Opening Chapters

I first heard of Celestial Bodies by Jokha Al-Harthi when it was long-listed for the Man Booker International Prize and was talked about by  @arablit  on Twitter. Translated from Arabic by Marilyn Booth. The book went on to win the prize which was something I wanted initially for sentimental reasons (having grown up in the Middle East).  At the heart of Celestial Bodies, are the stories of three sisters: Mayya, Asma and Khawla. We read about each of them through their pastimes, their married lives and so on. The story is a postcolonial, multi-generational narrative that takes us through different people. These chapters give the reader of picture as Oman changes from a collection of feudal, nomadic tribes to the Sultanate of Oman following the exit of the British. We learn about the effects of the British occupation that’s percolated different parts of society, the slave trade that was vibrant till the early twentieth century and how its society changed as globa...

Firstly, I would like to thank Vivek Tejuja and Penguin India for a copy of The Begum: A Potrait of Ra’ana Liaqat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s Pioneering First Lady written by Deepa Agarwal and Tahmina Aziz Ayub. In the 21 st century, it is more than clear that feminism comes in a plethora of forms. She comes in skirts or jeans, long or short, in shoes or heels, with a hijab or without. What is important is this – it is her choice. So it is, seventy odd years after the bifurcation of the Indian subcontinent, I set out to read about a lady whose identity could be defined in multiple ways – Ra’ana Liaqat Ali Khan who was born Irene Margaret Pant to a family that had converted to Christianity from Hinduism. It was quite an odd time for me to read this book, with the rising tensions between India and Pakistan looming above all our heads. However, to read about a feminist figure from across this border that is not even a hundred years old, leads the reader to realize that as women, ...