In these ten stories, selected by translator Kavita Bhanot, Anjali Kajal examines the lives of women across two generations of, mainly, mothers and daughters, set in current-era Northern India. No one who has lived in the region will be surprised at the unfortunate incidents portrayed in these stories: harassment of females by men on the streets, in homes and in workplaces is “normal” and overlooked. Her stories, told in an unembellished style, and largely kept in the original cadence by the translator, are hard-hitting because they reflect daily real-life incidents and trends.
Author: Kavita A Jindal
“But what of returning?” The answer to that question is “not yet”, probably never for the long-term, although ambivalence and nostalgia prevails. The past, the cycle of life, life’s inevitable compromises, and that haunting question is deeply examined in this poetry collection by Jennifer Wong.
Three poems from the recent collection by Kavita Jindal (the wind in the trees, 2019). Reprinted with permission.