CONTENTS

Introduction xi

SPIRITUAL LOVE SANGHA Home have I left 4 MuTTA O free, indeed 4 ClTTA Though I be suffering and weak 4 URMILA PAWAR Mukti 5 VIMALA How was I once pufFd up 8 ZEB-UN-NISA The Diwan of Zeb-un-nisa 8 LAL DED Lalla Vakyani 10 BAHINIBAI Te Sukh Sangta Vaache Pade Maun 11 RAJAI Don Prahar Raatr Paahoni Ekaant 11 Ghardhanyaani Kela Gurujanabai 11 JENABAI Doicha Padar Aalaa Khaandyaavari 12 Viveksaagar! Sakhaa Maajha Dnyaneshwar 12 MUKTABAI Sukhaache Shevti, Dukh Aale Bheti 13 Mungi Udaali Aakaashi 13 AKKA MAHADEVI Songs for Shiva 13 SOYRABAI Kaa Baa Udaas Maj Kele 15 Kiti Kiti Boloo Deva 15 NIRMALA Sukh Anumatra Nahi Sansaari 16 MIRABAI Eating God 16 ANDAAL Naaciyar Tirumoli 18

SECULAR LOVE ROSEMARY What I Have to Tell You 26 VELLI ViTIYAR Kuruntokai 58 27 Kuruntokai 130 28 AWAIYAR Kuruntokai 28 28 Purananuru 92 29 MOLLA Ramayanam 29 MuDDUPALANl The Appeasement of Radhika 30 KRISHNA SOBTI Sunflowers of the Dark 34 YASHODHARA MISHRA A Matter of Choice 37 Kum REVATHI Breasts 40 VIBHAVARI SHIRURKAR Kharemaster 41 ALKA SARAOGI The Death of a Tree 44 MARRIAGE ATTIA HOSAIN Sunlight on a Broken Column 52 RASSUNDARI DEVI Words to Win 55 PuNDITA RAMABAI SARASVATI The High Caste Hindu Woman 59 RAMABAI RANADE Memories of our Life together 62 GEETANJALI SHREE Mai 65 INDIRA GOSWAMI The Blue-necked God 68 VOLGA The Experiment 71 KAMALA DAS My Story 74 MAMTA KALIA After Eight Years of Marriage 77 Brat 77

CHILDREN MANNU BHANDARI Bunty 81 NABANEETA DEV SEN Antara—1 84 Twittering Machine 84 Children 85 Childspeak 85 GAGAN GILL Child, Go Home 86 BABY KAMBLE The Prisons We Broke 87 CORNELIA SORABJI The Adoption 91 MANJU KAPUR Name: Amba Dalmia 94 AJEET COUR Pebbles in a Tin Drum 98 PADMA SACHDEV An Infant's Dream 101 Mother Tongue 102 LILA MAJUMDAR The Yellow Bird 103

FOOD NAYANTARA SAHGAL Mistaken Identity 109 BuLBUL SHARMA Mushroom Madness 112 PRATHIBHA NANDAKUMAR Salvation 115 ASHAPURNA DEVI Snakebite and the Distant Window 117 NlLANJANA ROY In the Flesh 120 SHIVANI Apradhini 124

WORK VAIDEHI Gulabi Talkies 131 BAMA Chilli Powder 135 P. SIVAKAMI The Taming of Women 140 KAMALA MARKANDAYA Nectar in a Sieve 143 MRIDULA GARG Country of Goodbyes 147 NlRUPAMA BORGOHAIN Abhijatri 151 RAJALAKSHMI The Apology 154 SARAH JOSEPH Gift in Green 158

IDENTITY RASHID JAHAN One of my Journeys 163 MAITREYI PUSHPA Alma Kabutari 167 CHANDRAKANTA A Street in Srinagar 171 ROMILA THAPAR Somanatha and Mahmud 175 SHAMA FuTEHALLY Tara Lane 179 MRINAL PANDE Bibbo 183 NlRUPAMA DuTT The Black Woman 187 Wicked Woman 187 NIVEDITA MENON Seeing Like a Feminist 189

BATTLES ROKEYA SAKHAWAT HOSSAIN Sultana's Dream 196 K. SARASWATHI AMMA A World Without Men 199 SAROJINI NAIDU Indian Women and the Franchise 202 QuRRATULAlN HYDER Fireflies in the Mist 206 EASTERINE KlRE Bitter Wormwood 210 TEMSULA AO The Last Song 213 OKKUR MACATTIYAR Purananuru 279 216 BANI BASU The Enemy Within 217 JOYA MITRA Killing Days 221 IRAWATI KARVE Yuganta 226 ANITA AGNIHOTRI Why Does that Girl Trudge Across? 230 RAJNI BAKSHI Bapu Kuti 233 AMRITA PRITAM TO Waris Shah 237 JYOTIRMOYEE DEVI The River Churning 239 URVASHI BUTALIA The Other Side of Silence 241 PlNKI VlRANI Aruna's Story 244 ARUNDHATI ROY The God of Small Things 247

MYTH & FABLE SAUDAMINI DEVI Adbhuta Ramayana 253 RUKMINI BHAYA NAIR Mayamriga, California 260 Kali 261 MALLIKA SENGUPTA Pandu's Desire for Sons 262 While Teaching my Son History 263 KUMUDINI Viswamitra 264 PRATIBHA RAY Yajnaseni 272 SuNITI NAMJOSHI The Fabulous Feminist 275 MAIATHI MAITHRI Proscribed Blood—1 277 Proscribed Blood—2 278 Demon Language 279

JOURNEYS ARUNDHATHI SuBRAMANIAM Where I Live 283 Andheri Local 284 The City and I 285 MAMANG DAI Prayer Flags—2 286 Small Towns and the River 286 ISMAT CHUGHTAI In the Name of those Married Women 288 POPATI HIRANDANI A Homeless Sindhi Woman 294 EUNICE DE SOUZA Travelling 294 MAHADEVI VARMA The Chinese Peddler 296 PRABHA KHAITAN A Life Apart 299 SAILABALA DAS Bilat Prabas 303

ENDS KARAIKKAL AMMAIYAR Mutta Tiruppatikam 1 309 MAHASWETA DEVI The Breast Giver 311 KISA-GOTAMI Friendship with noble souls 315 AMBAPALI Glossy and black as the down of the bee 317 K. R. MEERA Yellow is the Colour of Longing 319 SALMA On the Edge 322 MANJULA PADMANABHAN Harvest 326 SOYARABAI Kid He Marti, Kiti He Radti 332

Acknowledgements 333 Notes 338 Notes on the Authors 344 Notes on the Translators 353