A Passage to India: Introduction to Modern Indian Culture and Society

Readings

Below are the reading assignments, listed by session. See the Calendar page for more details on topics discussed in class.

SES #	TOPICS	READINGS
2	Partition	Manto, Saadat H. Selected Stories. Translated by Khalid Hasan. Penguin Global, 2008, pp. 474–86 and 517–24. ISBN: 9780143102182. Pritam, A. The Skeleton. Translated by Khushwant Singh. Oriental University Press, 1987, pp. 1–50. ISBN: 9780746500798.
3	Sexuality and Gender	Chughtai, I. The Quilt and Other Stories. Translated by Tahiri Naqvi and Syeda Hameed. The Sheep Meadow Press, 1994, pp. 5–13. ISBN: 9781878818348. Kesavan, M. Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 in The Ugliness of the Indian Male and Other Propositions. Permanent Black, 2008. ISBN: 9788178242064.
4	Modernity	Chattopadhyay, S. Devdas and Other Stories. Translated and edited by V. S. Naravane. Lotus Collection, 1996, pp. 31–78. ISBN: 9788174360304.
5	From Courtesans to Bar Girls	Narayan, R., and M. Gorra. The Guide: A Novel. Penguin Classics, 2006. ISBN: 9780143039648.
7	History and Memory	Thapar, R. “In Defence of History.” Lecture delivered at Thiruvananthapuram, 2002. Ramanujan, A. “Three Hundred Ramayanas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation.” Chapter 2 in Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia. Edited by P. Richman. University of California Press, 1991. ISBN: 9780520075894.
8	Lost in Translation	Bhagat, C. 2 States: The Story of My Marriage. Rupa & Co., 2009. ISBN: 9788129115300.
10	Stories from India, A Traveler’s Literary Companion: North India	Choudhury, C. India: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. Whereabouts Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781883513245. Rushdie, S. “The Prophet’s Hair.” Hyder, Q. “The Sound of Falling Leaves.” Basu, K. “The Accountant.”
11	Stories (cont.): Rural India	Choudhury, C. India: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. Whereabouts Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781883513245. Dai, M. “The Scent of Orange Blossom.” Renu, P. “Panchlight.” Senapati, F. “Asura Pond.” Mansuri, N. “The Whale.” Deb, Siddhartha. The Beautiful and the Damned: A Portrait of the New India. Faber & Faber, 2011, pp. 207–49. ISBN: 9780865478626.
12	Stories (cont.): Urban India	Choudhury, C. India: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. Whereabouts Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781883513245. Bandhopadhyay, B. “Canvasser Krishnanlal.” Chandra, V. “Ganesh Gaitonde Sells His Gold.” Hasan, A. “Eye in the Sky.”
13	Stories (cont.): South India	Choudhury, C. India: A Traveler’s Literary Companion. Whereabouts Press, 2010. ISBN: 9781883513245. Kaikini, J. “Dots and Lines.” Antherjanam, L. “In the Moonlight.” Hariharan, G. “Halfway Animals.”