A review by surabhichatrapathy
Freedom Fables: Satire and Politics in Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain's Writings by Kalyani Dutta, Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain
4.0
The world understands women, feminism and the feminist movement more often than not from a very white perspective. For us even in India, feminism is introduced and discussed as a foreign concept.
One of the main reasons for that belief is how we have successfully veiled, ignored and buried the efforts of countless Indian women in the fight against patriarchy.
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain is one such ignored voice, whose razor sharp wit does not make it to the popular discourse.
Freedom Fables is a collection of satires.
You can hear her through her writing, her anger, frustration and the zeal to rattle the norm.
This book brings two of her fascinating satirical stories, Muktiphal and Gyanphal. Interwoven with djinns, King of Gods, Adam, Eve and man, the stories mock the Great divide of the Congress Party and the colonization of India.
In each she does not fail to highlight the unfair plight of women and what knowledge in the hands of women can actually do.
The book also has additional essays and poems by Rokeya which throw light on the political situation of Bengal, the struggle of peasants and her own life.
For the context that she grew up in and the many limitations she had to navigate, she liberated herself through these works and the foresight she had is truly astounding.
Books like these are a strong reminder that the movement to reclaim political, social and educational spaces for women has existed in India long before it translated into a misunderstood trend.
One of the main reasons for that belief is how we have successfully veiled, ignored and buried the efforts of countless Indian women in the fight against patriarchy.
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain is one such ignored voice, whose razor sharp wit does not make it to the popular discourse.
Freedom Fables is a collection of satires.
You can hear her through her writing, her anger, frustration and the zeal to rattle the norm.
This book brings two of her fascinating satirical stories, Muktiphal and Gyanphal. Interwoven with djinns, King of Gods, Adam, Eve and man, the stories mock the Great divide of the Congress Party and the colonization of India.
In each she does not fail to highlight the unfair plight of women and what knowledge in the hands of women can actually do.
The book also has additional essays and poems by Rokeya which throw light on the political situation of Bengal, the struggle of peasants and her own life.
For the context that she grew up in and the many limitations she had to navigate, she liberated herself through these works and the foresight she had is truly astounding.
Books like these are a strong reminder that the movement to reclaim political, social and educational spaces for women has existed in India long before it translated into a misunderstood trend.