Dear Reader,
Welcome to the first edition of The Moody Mail! Thanks again for signing up. I truly hope you find these newsletters enjoyable and I’m always open to getting feedback and constructive criticism.
It goes without saying that 2020 wasn’t the year any of us expected it to be. Like everyone else, my life came to a standstill as well. Dire as the situation was globally, I had a lot to be grateful for. From having a home, living with my family, food on the table, a stable internet connection to a solid support system for tiding this wave through till now, it’s been relatively good.
If I had to be honest though, I’m fortunate enough to say that 2020 was a rather good year for me. Sure, everything I planned for went for a toss and that was a bummer, but I think I got a few things worth it in exchange – opportunities to still meet and connect with new people (virtually of course), realizing that I’ve had a certain amount of personal growth and most importantly my work and opportunities with regard to writing. So, I was rather content with how things panned out for me.
2021 has been hopeful till now. At least, January definitely has. I brought in the New Year with my mother. We both watched a Hindi movie (the new Coolie No.1 in case you’re wondering. What better way to bring in 2021 than a few laughs, right?), and danced away to all the songs followed by a video call with extended family. If you’re curious to know where my father was during this mini-party, he was fast asleep.
What followed was a surprisingly busy January of projects (which I can’t wait to share in the coming months), writers groups and weddings! Glad as I was that I could step out and meet people, it was rather dystopian to see everyone in masks of silk, surgical material or whatever else, accompanying their bright and decadent outfits. Not to mention sanitizers being distributed around like prasaadam (a sweet/savoury food item that is made as an offering to God and then distributed among people). I guess this really is the ‘new normal’ now (as used and abused as that term is).
But the highlight of January for me has been - reading. I’ve never been a voracious reader but I do enjoy my books. In the past couple of years, recreational reading took a bit of a beating. I’m not entirely sure why. Possibly because I had a lot of technical material to read up on for my job at the time, and somewhere I started stressing myself out with trying to read more. So, I took a break.
After a while, I figured that this might be the year I get back to reading, consistently and in a more enjoyable manner. And enjoying it, I have!
I’m not sure if this will make sense, but have you ever felt that you stopped loving something and then fell back in love with it? Well, maybe you don’t really stop loving it and rather just forget what it was like. If you have felt this and understand what I’m trying to convey through the aforementioned question, then this is exactly what happened with reading and me. And I am so glad that I’m back to relishing books again!
What did I do? For starters, I set a target of reading one book a month. The book that I initially chose for January was The Ivory Throne by Manu S. Pillai. It talks about Kerala’s political and socio-cultural history specifically with regard to the Travancore royal family and the last Queen of the dynasty. I’m still reading & absorbing it, and I most definitely intend to talk about this book in detail in successive newsletters.
I’ve also been starting my days with poetry from A Poem a Day: 365 Contemporary Poems 34 Languages 279 Poets by Gulzar. As the title suggests, this book is a collection of poems from various Indian writers right from Indian Independence till present times, selected and translated by Gulzar. I was lucky enough to get my hands on it at a fairly discounted price during Christmas. I may highlight some of the poems from time to time but I think I’ll talk about the book in its entirety at the end of 2021. After all, it’s meant to be read as a poem a day.
Finally, I signed up for a book club where I was required to read two books this month – Motherwit by Urmila Pawar and Savitribai Phule & I by Sangeeta Mulay.
Motherwit is a collection of 14 short stories by Marathi writer Urmila Pawar, translated & compiled by Veena Deo and published by Zubaan Books. Pawar is a Dalit, a Buddhist and a Feminist and her stories reflect these elements. Though the main theme of all the stories is caste, what really cuts through is how human the issues she talks about are. Not to mention that most of the issues she’s picked up is relatable to women at large despite the caste factor. I had the opportunity to attend a webinar with Pawar and Deo where the discussion was moderated by Somak Goshal, an arts and culture journalist. As he rightly pointed out - though the stories are English translations, Veena Deo has done a wonderful job in maintaining a Marathi essence in the language where you can almost hear it at the back of your mind as you read the stories. This book went out of print for a while before it was brought back. Urmila Pawar also faced controversy for one of her stories (Kavach) when it initially came out since people felt her writing was too bold and inappropriate. She ultimately got the support of other writers and readers for her work. My personal favourites from the book are Vegli, Baich Jaat, Vartool and Dhind.
Savitribai Phule & I is another story about caste written by Sangeeta Mulay and published by Panther’s Paw Publication. It traces the journey of a Dalit girl Shabri from her village to the city where she pursues her graduation. It talks of the challenges she faces and how she chances upon a diary by Savitribai Phule and finds solace in the same. When she sets out to get Savitribai recognized for her work in girl’s education in India, she faces retaliation, politics and death threats. I have to admit that this was a very real story. Mulay’s managed to bring out certain nuances of caste being dealt with by people who don’t have that background and how inter-personal dynamics play out. There were instances where I felt things were getting too good to be true but Mulay balances it out really well without ever losing the plot or reality of things. Interestingly, Mulay is a Maratha who chose to write from a Dalit perspective. She is a Technical/UX writer and also runs her own publishing house where she primarily focuses on children’s books.
What intrigued me the most was the character of Savitribai Phule. I read up on her once I finished the book. I was amazed and a bit ashamed for being unaware of who she was. For the uninitiated, Savitribai was the first lady schoolteacher from India and a pioneer for women’s education in the country. She along with her husband Jyotiba set up India’s first school for girls in Bhidewada, Pune in 1848. They shared a relationship of respect and equality, which wasn’t very common for any other couple like them at the time. Savitribai got married at the age of nine to Jyotiba who was thirteen. And though the latter was the only one who got the opportunity to attend school, he made sure his wife wasn’t left behind. He would sit with Savitribai every day and homeschool her and even set up a system with some of his friends where each of them would teach her different subjects. Ultimately, Savitribai and Jyotiba were asked to leave their home but this didn’t deter their efforts for ensuring women got equal opportunity in education as well as their crusade against the caste system. They set up the Satyashodak Samaj (Truth-seeker’s Society) in 1873, which advocated for education, social and political rights for underprivileged groups. Both of them were also published writers.
They had an adopted son, Yashwantrao who was a doctor. Interestingly, Yashwantrao served when the bubonic plague broke out in the 1890’s. At the behest of Savitribai, he opened a clinic in Pune that would treat patients irrespective of their caste. Unfortunately, both mother and son lost their lives while serving during the plague.
I’m not sure how aware people are of Savitribai and her family’s contribution to education and social justice but this story really stuck with me.
In fact, both these books have a way of making you introspect on situations you may have faced in your own life. Be it with harassment, bullying, being oppressed, the oppressor or even an enabler. There were moments where I found myself thinking I may have been ‘that person’ who possibly wasn’t being sensitive to someone from a different background. An uncomfortable truth to face, but the truth nonetheless…
If you’re still reading this, then congratulations! We are almost at the end of this month’s spiel. To be honest, a part of me thought I’d be too stressed to write this but this has been incredibly fun! Hopefully, this sentiment looms over the rest of the year.
I’m entering February with hope, motivation and positivity. Though I cannot assure what my tone will be by the end of the month. After all, I am moody.
I’d love to hear how your January went and if there was anything that fascinated you this month. Or you can write in your thoughts and comments on this newsletter.
And with that my newsletter journey begins!
Thanks again for being here. Till next time.
Love & Light,
Sangeetha
a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow
P.S. – Here’s a song to sign off : I’ll Just Dance by Su Lee
Very well written Sangi, hope to be able to read both the books you have mentioned
Well written , Sangeetha. Keep it up!