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Posts by Chaiti Sen

Jun 27

Imaging the Other

A few years ago a friend of mine handed me a remarkable anthology of translated stories from India called Imaging the Other, edited by Sara Rai and G J V Prasad, filled with stories translated from Kannada, Urdu, Bangla, Oriya, Marathi, Hindi, Konkani, Asomiya, Tamil, as well as a few stories written in English. I find the language and imagery of these stories to be completely transfixing. Take this opening from the story, “The Dear Ones,” by Binapani Mohanty, originally published in Oriya in a journal called Jhankara.

He sat down on the mud-plastered veranda, and yanked his soiled

jeans up to his knees. It was slowly getting dark. Soon the trees would

filter the moonlight and splash it all over. There would be excitement

in the village – he had returned after a very long absence. The mango

trees were in bloom. Along the way he had noticed unripe mangoes,

the size of peanuts, on the branches.

I love these images of the mud-plastered veranda, mangoes the size of peanuts, moonlight splashed by the trees. They are achingly particular, coming from an intimate relationship with one place.

Though this collection is from 1999, Katha has continued its mission to publish translations of contemporary Indian literature. Katha, with their slogan “Translating Stories, Transforming Lives,” has been using story and storytelling for 22 years to link literature to literacy education. They have a catalogue of books for adults and children. Check out their adult catalogue here:

http://www.katha.org/site/what-we-do/translation

May 18

Before Kali

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New York based artist Jaishri Abichandani is working on a stunningly expressive series of 108 sculptures inspired by figures of goddesses from the Indus Valley. The series, entitled Before Kali, plays with notions of womanhood and depicts goddesses in various roles and gestures – squatting, standing, sitting, birthing, seducing, conversing. The image of the vagina, petal like and slitted, figures prominently in many of the sculptures. 56 of the 108 sculptures have been completed. Three are on display now at the Queens Museum of Art. See more here:

 

http://jaishriabichandani.net/artwork/3271457_Before_Kali_Standing_figurines.html

 

Apr 20

Now For Something Completely Different

Austin, Texas is full of working musicians, people who may not be nationally known but who spend their lives making and performing great music. Seela is one such musician. This past spring she released her first solo record in many years. It is called Valentine.

seela cover

The woman on the cover is her mother, who died in 2006. There is a heartbreaking song about the grief of losing her on the record. Altogether there are nine songs that highlight Seela’s range and versatility and showcase her honey rich voice. Some have more of an exuberant pop or R&B feel, and some make you slow down and dwell for a moment in a place — of loneliness, longing, or love. My favorite is a song called, “Sweetly,” with a haunting and romantic narrative arc. These are songs to sing along to, but for me, it’s also a writer’s album. Every song could inspire a short story.

You can check out Seela’s songs and download or buy her album at

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/seela1