Women's Voice (Selection from Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth Century Indian Writing in English)

About the Book:

This anthology brings together the writing of some Indian women who made pioneering social and literary contributions during the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. Traversing a wide canvas, the excerpts taken from letters, tracts, diaries, magazines, articles, autobiographies, short stories, and even speeches discuss theatre, dance, travel, and personal experience, while other dwell on social issues, doctrinal problems, orthodox practices, and the position of women in society. The book will interest anyone interested in women's literature of modern India.

About the Author:

EUNICE DE SOUZA retired as head of the department of English, St Xavier's College, Bombay. She is an established poet and writer.

LINDSAY PEREIRA is currently pursuing a PhD from the department of English, University of Bombay.

Experts from Reviews:

'Woman's Voices can be read for pleasure alone, or for considering the wide range of women's writing (personal letters, letters to editors, letters to friends in jail, reminiscences, columns in newspapers, fiction, exhortations). The lucid and informed introduction places the individual pieces as well as the collection in historical context.'

-The book Review

'An invaluable source book. The writing of Toru Dutt, Pandita Ramabai, Cornelia Sorabji, Sarojini Naidu, Rokeya Sakhawat Hosssain, Ruttie Jinnah, Ela Sen, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, Amrita Sher-Gill, Santha Rama Rau and many lesser known writers are represented here.'

-The Statesman

'These writings provide a window into how the women themselves were reacting to this so-called women's question It is a commendable effort in putting into one volume well-known personalities like Toru Dutt, Pandita Ramabai, Cornelia Sorabji and Sarojini Naidu, along with the lesser known Herabai Tata, Shovana Devi, and Iqbalunnisa Husain.'

-Hindustan Times

'As interesting as the content of their writing is the life of the writers themselves, compiled in brief biographical sketches by coeditor, Lindsay Pereira .The contributions are delightful, thought-provoking and varied '

-Verve

'Women's Voice offers us a wide range of writing in English fiction, including stories for children, autobiographies, articles, letters -private and public An informative Introduction to the period by Eunice de Souza adds to the usefulness of the volume.'

-One India, One People

CONTENTS Introduction

DOSEBAI COWASJEE JESSAWALLLA

The First Empress of Indian
My Ascent in a Balloon
Closing Reflections

-The story Of My Life (1991)

TORU DUTT

Letters to Miss Martin

-Life and Letters of Toru Dutt (1921)

PANDITA RAMABAI

Letters to Sister Geraldine
Letters to Canon Butler

-The Letters and Corresponding of Pandita Ramabai (1977)
Widowhood

-The High Caste Hindu Woman (1894)

ANAPURNA TURKHAD

The Mental Seclusion of India: Letters to the Spectator and the Times of India (1881)
-Vishrabdha Sharda vol. I (1972)

KRUPABAI SATTHIANADHAN

Chapter V

-Saguna (1895)

SHEVANTIBAI M. NIKAMBE

Early Reformers

-Women in Modern India (1929)
Chapter III
-Ratanbai: A Sketch of a Bombay High Caste Hindu Wife (1895)

MAHARANEE SUNITY DEVI C I OF COOCH BEHA

My Romance
-The Autobiography of an Indian Princess
A Punjabee Dacoit
-Bengal Dacoits and Tigers (1916)

CORNELIA SORABJI

The Fire is Quenched!
-Love and Life Behind the Purdah
The 'Squirrel Lady'
-India Calling (1934)
Making a Hindu Will
-India Recalled (1936)

SUSIE SORABJI

Shrimati Ramabai Ranade
-Women in Modern India

DR RUKHMABAI

Letter to The Times (9 April 1887)
-Enslaved Daughters (1998)
Purdah -The Need for its Abolition
-Women in Modern in India (1929)

MAHARANI CHIMNABAI BAEKWAD II OF BARODA

Intellectual Callings
-The Position of Women in Indian life (1911)

F.K. PATUCK

Stree Zrthosti Mandal': How we came to form it
-The Stree Bodhe and Social Progress in India (1908)

HERABAI TATA

A Short Sketch of Indian Women's Franchise Work
-A Short Sketch of Indian Women's Franchise Work (n.d.)-

LADY MEHRI DORAB TATA

Letter to Miss Serenbai Maeckjeee Coursetjee
-Lady Dorab Tata: A book of Remembrance

KITTY SHIVA RAO

Child Education
-Education of Women in Modern India (1946)

SAKINATUL FATIMA HASAN

Indian Muslim Women -A Perspective
-Our cause: A Symposium by Indian Women (1938)

SAROJINI NAIDU

Letters to Jawaharlal Nehru
-A Bunch of Old Letters (1958)

ROKEYA SAKHAWAT HOSSAIN

Selection from Sultana's Dream (1905)

NALINI TURKHUD

Chapter XIV
-The Jagirdar of Palna (2936)

DR S. MUTHULAKSHMI REDDY

How I Became a Legislator Election of the Hon. President
-My Experience as a legislator (1930)

HANSA MEHTA

My Reminiscences of Student Days in Baroda College (1913-17)
-The Baroda College Golden juble Commemoration Volume (1933)

RUTTIE JINNAH

Chapter XXII (Letters to Kanji Dwarkadas)
-Ruttie Jinnah: The Story of a Great Friendship (n.d.)

MITHAN CHOKSI

Some Impressions of Indian Women's Colleges
-Women in Modern India (1929)

ELA SEN

A Woman of Spain
Gunpowder Women and Other Essay (1943)
Preface The Queue

-Darkening Days (1944)

VIJAYALAKSHMI PANDIT

So I Became A Minister From Ministry of Prison
-Vijayalakshmi Pandit (1993)

KAMALADEVI CHATTOPADHYAY

Imperialism and Class-Struggle
-The Awakening of Indian Women (1939)
Blossoms, Light, and Music
-Japan (1939)

ZAEENUTH FUTHEHALLY

Chapter XX
Chapter XXI
-Zohra (1951)

KRISHNA NEHRU HUTHESSING

Chapter IX
Chapter XXVII
-With No Regrets: An Autobiography (1943)

SUCHETA KRIPALANI

An Unfinished Autobiography
Story of Negro Genius
The Role of the Creative Writer
-Sucheta Kripalani

ARUNA ASAF ALI

Approach to personalities
-Travel Talk (1947)

VENU CHITALE (LEELABAI GANESH KHARE)

Chapter VIII
Chapter IX
-In Transit (1950)

AMRITA SHER-GIL

Letter to Jawaharlal Nehru
-A Bunch of Old Letters (1958)
Evolution of My Art
-Marg (n.d.)

RAMABAI, C.T. (RAMABAI TRIKANNAD)

The Little Book Binder
Disillusion
Aunts and Cats!
-Victory of Faith and Other Stories (1935)

NOOR-UN-NISA INAYAT KHAN

The Fairy and the Hare
-Twenty Jataka Tales Retold (1939)

SNEHALATA SEN

The Tale Of the Buddhist Monk
-Nehal the Musician (1923)

SHOVONA DEVI

The Princess with the Borrowed Life
The Hermit Cat
The Hireling Husband
-The Orient Pearls (1915)

IQBALUNNISA HUSSAIN

Chapter II
Chapter IV
Chapter XI
-Purdah and Polygamy (1944)

SANTHA RAMA RAU

Chapter IX
-Gifts of Passage (1961)

G. ISHVANI

Chapter XI
-The Brocaded Sari (1946)

BRINDA MAHARANI OF KAPURTHALA

Chapter XII
-Maharani: The Story of an Indian Princes (1953)

References