Our Santiniketan
Mahasweta Devi author Radha Chakravarty translator Radha Chakravarty editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Seagull Books London Ltd
Published:23rd Sep '22
Should be back in stock very soon
A brief, evocative memoir from one of India’s greatest writers.
“Like a dazzling feather that has fluttered down from some unknown place. . . . How long will the feather keep its colours, waiting? The ‘feather’ stands for memories of childhood. Memories don’t wait.”
In Our Sanitikentan, the late Mahasweta Devi, one of India’s most celebrated writers, vividly narrates her days as a schoolgirl in the 1930s. As the aging author struggles to recapture vignettes of her childhood, these reminiscences bring to the written page not only her individual sensibility but an entire ethos.
Santiniketan is home to the school and university founded by the foremost literary and cultural icon of India, Rabindranath Tagore. In these pages, a forgotten Santiniketan, seen through the innocent eyes of a young girl, comes to life—the place, its people, flora and fauna, along with its educational environment, culture of free creative expression, vision of harmonious coexistence between natural and human worlds, and the towering presence of Tagore himself. Alongside, we get a glimpse of the private Mahasweta—her inner life, family and associates, and the early experiences that shaped her personality.
A nostalgic journey to a bygone era, harking back to its simple yet profound values—so distant today and so urgent yet again—Our Santiniketan is an invaluable addition to Devi’s rich oeuvre available in English translation.
"Written in 2000, shortly before the author’s 75th birthday, this book is an account of Mahasweta’s childhood experiences at the celebrated Visva-Bharati school, founded by Rabindranath Tagore in Santiniketan... the book is a record of a magical, Hogwarts-type experience... it is also an explanation of the idyllic experiences and philosophy on which Tagore’s education system was based." * ArtReview *
“Fragmentary, elliptical and luminous, Devi’s memoir – expertly translated by Radha Chakravarty – offers valuable insights into an educational experiment that bore rich fruit.” * Times Literary Supplement *
ISBN: 9780857429018
Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 20mm
Weight: unknown
120 pages