Salt Houses, Hala Alyan  [picked from a list of the best books of 2017*]

Swing Time, Zadie Smith [from a list of books by or about artists]

Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng [from a list of books featuring adoption]

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, Balli Kaur Jaswal [from a list of books about friendship]

Kocharethi: The Araya Woman, Narayan [from a list of books by indigenous peoples]

A Life in Words, Ismat Chughtai [from a list of memoirs from South Asia]

Masks, Fumiko Enchi [picked by group consensus at previous meeting]

Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout [from a list of books dealing with ageing]

Next year, we’ll start with JCB-shortlisted All The Lives We Never Lived, by Anuradha Roy. Join us at 11am on January 27, at the Zubaan office if you’ve read it.


*Unless otherwise mentioned, these lists  are compilations of suggestions from book club members, submitted with that meeting’s theme in mind.

Tags: book club, Events, recommendations, Zubaan

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Zubaan is an independent feminist publishing house based in New Delhi. We publish academic books, fiction, memoirs and popular nonfiction, as well as books for children and young adults under our Young Zubaan imprint, aiming always to be pioneering, cutting-edge, progressive and inclusive. Find out more.

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