A grandmother's tattoos, the advent of Christianity, stories woven into fabrics, a tradition of orality, the imposition of a "new" language, and a history of war and conflict – all of this and much more informs the writers and artists in this book. F...

For the first time, "The Mystic and the Lyric" brings together the classic work of four women poets from Kashmir who have shaped its literary imagination: Lalded, Habba Khatun, Arnimal, and Rupa Bhavani. These women inhabit not just the collective me...

Set deep in the forests of Bengal, India, "Mahuldiha Days" is the moving story of a young woman coming of age in her personal and professional life. Anita Agnihotri paints a vivid picture in this novel of life in a rural Indian setting that is quickl...

The fashion industry in India is huge, employing more than sixty million people and, at $70 billion, accounting for a sizable chunk of the nation's economic activity. Despite that, it remains a startlingly unprofessional industry – particularly when...

A bright young student, a globetrotting star, and a highly respected married couple – each deeply immersed in the tradition of Hindustani classical music".A Monsoon of Music" tells the story of these four musicians whose lives intersect in the small...

As both the bedrock of human survival and an unchallenged part of the "normal" female life, motherhood expects and even compels women to be mothers – both symbolic and corporeal. Motherhood – and non-motherhood – is not just physiological. As the piv...

On July 15, 2004, twelve women, all in their sixties and seventies, positioned themselves in front of the gates of the Kangla Fort in Manipur, India – the headquarters of the Assam Rifles, a unit of the Indian army. One by one, the women stripped the...

Using the classic short story form with surprise endings to great effect, Urmila Pawar brings to life strong and clever women from all classes of society: heroines who are brave in the face of caste oppression, strong in opposing their in-laws, defia...

Published in 1899, Muhammad Hadi Ruswa's famous novel, "Umrao Jaan Ada", created a sensation when it came out, with its candid fictionalized account of Umrao Jaan, based on a renowned Lucknow courtesan and poetess of the same name. Considered by many...