Book Review- The Curse: Short Stories by Salma (Translated by N Kalyan Raman)

Namrata reviews Salma’s short story collection, The Curse: Short Stories translated by N Kalyan Raman (Speaking Tiger, 2020) emphasizing how the plausibility of these stories remains intact across the globe.

Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Year of Publishing: October 2020
ISBN-13: 978-9389958874
Price: INR 350/-

Writing is extremely political. Salma When author Salma states this, you immediately connect it with her line of works which largely includes stories of Muslim women from Tamil Nadu living in rural areas. Her writing explores their challenges when it comes to physical and mental health.

Salma is a prolific writer in Tamil literature, who dabbles in both poetry and fiction. Her novel Irandaam Jaamangalin Kadhai published in 2004 is considered a landmark achievement for many reasons. It was later translated into English as The Hour Past Midnight in 2009 by Lakshmi Holmstrom. In 2019, she went on to the fourth Mahakavi Kanhaiyalal Sethia award for poetry.

Read the full review on Kitaab.

Movie Review: If by Tathagata Ghosh – A Tender Portrait of Love, Loss, and Possibility

If , a 26-minute short film by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, is a sensitive, evocative piece of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll. Set against the everyday rhythm of life in Kolkata, the film delicately unpacks the story of a lesbian couple torn apart by the weight of societal expectations and dares to imagine a different future, one where a mother's love might just change everything. What struck me first was the film’s raw, grounded realism. The characters feel like people we know, middle-class families navigating a complex world with quiet resilience. The world of If is filled with silences, glances, and stills, rather than heavy dialogue. Ghosh masterfully uses these moments to speak volumes, allowing viewers to sit with discomfort, interpret the unspoken, and feel deeply.

Book Review: The Story of Eve: Selected Poems by Zehra Nigah

Few voices in Urdu poetry have carried the weight of history, resistance, and deep personal introspection quite like Zehra Nigah. One of the first women to break into the traditionally male-dominated world of Urdu poetry, Nigah’s work stands as a testament to the power of words to illuminate, question, and challenge. The Story of Eve: Selected Poems, translated by Rakshanda Jalil, brings together some of her most powerful nazms and ghazals, showcasing both her literary elegance and her unflinching gaze at the human condition, particularly through the lens of gender, social injustice, and political turmoil.

Book Review: Butterflies of Success by Ranga Iyer

ISBN: ‎ 978-8196920951 Genre: Personal Transformation Publisher: Highbrow Scribes Year of Publishing: 2024 About the Book "Poverty is relative term" Lack of money alone cannot stop someone from succeeding in life. The social evil of poverty can be defeated with a determined mind, courage, mental strength, and education. Butterflies of Success follows the compelling journey of Mukta and Prem, a couple with four daughters who leave their village in search of a better life in Thakurli, near Bombay. Facing numerous challenges, including living in a small, unsanitary dwelling, financial struggles, and health issues, Mukta leads her family of six in a fight to improve their situation. She starts by selling boiled chickpeas and gradually expands to open a diner and a tailoring unit with Prem's help. As the business progresses, the family strives to educate and marry off their daughters, which brings new challenges, including mounting debts. Not oblivious to her parents' da...

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