Odia Writer Jagadish Mohanty’s Battles of our Own
Read Akankshya’s review of Battles of Our Own by Odia writer Jagadish Mohanty, translated from the Odia by Himansu S. Mohapatra and Paul St-Pierre During the 1960-the 70s, Jagadish Mohanty was known as one of the most influential Odia writers. In his lifetime (1951-2013), Mohanty authored 13 short story collections and five novels. His writing […]
Pakistan, growing up: The Whispering Chinar by Ali Rohila
Ali Rohila, a writer and banker from Pakistan, comes out with his second book. The Whispering Chinar is a collection of 11 short stories set in or connected to the village of Charbagh in Pakistan. The titular story introduces the family of Khan Sahib living in an old mansion in the village. They have a […]
Being a translator, researcher, and more: Rakhshanda Jalil at JLF 2022
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 transcribed by Amritesh Mukherjee. How is it to be back for live events on the ground? Rakhshanda Jalil: I think […]
A Mahar speaks: Daya Pawar’s Baluta
The story of freedom struggle in a “free” India, that of the Mahar community What does it mean to belong to the “lower caste” in a society pregnant with hardened attitudes borne of the pervasive nature of the caste system? Daya Pawar’s autobiographical book Baluta, translated from Marathi by Jerry Pinto, explores a demeaning practice […]
All about Mumbai city in this collection of plays by Anju Makhija
Mumbai – the city of dreams, glitz and glamour, with a boiling cauldron of intense passion, be it political, religious or personal. Among the chaos of trains that ferry people from one end to the other, stars are born, live briefly, and die (or live eternally in our memories). Here, a silently turning wheel is […]
Find Support in Shreya Ramachandran’s book about mental health
The Worlds Within You by Shreya Ramachandran, a book about mental health, travels back and forth in memory and metaphors to confront mental health issues and find small moments of support within all the chaos. Introduction On some days, tears waiting to fall colour everything blurry. Ami, the protagonist of this book about mental health, […]
Book Excerpt: From mai by Geetanjali Shree
A book excerpt from the author’s debut novel It had been our complaint since childhood. ‘Speak up mai. Fight back. Become what you want to be.’ Being what she was, mai was actually nothing. She was a stooping, dumb, frightened shadow who moved only upon others’ directions. We were full of pity. And were also […]
Mai by 2022 International Booker Prize Winner 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
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
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 […]
