The Orange Flower is back with double energy and even stronger voices! Join us in celebrating women’s voices. Register Now
#BloggerContest. Tell us what TRUE BEAUTY means to you and get a chance to win a prize by Naturals. It’s time we redefine beauty! Click for details.
Reckoned as the grand dame of Hindi literature, Krishna Sobti confronts the preserves of patriarchy with sparkling honesty and empathy.
Krishna Sobti won the Sahitya Akademi award for Zindaginama – a novel set in the feudal Punjab of the pre-Partition days. She was also conferred the first Katha Chudamani Award in 1999 for Lifetime Literary Achievement.
The 87-year-old writer is the creator of literary masterpieces – Dar Se Bichudi, Mitro Marjani, Ai Ladki, Dil-o-Danish, Surajmukhi Andhere Ke – whose protagonists are striking, feisty women who refuse to dissolve their identities to sexist conventionality.
Realism and humanism throb in equal measure in Krishna Sobti’s works. We also find in her essays and fiction the usage of a terse personal idiom that makes the author a challenge for anyone to emulate. Even translate.
Krishna Sobti is active even today from her Delhi home, proving that there is no such thing called intellectual retirement.
Why we find her inspiring?
– Because, she is fiercely protective of her space – both as a writer and an individual
– Because she compels us to rethink the status quo through emphatic female characters
– Because in articulating provocative issues, she yanks society out of its comfort zones
– Because in declining a national award, she demonstrates that inner sanction is greater than institutional recognition
Suggested readings:
A total commitment to writing
Ai Ladki – A novella by Krishna Sobti
*Photo credit: The Hindu.
Women's Web is a vibrant community for Indian women, an authentic space for us
Inspiring Woman Of The Day
A Son Like Krishna
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Sign in/Register & Get personalised recommendations