Indian Literature is under-rated. I have always believed that most Indian writers (great ones at that) are often not spoken about or mentioned at all. Some great books are never discussed. That's a sad situation for a country that is so rich in literature - considering the number of languages stories are weaved in and then translated for the English reader's (like me) benefit, only not to be praised.
One such Indian writer that needs to be spoken more about is Jainendra. Born in 1905, he was one of the first to join the independence movement in 1921. The interesting part is that most of his stories and novels are centered on the idea of freedom and the right to speech, which is what, pulls me to read his books. I have read his short stories in Hindi; however I must shamefully admit that it seemed like a mammoth task initially.
'The Resignation' or 'Tyagpatra' is one of his most popular books published in 1937, and re-published in English (an amazing translation by Rohini Chowdhury) by Penguin India (God Bless them for that) very recently. The book though written in a time when every person was searching for an independent voice and way of life is still very relevant in our democratic society. 'The Resignation' is a story of Mrinal, a young woman whose idealism is so strong that her family and the society around her rejects her completely and she is living on her own,
04:14 PM, May 02, 2012
