Author speak: Mirroring 2,000 years of women writings

Unbound: 2,000 years of Indian Women’s Writing’ is a collection of stories, the most significant writing by Indian women authors. It spans several languages and the work is spread over 2000 years and more. Annie Zaidi, the author of ‘Known Turf: Bantering with Bandits and Other True Tales’, which was short-listed for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award in 2010, has edited and collected the stories for ‘Unbound’. In exclusive conversation Annie talks about the research that went to bringing together the anthology.

Excerpts:

What is the genesis of the idea to bring together the anthology of 2000 years of Indian women’s writing?

David Davidar of Aleph had approached me about two-and-a half years ago, asking me to do a pared down anthology of Indian women's writing with an emphasis on literary quality and not merely representation. At the time, I too wanted to spend some time just reading a lot rather than writing. So I agreed to take it on. I began to read and research and along the way, I discovered that some of the most powerful works, which continue to resonate with contemporary readers like myself, were created nearly 2000 years ago.

What was the kind of research involved in getting your hand on the writings that go so far and wide in terms of time and distance?

I’ve spent nearly two-and-a half years on this book. I must have looked at a few hundreds of writings. I began my research by going back to the two-volume set edited by Susie Tharu and K Lalitha. I had first come upon it in 2001 and I read it again to figure out the span of time and the range of voices that had already been translated and represented. It was a great starting point. I at least got the names of the women and a tiny snatch from their work. I did the bulk of my research at the Sahitya Akademi Library, the library at the English Department in Jamia Milia Islamia University in Delhi, and the Sparrow Library in Mumbai. And of course, I bought a lot of books, wrote to many people to send me literary journals that had published translations. Many old books are out of copyright and available online, so I also read a lot on the internet.

What were the elements you looked for before choosing the works for the anthology?

It is not just stories but poetry, essays, and drama too. The most important thing was that a particular poem or story should grab and hold my interest. For non-fiction, I wanted to pick texts that tell me something I didn't know enough about or deepen my understanding of what it meant to be a woman or to be Indian at a particular time in our history. That aside, it was important to me that the anthology should challenge dominant notions of what ‘women’s literature’ looks like, and what ‘Indian’ women are. There are many gaps in our understanding of who wrote and what they wrote about. Historically, I tried to represent women from each era. I have tried to include all regions and also languages, as far as existing translations allowed me to read the work before making a decision.

Can you share the challenges, especially when you had to chose from regional literature and works that go back 2000 years?

Translations were the biggest challenge. There are writers who are celebrated in their own states but when I began to read, I was sometimes disappointed. Usually, this was because of lackluster translations. For instance, I had access to two different translations of Mira Bai but neither was working for me, and yet, I couldn't possibly leave her out. I learnt that Rahul Soni was working on fresh translations and I asked him to allow me to use a couple of poems. I also preferred Priya Sarukkai Chabria's new translations of Andal's verses. Arunava Sinha kindly gave me new translations of Mallika Sengupta's poems. Arjun Chowdhary has begun the work of translating Soudamini Devi, whose work was not available in full English translation. In each case, I had to read, pick out what looks most interesting, then go back to look for better recommendations or newer versions. I cannot stress the importance of translation enough. The only reason we can still read writers like Lal Ded, Mahadevi Akka and the Tamil Sangam era writers is because somebody took the trouble to translate them. The other challenge was books that are out of print. And some scholarly commentaries and translations published abroad that I would have liked to read but could not find them in local libraries. It would really help if Indian libraries – especially public funded or trust-owned libraries – start sharing their catalogues online so one could figure out what book can be found where.

Can you please share any memorable discoveries (That you may have or have not included in the book) that you made through the process of compiling the stories?

For me, one of the biggest discoveries was the great range of powerful voices in other Indian languages. I used to read mainly Indian writing in English and in Hindi. I had read only a few translations from other languages, mainly poetry. I discovered not only novels but also travelogues and memoirs, which had a strong impact on me. For instance, I found Saniya's work through my research. I also finally got around to reading the ‘Humayunnama’, which was written by a woman, and the memoir of one of the Nawab begums of Bhopal, which describes what life was like under a woman ruler. It was particularly fascinating because in my imagination, that era was associated with women having a low status, even if they were queens.

Looking back, are there any misses that you would rather have had as a part of the anthology?

Yes, quite a few. There's Anita Desai, Mala Sen, Githa Hariharan, Saniya, Gogu Shyamala, and some others.

Through these years of women’s writing, did you see a common thread in how women wrote?

Not really. There is no common thread. There are similarities of theme. Freedom is something that women have longed for throughout 2000 years. I don't mean freedom in the political sense only, but also freedom within a household, or the freedom to not be trapped within domesticity. Another similarity is a critique of social structures and religions, which are used to diminish women's autonomy.

Which of the contemporary writers find a place in the anthology?

About half of the book is given over to contemporary writers. Some of them are very well-known names like Mahasweta Devi and Krishna Sobti. Then there are writers whose reputations are established, whose work has been awarded, and they are also creating newer work, such as Alka Saroogi, Bani Basu, Yashodhara Mishra, Sarah Joseph, Easterine Kire. Among those who write in English, there are newer voices like Rajni Bakshi, Nilanjana Roy, Nivedita Menon and Bulbul Sharma.

General view is that it is an easier task compiling an anthology! What would you say?

It depends on the anthology really. If I had been commissioning fresh work, and had to select only ten or twelve stories, that may have been easier. But of course, I have not done that sort of book, so I should not speak. This anthology has been much harder work than writing my own book.

Are any Telugu women writers included in the anthology?

Yes, We have included a translation of Volga. The 18th century writer Muddupalani’s ‘Radhika Santvanam’ is also there. It is an important work. What makes it further interesting is that the book banned by the British and it was only after independence that the ban on ‘Radhika Santvanam’ was lifted.

Except probably (Gulab) you have mostly preferred short format - essays, short stories? Do you prefer shorter format for stories, etc. Do you think it’s more effective?

I use the shorter format if it comes naturally. Also, when you are working on many different things simultaneously, it is hard to find the time to work on a single, long story. But, I have written longer stories as plays (drama scripts), and I had attempted a novel before but did not think it was good enough to publish. I am also still growing as a writer, still trying out all kinds of forms and genres. But whenever I have the mind space and the right story, I will try to write longer pieces too.

Rajeshwari Kalyanam