Note 3
Seven stories by women, seven stories about women – but for that commonality, this is an eclectic collection. Or is it? Although their voices are distinct and their stories quite different, Jahnavi Barua, Priya Sarukkai Chabria and Saudha Kasim each write about a woman recognising her self. All three stories examine the premise of marriage and a woman’s place in it. In contrast, in Anita Roy’s Jenna, set in the terrifying bleakness of a futuristic prison, we confront isolation and the tentative yet essential instinct to develop relationships. Radhika Venkatarayan also writes of relationships, in this case, the complex ones within a multi-generational family structure. In 16th July, Uma Parameswaran tells of the grace of a woman forced to face the extreme. Finally, in the contemporary allegory, Ma Tujhe Salaam, Divya Dubey deals with the nature of power. Each of the stories in the edition touched us, either through their delicacy, searing intensity or their uncompromising picture of corruption. We thank our contributors and hope you will appreciate the stories too.
Our next issue, which we will release at the cusp of summer and monsoon, will be themed around mythology in its broadest sense. We are not looking for mythologies that are necessarily of a specific denomination. Do contribute! As we said in our last issue, it is not only the retelling we are interested in, but your perspectives. Stories that do not fit the theme will not be considered for the mythology edition.
The art on the cover of Out of Print 3 is by Nibha Sikander