Literature Awards in India for 2021

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When you think of literature awards in India, we think of the JCB Prize, the Sahitya Akademi Prize, or Jnanpith Award which is India’s highest literary honour. But did you know that each State, each State Sahitya Akademi, several foundations, organizations, too give out literature awards in India? In our for books published or awarded […]

Being a translator, researcher, and more: Rakhshanda Jalil at JLF 2022

interview with translator rakhshanda jalil

Rakhshanda Jalil is an Indian writer, critic, translator, and literary historian. Jalil runs an organization called Hindustani Awaaz, devoted to the popularization of Hindi-Urdu literature and culture. Excerpts from an interview, conducted by Prakruti Maniar and transcribe by Amritesh Mukherjee. How is it to be back for live events on ground? Rakhshanda Jalil: I think we […]

Mai by 2022 International Booker Prize Winner Geetanjali Shree

mai by geetanjali shree

In light of noted Hindi writer Geetanjali Shree and her historic feat at the International Booker Prize 2022, Niyogi Books is honoured to re-introduce her debut novel Mai. Translated to English by Nita Kumar as Mai: Silently Mother, this book was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize in 2002. It was also shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award 2001.   […]

Sindhu Rajasekaran on storytelling, the feminist gaze, and more

sindhu rajasekarana profile with quote from interview

Prakruti Maniar interviews Sindhu Rajasekaran, author of Smashing The Patriarchy: A Guide for the 21-st Century Indian Woman. Excerpts from an email interview. What has your own journey been with storytelling, while growing up. What are the books and movies that have influenced you? Are there feminist stories you read that left their mark?  Sindhu […]

Ministhy S on translating Malayalam novels, Ramacharitmanas, and more

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Ministhy S is an IAS officer by day, and translator by night. She translate not just of Malayalam novels, but also Hindi and English worls. Prakruti Maniar caught up with her at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2022 to talk about finding time to translate, working with V.J.James on Anti-Clock, and more. Excerpts. You have translated […]

Best books for children to read in summer 2022

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A curated list of best books for children to read this summer. Summer vacations are joyful; kids have all the time in the world and not a single care besides their exam results. The slow afternoons and the lack of responsibility make for the perfect reading atmosphere. Whether you are a teenager, a tween, or […]

Editor’s Picks: Best books to read this summer

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Editor’s Picks is our monthly, curated list of best books to read. I scout far and wide, scanning publishing house catalogues across fiction categories to bring to you a diverse set of books to choose from for your next read no matter what genre you prefer. Take a look at our latest.  Title: Four Chapters […]

Marxism and literature: A brief roundup

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What is Marxism? What is marxist literature? What is the shape Marxism has taken in India? We searched the length and breadth of India to find out how Karl Marx’s doctrine has influenced our poets, writers, their words, and the cultural movements in our country. What is Marxism? Marxism has found its meaning changed and […]

Amit Majmudar: “India has produced three great epics: Ramayana, Mahabharata, and its own Independence struggle. “

a thumbnail of author amit majmudar, a brown man smiling with his hands folded. Next to it is a quote from the interview

Amit Majmudar is a novelist, poet, translator, essayist, and diagnostic nuclear radiologist. His works include Godsong: A Verse Translation of the Bhagavad-Gita, with Commentary (Knopf/Penguin Random House India, 2018) and the mythological novel Sitayana (Penguin Random House India, 2019), the poetry collection What He Did in Solitary (Knopf, 2020) and the novel, Partitions (Holt/Metropolitan, 2011) which was shortlisted for the HWA/Goldsboro Crown […]

Sparrows played a role in the Dandi March. Find out how

book cover of the childrens book heroes the colour of dust by amit majmudar

April 6th is the anniversary of the end of the Salt March or the Dandi March, one of the most peaceful protest movements in the history of the world as we know it. Mahatma Gandhi walked nearly 300 kilometres over a period of 24 days from Sabarmati Ashram to (then) Navsari. Ever thought about who […]