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And here are my 100 favourite books written in English by Indian women. There is no ranking.
1. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Itâs been 23 years since it published and yet the prose is still magnificent and heartbreaking. Always can be reread.
1. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Itâs been 23 years since it published and yet the prose is still magnificent and heartbreaking. Always can be reread.
2. A Necklace of Skulls: Collected Poems by Eunice de Souza. Read her. Read her all the time, anytime, and at any place. If anything, she just deserves to be read a lot more.
3. In Custody by Anita Desai. One of the times when a movie introduced me to an author and Iâm only too grateful to Merchant-Ivory productions. Iâm Custody is more than just a poetâs decline. It is about the moral fabric of our society, tearing at the seams, subtly told.
4. Starry Nights by Shobhaa DĂ©. Judge all you want and some more. This isnât literary. Hardly there. But itâs racy, and it made me stay up all night. I was drawn into the world of Bollywood created by Ms. DĂ© - tell-all as well. Well, almost.
5. Difficult Daughters by Manju Kapur. Told with great heft and nuance, the story of Virmati and her love for a married man in the time of Partition, had me entrapped from the word go. Kapur built a world that was not known to me, and by the end of the book, all I wanted was more
6. Kari by Amruta Patil. We need more voices such as Patilâs. We need more stories such as Kariâs. I still remember the first time I read this book. I had goosebumps. Still do with every reread.
âWhatever love laws have to be broken, the first few seconds sufficeâ
âWhatever love laws have to be broken, the first few seconds sufficeâ
7. The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India by Urvashi Butalia. The author spoke to several women over a ten-year period to document the pain & experiences of the Partition. And not just women but people literally on the margins of history. Read this. Please.
8. If It Is Sweet by Mridula Koshy. A book more people should read. A collection of 19 stories that are pure delight. From a talking monkey to characters that emerge from citiesâ underbelly, Koshyâs world is immersive and exciting.
9. Requiem in Raga Janki by Neelum Saran Gour. A fictional account of Hindustani singer Janki Bai Allahabadi, Gour presents a tale of early twentieth century of a time gone by - of durbars, mehfils, the age of gramophone, and poets as seen through the eyes of a performer.
10. The Glassblowerâs Breath by Sunetra Gupta. This book is about desire, need, and the will of a woman to break all chains that are dictated by convention and society. Stream of consciousness at its best.
11. Love without a Story: Poems by Arundhathi Subramaniam. Love is a strange territory to navigate. Poetry most certainly helps us. Good poetry makes it even better and tolerable. It makes us see the people we were and what we have become. Read her, please.
12. One Foot on the Ground: A Life Told Through the Body by Shanta Gokhale. Everything she writes is gold. But this memoir told through the waxing and waning of her body is beyond good. I canât find the superlative for it. I will not try.
Thatâs it for now. More this morning for sure. :-)
13. Listen to Me by Shashi Deshpande. Another brilliant memoir about what it is like to be a writer and a feminist, and how the two merge. Seen through the lens of her marriage, her identity, and ultimately negotiating the world of publishing, this book is top-notch.
14. Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup. Interconnected narratives. Changing lives. Earth fighting its own battle. A novel of epic proportions. Just read it. Nothing else to do.
15. In Search of Heer by Manjul Bajaj. A passionate and most poetic retelling of Heer Ranjha, told from multiple perspectives. A book that should be read more and talked about.
16. Milk Teeth by Amrita Mahale. 2018 wouldâve been incomplete without this title. It isnât as much about romanticising the city by the sea in the 90s as much as it is about the everyday humdrum of life that somehow blends into something more for its protagonists.
17. Peace has Come by Parismita Singh. The stories in this collection will hit you hard (I hope). Stories of ordinary lives caught in the villages of upper Assam, through insurgency, death, and fear becoming almost normal.
18. The Wildings by Nilanjana Roy. I always loved cats I think. This book signed, sealed, and delivered that fact home. You are lucky if you havenât read it yet. Youâre in for a treat. Also, read the sequel. Also, read her book on books and reading.
19. How I Became a Tree by Sumana Roy. I strongly recommend you read this book. For its prose and to understand what it means to be a human being in the world of nature. How must be mind and check ourselves. But it is all about trees and written most beautifully.
20. Tales from the Quran and Hadith: Volume 2 by Rana Safvi. What I love about this collection is itâs simplicity. Rana aapa makes you want to know more about the myths and tales from Islam. A very accessible and super read.
21. Close to Home by Parvati Sharma. Makes for a crackling read. The prose is delicious and it explores love, seduction, greed, and to want more and more in the most compelling manner. Also, please read Jahangir by the same author.
22. Eating Wasps by Anita Nair. Different women. Different lives. All of them have that one thing in common: unhappy experiences in the world. Of men. Of not being liberated. Of being liberated. Of silently & sometimes loudly making their way through the complex terrain of life.
23. Escape by Manjula Padmanabhan. Top-notch dystopia. Meiji is the only surviving woman in a land where women have been exterminated. It is up to her family now to save her from the dictatorial clone Generals. Sweeping read, not losing pace at any time.
24. When the Moon Shines by Day by Nayantara Sahgal. History books have disappeared. Abdul discovers that is safer to be called Morari Lal in the street. And lording over this is the director of Cultural Transformation who just wants to create a Hindu master race.
25. When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife by Meena Kandasamy. A book so intense, so raw, of what it means to be in a marriage of violence, and actually retaliate - a brilliant feminist discourse to be read by all.
26. River of Fire by Qurratulain Hyder. Going to include this masterpiece of a novel, as it was translated by the author herself from the original Urdu. A book about partition, love, and the irrelevance of religion.
27. Mixed Marriage and Other Parsi Stories by Meher Pestonji. Before Rohinton Mistry, there was Ms. Pestonji churning out stories and novels about a community providing a great insight into everyday living, also reflecting the mindset of the city.
28. J. Krishnamurti: A Biography by Pupul Jayakar. A biography that everyone should read. An insider view of the philosopher - conversations about mind, body, spirituality, and the role religion plays in the historical context.
29. Daughters of the Sun: Empresses, Queens and Begums of the Mughal Empire by Ira Mukhoty. The role women played in building the Mughal empire is uncovered in this gripping account - all about the women - the mothers, the wives, the daughters, sisters, and the milkmothers.
30. The Last Email by Mridula Garg. An epistolary novel about a Scotsman and an Indian woman recalling an affair they had 40 years ago. Nostalgia, fact and fiction brought to fore. Each remembering their version of how it all unfolded and the aftermath.
31. Things to Leave Behind by Namita Gokhale. A sprawling novel set in Indian during the Raj, of events real and imagined, with the landscape of Kumaon, and individuals who are just struggling to find happiness.
32. Cyber Sexy: Rethinking Pornography by Richa Kaul Padte. A book that breaks all norms and talks about porn, online fantasies, intersection of sex and the Internet, attempting to normalise this conversation. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Definitely a favourite.
33. An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy. A story of love, of home, of houses, traditions, and the smaller coincidences in which lives intersect. Set in rural West Bengal, it traces the life of a family with great ache and nuance.
34. My Story by Kamala Das. A memoir of a marriage, the trials of a writer, and a woman coming into her own. Kamala Dasâs book is a revelation on every page - almost punching you in the gut and also soothing at the same time, if thatâs possible. A book not to be missed.
35. The Fabulous Feminist by Suniti Namjoshi. Most of her writing is in this collection, from feminist fables to her latest work. Using literary tradition to express what she finds absurd when it comes to power dynamics and inequality, this collection is absolutely brilliant.
36. Girl made of Gold by Gitanjali Kolanad. I read this book last week & Iâm in love with the writing. The disappearance of a Devdasi in the 1920s of Thanjavur is the bare plot detail I can reveal. But this book is so much more and brilliantly written. Out from Juggernaut soon.
37. Babyji by Abha Dawesar. A coming of age story of a 16 year old against the backdrop of Delhi - of rape, dirt, pollution, colonialism, and arranged marriages. This is a story of sexual awakening that should not be missed.
38. Lunatic in my Head by Anjum Hasan. Three people in a small town are linked together by the humdrum & want to break out from their destinies. A wonderful novel of chances, changes, and opportunities. Also, the way Anjum Hasan writes makes you want to read everything by her.
39. Nampally Road by Meena Alexander. I bumped into this book. Literally by chance. And as most coincidences go, I loved the writing. Mira Kannadical returns to India from England to teach, and must come to terms with its modernity - with all its conflicts and contradictions.
40. Laburnum for My Head by Temsula Ao. A collection of eight stories, about lives of people from Nagaland, each with their own burden and complexities, often unsuspectingly hilarious as well.
41. A House for Mr. Misra by Jaishree Misra. This is a funny book about a family moving to India from Britain, and building a home from scratch in Kerala, that too on the beachside. Misra takes us through the hilarious laws, and the difficulties, & how they overcome most of them.
42. Those Pricey Thakur Girls by Anuja Chauhan. I still remember reading this book for the first time and falling head over hells for Dylan Singh Shekhawat. I couldnât think of anyone else for days. Plus the bonus of it being Pride and Prejudice (to me) set in Delhi in the 80s.
43. I have become the tide by Githa Hariharan. This book will ring true with anyone who has faced discrimination in an educational institution. Hariharan speaks of caste discrimination, of inequality, and also of the joy arising from dissent and crushing the system.
44. Bitter Chocolate: Child Sexual Abuse in India by Pinki Virani. A very difficult book to read. A read perhaps not even meant for all to stomach, but an essential read nonetheless. For us to be aware, to put an end to this, & to understand what role we can play.
45. Dark Things by Sukanya Venkatraghavan. This is the world of Gandharvas, Apsaras and Yakshis and you need patience to get into it. This is also the kind of homegrown fantasy you must read.
46. Known Turf: Bantering with Bandits and Other True Tales by Annie Zaidi. This book had me from the first page. Drawing from her experiences as a journalist in Indiaâs hinterlands, Zaidi adds her own nuance - her own layer of observation-stories of women, patriarchy, and more.
47. Dancing with the Nation: Courtesans in Bombay Cinema by Ruth Vanita. Immensely insightful, and detailed, this book through the courtesans in Hindi cinema, tells us not only about the political, social, and cultural bearings, but also challenging the stereotypes we build.
48. Reel India: Cinema off the Beaten Track by Namrata Joshi. India's obsession with the movies is well-known, to what extent, is perhaps still a mystery - something that fascinates us every day. This book is perfect for that, traversing the length & breadth of Indian cinema.
49. Unveiling India: A Women's Journey by Anees Jung. The author speaks of her life, raised to be in purdah, through the eyes of other women as she goes from city to village to small-town India, interviewing & conversing with them. I read this in college and still reread it.
50. You are Here by Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan. The year was 2008, and to think that a blogger could get published! And with great reason. Her book is hilarious - a story of a young woman stumbling through life, and discovering herself. Funny af! Read it.
That's 50! Another 50 to go. Can't wait. :) Thank you for indulging me.
51. Mrs. Funnybones by Twinkle Khanna. I found this book when I needed it the most. It made me laugh and more often laugh out loud. Easy writing, and somehow relatable. Please read it. We need humour now more than ever.
52. Tiger by the Tail by Venita Coelho. A heartwarming tale of an eleven-year-old boy Rana, and his effort to save the tiger from disappearing from Indian forests. A book that will not only make you aware but also empathetic.
53. The Sari Shop by Rupa Bajwa. A story set in Amritsar about a shop assistant who wants a better life, and ends up encountering the cruel realities of the world - where class and privilege hold more value. A stunning read. Itâs been years since I read it. Must get back to it.
54. The Englishmanâs Cameo by Madhulika Liddle. The Englishman's Cameo introduces Muzaffar Jang, a twenty-five-year-old Mughal nobleman living in Delhi of 1656 AD. Muzaffar ends up investigating a murder of his friend. Loved that this is a historical mystery. Read the series!
55. By the Sabarmati: Stories by Esther David. This stunning collection of stories set in Ahmedabad, tells us about the dreams and aspirations, the victories and defeats of women we have met every day---on the streets, at home, in our neighbourhoods.
56. Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of Bombay's Dance Bars by Sonia Faleiro. Forget Suketu Mehtaâs Maximum City and what he has to say about the dance bars of Bombay. Read this one instead. Itâs lucid, empathetic, and very objective.
57. Take-2: 50 Films that Deserve a New Audience by Deepa Gahlot. 50 films that were lost in time and are now obscure. Gahlot makes us aware of these films and how they have been overlooked. A must-read! Will widen your horizon of Indian cinema.
58. Seahorse by Janice Pariat. Retelling the myth of Poseidon and his youthful male devotee Pelops, Seahorse takes a simple tale and turns it around into a story of love, loss, longing, and redemption. Some wonderful writing.
59. Behold, I Shine: Narratives of Kashmir's Women and Children by Freny Manecksha. What does the Kashmir struggle mean for its women & children? What do they make of the madness & chaos? These narratives that aren't of men are meant to be read, bringing to light the other side.
60. Beyond the Boulevards by Aditi Sriram. I visited Pondicherry for the first time in 2003, and fell in love with the place. Aditi Sriram manages to give my love for the city words - and present it in all its splendour, beauty, contrast, and quaintness.
61. Would You Like Some Bread with that Book? and Other Instances of Literary Love by Veena Venugopal. Very few Indian books about books and the love and joy of reading. This one is closest to me, because Veena understands the reader, knows the joys & woes of reading. Pick it up.
62. The Private Life of Mrs. Sharma by Ratika Kapur. I read this book in 2016 & was taken in by Mrs. Sharma's world - her insecurities, the bordering between traditional & the modern, and above all her zest for life. Funny, charming, and sometimes too real, a perfect night read.
63. The Pleasure Seekers by Tishani Doshi. It was 2011 when I read this book, and was stunned by Tishani's prose. A tale of a family told magnificently, through magic, tales, heartache, old age, and more. A book that deserves to be read. My favourite by her.
64. The Liar's Weave by Tashan Mehta. This isn't an easy book to get into, but when you do, it is so gratifying. Mehta's world is unlike any other I've encountered. There are fates that determine it all. The stars chart the course of life, & what if your future isn't mapped?
65. The Anger of Aubergines by Bulbul Sharma. The title of this one was enough for me to pick it up. I was so happy with the decision after. Food and Indian women. Indian women and Food. Stories that connect them both - through revenge, anger, liberation, and some kind of magic.
66. The Anatomy of Hate by Revati Laul. This one isn't easy to read at all. I ploughed through with anger, sadness, and sometimes tears. This is about the mass carnage of Gujarat 2002, and what makes the mob do what it does, or rather who?
67. Nine Rupees an Hour: Disappearing Livelihoods of Tamil Nadu by Aparna Karthikeyan. This book gave me an understanding of rural life, professions that are dying, livelihoods that are at risk because of "development", and how we can sustain them in our economy.
68. Mannequin: Working Women in Indiaâs Glamour Industry by Manjima Bhattacharjya. What role does fashion play in the entire feminist discourse? Does it have a role at all? What do the men of the fashion industry think? The author raises questions and answers with solid research.
69. Bombay BalchĂŁo by Jane Borges. There are very few Bombay novels out there, and this one is about a small Catholic neighbourhood in the city that is home to all. A tale of ordinary lives, going about the daily humdrum, often intersecting.
70. In the Shadow of Freedom: Three Lives in Hitler's Berlin and Gandhi's India by Laxmi Tendulkar Dhaul. A very unique account of two women, one man they loved, and history being written through fascism, nonviolence, and the British Raj - all in the time of WWII. Excellent read.
71. Tawaifnama by Saba Dewan. This one reads like a novel - a book about a multi-generational family of well-known tawaifs with roots in Banaras and Bhabua. Saba Dewan speaks of the stigma in detail, and thus bringing a nuanced approach to the dismantling of a community.
72. Mothering a Muslim by Nazia Erum. Bullying in school basis religion is something that is not spoken of. Nazia Erum spoke with over 145 children & their parents across 12 cities, thus lifting the veil from a social taboo, thus uncovering some hard truths. For every parent.
73. Cities and Canopies: Trees in Indian Cities by Harini Nagendra and Seema Mundoli. I never thought that I would take to nature writing. But this book with its passion for trees, and information about them, that immensely soothes the mind, has changed that for me for sure.
74. Coming back to the City: Mumbai Stories by Anuradha Kumar. The city that never sleeps comes alive in Anuradha Kumar's stories of restlessness, anxiety, hope, optimism, and the ridiculous "spirit" often looked at critically.
75. The Music Room by Namita Devidayal. Namita Devidayalâs writing skills are beyond ordinary. She tells us the story of her music teacher, Dhondutai and does it with great empathy, feeling, love, and honesty. This book is all about music, and with it the empowerment of women.
Phew! 75 books done. 25 more to go. I am loving this, because it makes me go back to the books I have loved, and the fact that there are so many Indian women writing in English that we don't even know or read.
76. Filomena's Journeys: A Portrait of a Marriage, a Family & a Culture by Maria Aroura Couto. The story of not just a family, but that of Goa - and not the touristy kind of Goa that we know, but the one rich with history, socio-political leanings, and the story of Filomena.
77. Indira by Devapriya Roy and Priya Kuriyan. A young student Indira Thapa, sets out to write an essay on her name, and ends up choosing her namesake as a model. This unique graphic novel blends fiction and biography, and the result is quite satisfying.
78. Frescoes in the Womb: Six plays from Goa by Isabel de Santa Rita VĂĄs. Six plays set in Goa that could actually have been played out anywhere, and thatâs the beauty of them. The playwright has written about 65 plays and I feel is extremely underrated.
79. The Scent of Pepper by Kavery Nambisan. The British have just annexed Kodagu (Coorg) and thatâs when it all begins with one family - their aspirations and the history of Kodagu. This book will make you want to eat, smell spices, and leave other senses pleasantly numb.
80. The Collectorâs Wife by Mitra Phukan. Rukmini is married to a district collector of a small town in Assam. She teaches English literature in a local college. The insurgency of the 70s and the 80s plays out against her life - spinning both in a turmoil beyond recognition.
81. Tiger on a Tree by Anushka Ravishankar and Pulak Biswas. A scared tiger finds himself up a tree and thatâs where it all begins. This book is endearing and much-needed in such times. Also, there are lovely orange and black pictures with some gorgeous typography.
82. Looking for Miss Sargam: Stories of Music and Misadventure by Shubha Mudgal. Loved this collection of stories on music and life - both in tune, and sometimes way off tune. A heartwarming and yet wickedly funny book.
83. Murder in Seven Acts: Lalli Mysteries by Kalpana Swaminathan. We need more Indian women detectives and Lalli is top-notch. Swaminathan blends the ordinary with the macabre, and leaves it to Lalli to work it out. Read! Read! Read!
84. The To-Let House by Daisy Hasan. A coming of age story in Shillong, that is framed by the regionâs search for identity and what happens when personal and political mix.
85. A Spoke in the Wheel by Amita Kanekar. A story of the Buddha and more than that a story of his disciples - of Ashoka and others, and the eternal questions of life and death.
86. Degree Coffee by the Yard: A Short Biography of Madras by Nirmala Lakshman. This book made me want to go to Madras right after reading it. I will. Soon. To drink uncountable cups of filter coffee, to go to the Anna library, sit by the Marina beach, and just be.
87. The Past as Present: Forging Contemporary Identities Through History by Romila Thapar. This list wouldn't have been complete without Romila Thapar. She is constantly not only giving us a clearer view of the past, but also challenging it, arguing, and presenting her views.
88. Karmic Kids: The Story of Parenting Nobody Told You by Kiran Manral. I'm not a parent. I don't want to be one either. But I can read about parenting, and even laugh out loud when it is a book such as this. Hilarious to the boot, Manral takes us through parenting: a task.
89. Jorasanko by Aruna Chakravarti. Telling the story of the women of the Tagore family, Jorasanko's narrative is intriguing, never indulgent. It captures it all - the complexity of the worlds, and how these women reacted to them through their experiences.
90. White as Milk and Rice: Stories of India's Isolated Tribes by Nidhi Dugar Kundalia. Six tribal communities are charted out in this book. From Ankola to Nagaland, Kundalia speaks of their intimate moments, their interactions with the world, and their lives with great empathy.
91. Undertow by Jahnavi Barua. A simple story of a family and yet not so simple after all. It might seem the same old same old, but it isn't. Plus the writing is crackling, and very heartening at the same time.
92. Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita Vachharajani. Illustrations by Kalyani Ganapathy. I loved how Anita has looked at every aspect of Amritaâs life & ensured that nothing is missed. This book is a treat for those who want to understand more about the artist.
93. Wisha Wozzariter by Payal Kapadia. Illustrations by Roger Dahl. All that Wisha wants to be is a writer and she meets Bookworm and actually starts writing. The book is about her meeting her creative process. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
94. Devi by Mrinal Pande. Different forms of women through the ages, women who defy patriarchy, and women who go beyond their own expectations. Mrinal Pande has known them all and this is a book about them.
95. Beloved Witch by Ipsita Roy Chakravarty. In her own words, about her life as a Wiccan witch, she dispels the notions of being a witch, and what it really is to be one - and what healing and wisdom are all about.
96. The F-Word by Mita Kapur. Mita Kapur knows how to write about food and how! Her recipes are on-point, but beside that it is the anecdotes about her family, friends, and other animals that make this read hilarious.
97. Mad Girlâs Love Song by Rukmini Bhaya Nair. Taken from the poem by Sylvia Plath, this novel is a mad-rush to the head - like a heady one, mixing the stories of Pari (the protagonist, Plath, William Blake and D.H. Lawrence. Please read this one.
98. Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra. A history of partition through material memory. Stories gathered. Objects that are more than just that. The longing for home. The places that we come to inhabit and the ones we leave behind. You must read this one for sure.
99. In Hot Blood: The Nanavati Case That Shook India by Bachi Karkaria. Itâs pulpy, itâs racy, and you will not stop till itâs over. A perfect airplane read or even on a Sunday afternoon when thereâs nothing to be done. A thriller - about murders & an extraordinary judgement.
100. The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay. The best book I read last year. The Far Field will have you question your ties with family. The things we choose to say with such ease & the things we do not. Itâs more than this. Itâs much more. PLEASE READ THIS BOOK, IF YOU HAVENâT ALREADY.
And thatâs a wrap guys. Thank you so so very much for indulging me. These are my 100 favourite books by Indian women in English. Tomorrow, I shall start another list. Thank you again. I will also put up a blog post of these 100 for your reference.
