An Alchemy of Words and Silences

This book explores the works of seven prominent contemporary Hindi women poets from India, showcasing a vibrant landscape of distinct voices―Dalit, Adivasi, urban, rural and lower-middle class. It traces the historical trajectory of women’s writing in India highlighting how the new generation of poets builds on the feminist legacy while redefining its idiom for the twenty-first century.

Engaging with feminism and intersectionality in their diverse manifestations, the book challenges reductive readings of women’s poetry as mere opposition to patriarchy. Instead, it explores the interconnections between gender and literature and showcases their distinct poetic idioms and literary aesthetics. Through a close textual reading of Gagan Gill, Katyayani, Anamika, Savita Singh, Neelesh Raghuwanshi, Sushila Takbhoure and Nirmala Putul, the volume analyses how through their language, imagery, and metaphors these poets broaden the horizons of Hindi literature, offering fresh paths for the exploration of voice, self and society.

This volume will be particularly useful for students and researchers of Indian literature, Hindi literature, comparative literature, gender studies, translation studies and South Asian studies.

Rekha Sethi is a Professor at Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, India. She has authored five books, edited eight and translated a poetry collection from English to Hindi. Her research interests are related to post-Independence Hindi literature; gender and media studies. Her major publications include Stree-Kavita: Paksh aur Pariprekshya and Stree-Kavita: Pehchaan aur Dwandwa – a two volume study on contemporary women poets in Hindi critiquing and enquiring the connections between gender and literature.

Hina Nandrajog is Professor in the Department of English, Vivekananda College, University of Delhi, India. She is an academic, scholar, critic, teacher, and translator. She has published more than fifty critical articles and translations. Her areas of interest are the study of historical and literary perspectives on the Partition of India in 1947, the idea of diversity and multi-linguality in India and translation. She translates from Punjabi and Hindi into English and has won several awards.