Translations: The Talk of Publishing Town
Translation is a key political tool anywhere we go; but have the last few years of being in the spotlight changed things for the industry and how did Indian literature in translation become the latest buzzword? Payal Morankar finds out. In a country that has hundreds of languages and dialects, it might seem that Indian […]
Best miss this Dance to retain your Spirit
Sanjai Velayudhan’s Dance of Spirits opens with the promise of a culturally rich book but quickly dives into a sexist narrative, leaving the reader with a bad aftertaste. Introduction Folklore and rituals in India have mythic narratives woven into them. To enter this world is a surreal experience of history and culture passed down through […]
Meeting the man who brought Oonga to life, twice
If human lives are the price we’re paying for development, it may not be worth it: Devashish Makhija, writer of the Young Adult novel, Oonga. As told to Neha Kirpal. First published in India Currents. “What rights do these trees have, if the cityfolk make all the laws? And if all these laws are of […]
Folklore, folk music, and the rhythm of Rajasthan
Interview with Nitin Harsh, founder of Rhythm of Rajasthan, a group that works to coral folk musicians from across Rajasthan and give them a fighting chance in a rapidly changing world. You mentioned that your journey with Rajasthan Folklore started by documenting videos for Padma Bhushan Komal Kothari Ji. Before that, what was your relationship […]
One Love and the many lives of Osip B
C.P. Surendran’s One love and the many lives of Osip B is a work of dystopian fiction that captures the chaos of individual memory and a nation’s change. The novel is dedicated to ‘the victims and their victims’ by establishing a connection between the past and present and ruling out any general notions of right […]
The Emotional Cost of War in A Passage North
Anuk Arudpragasam’s A Passage North is an attempt to come to terms with a long war that destroys generations before it ends, leaving behind wounds that refuse to heal. Wounds in the lives of people who lost their loved ones, who can’t seem to move forward in time because that would mean leaving behind their […]
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: Prarthana Banikya, founder, The Little Journal of Northeast India
Prarthana Banikya speaks to Purple Pencil Project about the magazine inspired by the eight states– Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura– of Northeast India, and how it’s bringing people together through the power of stories. What was the inspiration behind The Little Journal? Prarthana Banikya: For the longest time, I’ve wanted to start […]
