In a world exclusive, Bazaar photographs literary powerhouses Tishani Doshi, Fatima Bhutto, and Tahmima Anam. And through their stories on writers from the subcontinent who continue to inspire them, we see the enduring bonds of sisterhood.
The night Scheherazade lay down with King Shahryar, she began to tell him a story. All night long, the angry king listened, enthralled. Before the morning and her execution—(the king was grieving his wife’s infidelity; as part of his recovery, he married a new bride every night and killed her in the morning)—Scheherazade stopped her tale but didn’t finish it. And so the king let her live, only to hear the end. But every story revealed another story and another and another.
1,001 nights passed and with them the king’s fury. Alf Layla wa Layla was the book’s Arabic title.
In October, I will publish my second novel, The Runaways. I named one of the main female characters Layla, night in Arabic.
Like Scheherazade, Layla is a secret-keeper and a storyteller. She survives by changing her story every night and by believing that dawn will break a thousand times before she must finish her tale.
My father gave me an illustrated edition of One Thousand and One Nights when I was a child and I, like the angry King, was forever captivated by Scheherazade and her stories. I grew up in awe of storytellers and all those curious souls who play with words, observing the self and the world as though their lives depend on it. I read Tishani’s poems 10 years ago after hearing her at a festival in Mumbai. I normally give away books after I read them, but I kept a 2008 issue of Granta only because it contained a story written by Tahmima. Who can speak of women writers without saluting Fahmida Riaz, whose Urdu feminist poetry raised so many of us? Who didn’t love The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri? Rohini Mohan, Meena Kandasamy, Eunice de Souza, Sonia Faleiro, Bapsi Sidhwa; it is impossible to pick just one out of this constellation.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2018-Ausgabe von Harper's Bazaar India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2018-Ausgabe von Harper's Bazaar India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Healthy Hair, Do Care
Haircare in India has evolved to include weekly champis and extensive in-clinic rituals in equal measure.
LUXURY OASIS
The Elitaire club in The Leela Ambience, Gurugram, is a sanctuary of refined elegance and privileged access.
PEP TALK
The powerhouse ingredient, peptide, could be your ticket to luscious lips.
WHAT IS ORAL SUNSCREEN?
An exploration into the potential breakthrough in sun protection.
FACE FORWARD
Injectable moisturisers are skincare's latest saviours. Bazaar India investigates its rising popularity and whether it's truly as effective as it's made out to be.
SHINING LEGACY
Charlotte Tilbury talks about leading the first female-founded brand to partner with the Fi Academy, shares her beauty secrets, and narrates tales from her journey to stardom.
LOVE POTION
Beauty rituals, steeped in tradition, are undergoing a metamorphosis for younger generations, and helping them reconnect with their roots.
POWER DRESSING
Runway shows and strong campaigns are probably the best ways to reflect the shift in society and talk about issues that matter.
UNDER THE ARMOUR
The mob wife is an official goodbye to girlhood. But the loud aesthetic conceals a dark underbelly.
ALIA UNPLUGGED
The evolution of the versatile actor has been steady and solid. She opens up to Bazaar India about what the future of Bollywood looks like, the legacy she would like to create, and how she cancels out the noise.