Indian Satirical Writing: An ongoing list
Looking for a good laugh? Purple Pencil Project has put together an ongoing list of Indian satirical writing from the length and breadth of India that serves as a pick me up for a bad day while also chronicling Indian history and its present. The Courtesan’s Keeper by Kshemendra Political satire has a long history […]
In Conversation With: Urvashi Butalia
Prakruti Maniar speaks to Urvashi Butalia, Founder of Zubaan Books, over email about the strategies and considerations involved in managing an independent press, the state of publishing in the various Indian languages, and more. Excerpts. I have been very intrigued by the stories outside the radar of the urban educated classes. With both Kali and Zubaan, […]
Unequal rhythm in Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent, Victor Hugo is credited to have said. Reading An Equal Music by Vikram Seth is the manifestation of this. Seth tries, in nearly 400 pages, to take us with his protagonist Michael on an artist’s quest for his love, and […]
What is it called?: The Living Room Edition
What is it called? is part of our Resources For Writers, where we help you build your descriptive vocabulary, one word at a time. We start at home, literally, from the key items of furniture in our living room: the table, the chair, and the sofa. As writers, words are our most powerful tools, and […]
In Conversation With: Rita Kothari
Rita Kothari is a translation theorist, translator, and writer, and a pioneer of bringing the spotlight to Gujarati and Sindhi stories through her work. Purple Pencil Project caught up with her over email to talk about living in a multilingual society, the politics of literature and language, and the digital turn. Read for more. Your […]
In Conversation With: Jenny Bhatt
Jenny Bhatt is a writer, translator and a book-critic with two acclaimed books out over the last year – Each of Us Killers, that was out in September 2020 and is a story-collection and Ratno Dholi: The Best Stories of Dhumketu, was out in October 2020 and received wide-spread attention fo its exceptional style and also because […]
Ep. 29: Farm Income: Myths and Realities with Prof. Narayanamoorthy
The Green Revolution resulted in spectacular advancements in Indian agriculture. Having achieved food security for its citizens, the country has now become a net exporter of different agricultural commodities. But sadly, this does not reflect the real state of the Indian agricultural sector. In truth, our farmers are plagued by crop failures, poor income, and […]
The Awasthis of Aamnagri by Shubha Sarma
The Awasthis of Aamnagri by Shubha Sarma and published by Niyogi Books is a sweet, nostalgic trip to a time when joint families lived together, spent summers hosting extended family and their children, along with the carefree happiness and chaos that came with it. The Patriarch and Patriarchy Most aspects of The Awasthis of Aamnagri […]
Fishing for love in Chemmeen
Chemmeen is written by T.S. Pillai and translated from Malayalam by Narayana Menon Set in the “tiny fishing villages of Kerala on the southwest coast” (in this case, Nirukunnam and Trikunnapuzha) Chemmeen, meaning ‘shrimp’, by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, is the quintessential tragedy, flavoured with salt and suspense, raw fish and relationships, and the intimate relationship […]
Ep. 18: A Colonial Whodunnit with Siddhartha Sarma
‘Twilight in a Knotted World’ is the third novel by journalist and historian Siddhartha Sarma that uncovers the many layers of the Phansigar problem and a hierarchy of stranglers through the investigations of Captain William Henry Sleeman, unearthing mysteries and bleak, uncomfortable truths about India. In the 17th episode of India Booked, discussing the period […]
