Reported By:
| Edited By: Dyuti Basu |Source: DNA |Updated: Apr 08, 2018, 09:28 AM IST
Feminist literature usually brings to mind books like Virginia Wolf's 'A Room of One's Own' or Sylvia Plath's 'Bell Jar', or in the Indian context – Kamala Das and Sarojini Naidu. To broaden this perception, book-lover and zinester Aqui Thami, one of the founders of Bombay Underground and Dharavi Art Room, has come up with the idea of The Sisters Library.
This will be a travelling library, more precisely, an interactive exhibition of books, graphic novels, periodicals and zines, all written or drawn by women, inviting book-lovers to sit and read. "Though there are some titles from popular feminist literature, I have also included books and zines that many may not know of, or may not be easily available," explains Thami.
In her collection, for instance, is a book by women's rights lawyer Flavia Agnes – published in 1984 for private circulation only – about her life and the struggle for women's rights that has been a big part of it. Another author, Easterine Kire, uses folk tale references from her homeland in Northeast India in her books. "There are also zines from Canada and the US, which you can't find in India, including a series on lesbian icons," adds Thami.
Thami's love affair with women's literature dates back to when she was a student at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Since her research at TISS focussed on women's rights, Thami had to delve deep into the area of feminist literature. It is her own collection of books that she will take along on her tour through Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Pune, Goa and Bangalore.
"I want the library to be a completely interactive experience. But borrowing books won't be possible, since I will only be staying in each city for around a week, there will be chairs and nooks where people can sit and read," explains Thami, adding that people can also donate books, or sit and create their own zines to add to her collection. "As of now, I have only included books in English, but I am open to contributions in all languages," she adds.
The first exhibition, to be held in Delhi in the third week of April, will open at the The Foundation for Indian Contemporary Art (FICA) Reading Room in Khirki Extension. "I will start setting it up from the 20th onwards. The hope is that once the tour is complete, if there is enough support, I can make this a permanent library," Thami signs off on an optimistic note.
Part of a worldwide movement, Rohit Roy's daughter Kiara set up a birdhouse-like structure on a footpath at Pali Hill, Bandra, in 2015 and filled it with books for passersby to read, replace and add to
This is another international initiative that made its way to India(in 2017); volunteers leave books for bibliophiles to find in cafes and restaurants. The Bookfairy Project has chapters in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Goa, Kolkata and Hyderabad
Twenty five houses in Bhilar, a village close to the hill resort of Panchgani in Maharashtra were transformed into reading rooms in 2017. The books, span varied subjects and are largely in Marathi
Since 2017, a Delhi-based couple has been hiding books on the Delhi Metro. People find these through a treasure hunt, read, and replace once done
