#writers of India

[seventhpine]

The Thing Slumbering in the Depths

Ocean's Song, Part I

With each breath, its body heaved and expanded, And with each expanse, the waters rising with it, Making waves with greater surety than the moon. It was immense, each breath taking a fortnight, But the space between breaths grew shorter, And as they grew shorter, those around took notice.

Those in the waters, who made it their home, They were the first to notice the disturbance, They knew not what it was, but they fled. Though they lacked the advanced minds to think, Every cell in their body screamed at them in unison, To leave as soon as they possibly could.

The heaving breaths became stronger and stronger, And the Earth beneath the Ocean began to rumble, Shaking and quaking with every exhale. It was the Men, intelligent creatures, who were next, Realizing that there was a Thing slumbering in the depths, And that it would not be asleep for much longer.

[blahblahidkreally]

They itch and hurt,

After everything I have tried to bury them,

they keep coming back up,

Crawling, scraping against my mind

they find a way to torment me every single time

Let them die, just like the one I shared them with.

[3xplorholic]

Heaven ✨

[vyyom]

I don't know how many have you heard about the case that happened in the RGKar MCH.

Dr. Moumita Debnath, 2nd-year PGT, Dept. of chest medicine, former MBBS student of College of Medicine and JNM Hospital, Kalyani, was raped and murdered brutally on duty in the seminar hall.

Protests by government colleges of West Bengal are being held, but that's not enough because a doctor who is on duty faced such a heinous crime. The world isn't safe, and still, men dare to ask why women choose bears over men.

Sign this petition to bring some justice to Dr. Moumita Debnath.

[diwaani-hu]

y'all might find it controversial but let's face it, Bangladesh's political turmoil is one thing; vandalizing and posing threats to people is another. from what I've been hearing through the internet (which continues to show the rare ground footages), Hindus are in fear. Bangladeshi Hindus.

1971. 3 million Hindus were KILLED. 200,000 hindu women were R@PED.

i am aware that making this religion specific is what makes this controversial, but it is necessary. when harm is caused on the basis of religious identity, there's no other way around to mention it!

if the world could step forward to speak up on Palestine, it could also step up to speak on the atrocities in Bangladesh.

international authorities continue to issue releases concerning the protection of Bangladeshi Hindus, but serious delay in such action has been noted.

we don't want 1971 to repeat. I hope we start to speak up before it's too late.

[inejqhafa]

the scene where anthony tells kate that he wants to go to India so that their child knows their history and that he does too is so important especially for brown girls who are so often told to focus on integrating into their new households and forget their family once they get married. it really shows how much he values all parts of kate’s identity and who she is beyond just being viscountess, a wife, a future mother, etc. and then kate’s reaction of being fully and completely overwhelmed because she could never have imagined that he would be the one to bring it up, let alone being there for the birth makes me so emotional 😭

[jonimtchell]

India Song (Marguerite Duras, 1975).

[blahblahidkreally]

I have seen death more times than I would care to remember. I stared at its face as he loomed over my brother. I watched as he sat at the foot of my grandmother's bed. I looked him in the eye as he followed my grandfather. Each time I begged him to have mercy. To leave them alone. This was the first time that I gazed upon him and felt his embrace hoping he would take me with him.

[mischievouskiss]

Anyone here up for a chat? For a friendship?

I'm tired of this real world. People are mean! Someone please help!!

[rhodeislandset-20]

please suggest some ancient era female character Indian names

[demigod-of-the-agni]

#LongPost: A Few Hyper-Specific Things About India for India-Based Stories and Art

No this isn't a cry for more Indian-rep in Spider-Verse stories. (It is.)

Anyway. I recently went to India, and after returning to my hometown in Tamil Nadu, I reintegrated a whole slew of memories and collated new facts.. And considering I've been wanting to do one of these for quite some time (and because I need a new variety of Pavitr Prabhakar content), I thought it'd be cool if I shared some of my experiences and ideas with you.

It's best to take this with caution, though: the only places I've been to are Tiruchirappalli, Madurai, and a few towns located close to the Eastern Ghats, so my knowledge is heavily South India-based. I know for a fact that there are various similarities and differences between other geo-cultural areas of India, which is I why I've linked the other cool India Resources here as well.

In Which I Ramble About Pavitr's Character Design and the Indian Cultural Stuff Related to It by @chaos-and-sparkles (+ my addition + @neptune432's addition)

A culture post for the girlie pops (and non-girlie pops) looking to write Pavitr Prabhakar accurately by @summer-blues-stuff (+ my addition + @fandomsfeminismandme addition)

Also a timely reminder of @writingwithcolor's wonderful resources on writing about South Asian characters respectfully and sincerely

Now, for the things I've noticed in South India..

ANIMALS

There are a lot of street dogs. Like... a lot of them. And honestly it's so hard not to go up to one and give them a snack or two. The most notable dog breed is the Indian pariah and they can be found all over India. Mixed dog breeds are also common and results in a variety of features like differences in build and coat colours.

There are also other types of animals are pretty common to see alongside the roads.

Cattle are seen a lot (cows and bulls are easy to distinguish; cows (left) have udders and a small hump on their back, while bulls (right) are generally stockier and have a super-defined hump on their back). I'm pretty sure the specific cow breed is the sahiwal cow. They are either herded into paddocks for grazing or can be found wandering city streets on their own.

Goats are often herded by farmers into large masses of wool and horns and are guided to paddocks to graze. Sometimes, like cattle, they'll be found wandering city streets on their own.

Chickens are usually kept close to stalls and homes. These chickens are not plump and fluffy like most Western chickens, but are quite skinny. Mottled feather colours are usually a result of mixed chicken breeds. In Tamil Nadu, the most common chicken breed is the asil chicken.

Various birds are often seen flying around traffic if they’re not disappearing into the sky, the most common being crows, pigeons and mynahs. (The chart below on the right is not an inexhaustive list of birds; you best search them up yourself.)

TRANSPORT

There is obviously a huge amount of trucks and lorries and buses. They all have beautiful designs or crazy LEDs or large detailed fluorescent / iridescent stickers that are impossible to ignore, whether it be at high noon or midnight.

Expanding on that, the most common method of transport are motorcyclse or scooties, cars, and autos.

Also, as expected: traffic is insane. It’s horrible. It’s exhilarating. Western honking is akin to swearing, but here? Honk whenever you want. Honk if you’re happy or if you’re sad. You get a million dollars if you honk. You need to honk. It’s more important than breathing

Similarly, road rules don’t exist. Well, they do, and the Indian government does everything it can to make sure people do follow the rules, but based on the aforementioned honking, most people don't. Everyone just drives. Most bikers and motorcyclists don’t wear helmets. Only a few people wear seatbelts. Cars and motorcycles drive on the wrong side of the road and right into oncoming traffic. The chance of someone dying is 99% but it’s countered by desi stubbornness.

ENVIRONMENT & INFRASTRUCTURE

Houses and buildings are painted different colours!!! Pastel pinks and purples and deep teal hues, either plain colours or decorated with elaborate murals. This also applies to interiors. I reckon it was surprising to a lot of people when they were confronted with Mumbattan's vibrant colours, but honestly: coloured buildings slap, and it's based on the real thing. They are a sight to behold. Couple that with the architecture and oh boy- you've got such a beautiful environment.

From @jettpack's concept art for Mumbattan buildings

jettpack's concept art of the Mumbattan collider

From @chenfelicia's concept and colour keys of Mumbattan

Don't be shy to really immerse in crazy descriptors - that's how you capture the liveliness of cities like Madurai and Mumbai and ultimately, their physical manifestations like Mumbattan.

Funny enough, movie posters and political banners and flyers are EVERYWHERE. They’re huge and take up entire billboards, or congregate along walls so it becomes practically a collage. It's impossible to ignore the image of "Makkal Selvan" Vijay Sethupathi about to beat some poor loser into a pulp with a stick, or the political parties roasting each other on paper with impressive photoshopped graphics.

To tie in to the point about transport: there are hundreds of coffee stalls and snack shops and one-of-a-kind food stands. You can’t go 200 metres without running into one, either on the highway or in the city. I remember having jaggery coffee on my first night in India, and guys- it tasted so fucking good. I only wish I can transfer the taste to you. Absolutely splendid.

The climate in India is generally very humid and warm, but that doesn't mean we don't get cooler days; it is obviously cooler on winter nights. Also I've heard from many conflicting sources on India's seasonal weather (probably due to India's geograpghy), so you will have to talk to someone who is from India to really confirm. I've somewhat boiled it down to five seasons:

Summer - May-Jun; very hot (35-45ºC/95-113ºF), characterised by shrinking water bodies and droughts if there aren't any rainfalls; this time is good for plant growth/harvest if you've successfully managed water supplies

Monsoon - Jul-Aug; (34ºC/93ºF) very variable in terms of timing, characterised by torrential rains and floodings; the raining itself probably lodges somewhere in Jun-Sept but the aftereffects are felt long after the rains have stopped

Autumn - Sept-Nov; cooler but humid (25-35ºC/77-95ºF), and generally much drier since it transitions from autumn to winter

Winter - Dec-Feb; much colder, but the extent is dependent on geographic regions (20-25ºC/68-77ºF)

Spring - Mar-Apr; humid (33ºC/91ºF), sudden downpours, only occasionally do you get pleasant weather in this time

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

For some reason, there are still loud speakers blaring out music across the roads and as far as a few city blocks. I honestly thought that that had died out by the time my parents had graduated university, but it still seems like people like hearing music played at 120 decibels.

This is a complicated issue but people are not piss poor. Yes, India is a developing country, and yes there are slums and there are homeless and there are those who are stuck in a horrific sociocultural cycle, but people are rapidly getting into high-paying jobs at much higher rates than before. Overall, India is getting better; do us a favour and not have us be represented by the same poor struggle-riddled Indian stories that Hollywood and Western media is are fond of portraying.

@neptune432: One thing I think it's important to acknowledge though is how your experience in India changes depending on your caste. I feel like most of the indian voices talking online are savarna (I'm not an exception) so this doesn't get brought up as much. It's a complicated issue and one that I don't think non-indians (or savarna indians) should worry about tackling in their work, but it's worth saying because what's assumed to be everyday aspects of indian culture are actually specific to things like caste, class, and what region you're in. ex: in kerala, there are also examples of people eating on banana leaf with lots of vegan food for special occasions (namely during onam). but veganism is heavily tied to brahmanism so most of these people will be savarna. even if they eat meat otherwise, the specific interest in eating vegan for special occassions has clear implications. Though many people of different castes eat meat, it's a practice that gets discriminated against, being treated as barbaric and unclean. this is because of brahmanism and is usually only strictly followed by brahmins. dalits/bahujan usually face the worse treatment for their eating traditions. there's also the fact that hinduism is more of a recent term and a broad umbrella where many different gods and cultures have been put under (and usually done forcefully). a lot of local dieties and specific cultural practices come from outside the vedic traditions of aryans (upper caste north india), but now are treated almost as one thing. ex: kali is a south indian (dravidian) goddess who's still heavily worshipped there and who later got adapted to brahminical traditions. that's also why south indian practices of worship are different from the north and are discriminated against ex: north indians getting angry at the idea of worshipping kali by drinking alcohol and smoking even though it's an older tradition than theirs. these traditions are often connected to dalit/tribal cultures as well, which adds to why these traditions are attacked. Now, I don't feel comfortable with non-indians writing about india in general but I feel it's important to mention these things cos most people don't even realize they're only getting shown certain perspectives. How many people don't even know they're a north/south divide, for example? People are fed narrow viewpoints on India and assume that's everything to know. it's a problem cos that's what the brahminical forces in india want. This is all very general info too and I'm no expert so it's worth more research (like reading what dalits have said on their experiences). I'm not trying to criticize you btw, I just wanted to add some things cos this has been on my mind for a long time now. Couldn't have said it better myself, neptune!! (I barely mentioned it at all lmao) The caste system despite it being "abolished" still defines many traditions within India, and almost always in harmful ways. Like @summer-blues-stuff and I have mentioned in their post A culture post for the girlie pops under the Religion and caste section, it's best to leave the caste and social hierarchy alone even if you've done your research. That doesn't mean you shouldn't talk about it, it's just that people, especially those of non-South Asian decent, have to be extremely careful about it. Introductory resources on the caste system can be found on ABC, Pew Research and The Conversation.

Furthermore, the automatic assumption is that people living in shacks or remote villages have no access to greater populations and resources, which I'm happy to completely disprove. Guys: majority of the people living in my village, a rather remote village, have phones on them. Ranges from iPhones to Androids to good ol' Nokias.

(And, side note: as an Indian, I get amazingly pissed off when people's ringtones are set to maximum volume and play the same famous part of a famous song every time they get a call. Like shut the fuck up. At least quieten down? Please??)

(Also this might be a South Indian thing but Man some people are so entitled. Dudes you do not need to rub your ego into my face. Dudes you can, you know, keep all the cool things you think will get other people jealous out of the public eye. At this point I'm not jealous of what you Have, I'm pissed off at the Audacity To Think You Can Make Me Feel Bad About Myself With The Things That You Have).

Alright. Moving on.

Tiny temples and shrines are everywhere, dedicated to broad-Hinduism deities like Ganesh, Shakthi, or Vishnu; other times, they are shrines built for local deities that protect a particular village. For example, my village dedicated a little plot of water-logged land to a benevolent spirit called Subbamma, where people would leave offerings or place their sick/injured animals at the water's edge so that Subbamma could heal them. These tiny temples are almost always super colourful and amazingly detailed despite their small size

It could be a whole month before a celebration like Diwali but it’s the perfect time to set off hundreds of fireworks and firecrackers. People are just inconsiderate in many ways, it seems.

Some women wear strings of jasmine flowers in their hair. This might be completely regional-based, but most if not all women, ranging from little kids to old ladies, will wear these strings of jasmine in their hair. It's supposed to represent good fortune and beauty, and it smells wonderful.

@esrev-redips: #i usually only visit the north side of india (went to banglore and or chennai once) but im pretty sure most women in mumbai wouldnt wear #flowers in their hair unless they were of an older generation #they dont in new delhi at least and i t h i n k you can compare them but im not sure since i dont live in india either Thank you esrev!!!!! glad to see an old hunch be confirmed!!!

Normally you can wear any type of jasmine, but the common subtypes in Tamil Nadu are ஜாதிமல்லி (jathimalli; "Spanish jasmine"; left) and மல்லிப்பூ (mallipoo; right).

Eating food from a plate made from a banana leaf is more than just an aesthetic, and is often reserved for certain occasions; other times we eat from metal or ceramic plates. I can't vouch for other areas of India but I've been told the reason why banana leaves are predominantly used for large gatherings is because they can signal to diners if the food is rotten or has been poisoned; supposedly the leaf itself starts rotting and releases liquid, but I personally have never seen this happen. But of course, there are also other reasons as to why banana leaves are used (all of which are valid) ranging from being an eco-friendly disposable plate, offloading nutrients into food, or even to make the food taste better. Pick whichever reason you like.

I'm literally so hungry looking at this. (Realises this is a Pavitr thing to say.) Anyway.

FOOD RECS!!!!!!

Reblog with your favourite foods >:) The list will be routinely updated...

JAGGERY COFFEE (from me) - GOOD FUCKING STUFF. ACTUALLY. if you see it.. GET IT IMMEDIATELY

PANI PURI (from @esrev-redips) - #also you forgot to mention the PANI PURI STANDS AHHHHHH YUMYUMYUM | RRRR YOU'RE SO RIGHT. PANI PURI FOR LIFE ACTUALLY.

JASUBEN PIZZA (from @the-witch-forever-lives) - okay this is specific to Ahmedabad | okay but as specific as it may be that sounds and looks delicious??? hello??????

DABELI (from @the-witch-forever-lives) - this too???? also it LOOKS wonderful i need it right now actually

VADA PAV (from @the-witch-forever-lives) - Also Vada pav from Mumbai is so one of a kind | you are absolutely correct. vada pav is truly something magnificent

I think that's about all I can give you right now. This took me a while to type out. Feel free to ask any questions, or if you have anything you would like to add on, like anything I might have glossed over or your favourite desi foods, please do!!! I'll be sure to reblog your addition and update the original post.

The point is that this post can become one of those few other reference posts that artists and writers and other creatives can use if they ever want to make anything related to India, because it's genuinely so cool to see your culture represented so well in popular modern media.

(And in fanfic and fandom. Especially in fanfic and fandom. you have no idea how many times I've gone insane reading a Pavitr-centric fic or reading comments on Pavitr-related posts and it's just outdated ideas and harmful stereotypes and all sorts of sick bullshit, and it's always to the point where I physically have to go outside and bite into a fresh rhizome in order to ground myself. Like damn, people, you need to know things before you start creating)

So uh, I hope this was helpful if not interesting! Happy early Diwali everyone! Knowledge-over-ignorance and all that; hopefully this post does that notion justice!

[8ekizinci-harika54]

Vardır elbette herkesin kanayan bir yarası ...🥀

Of course, everyone has a bleeding wound...🥀

☁️

[premtattva]

"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐢𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬; 𝐃𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟��𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚̄𝐭𝐭𝐯𝐢𝐜."

धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः

people who might like this:

@janaknandini-singh999 @rhysaka @ashru-premika @ramayantika @swayamev

@krsnaradhika @krishnaaradhika @hinducosmos

@hindu-aesth @sanatantemple @bishh-kanya

@mrityuloknative @bharataesthetics @tumharimummykibahu @premtattva

@bharatiya-naari-sab-pe-bhaari @shyamasundar

[simsim54]

just like that, take me back to places we used to go

[2neaky]

—P I N T E R E S T💋

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[alaska-16]

The thing I like about Laapaata Ladies is about the girl, Phool, yeah that even though Dadi said Phool that your husband will not come, he left you, he took all your money, your jewellery, why would he return to you? And, you know, seeing Dadi doing it for herself and her husband left her and she's doing it all alone, you know. But Phool always, even after she got that money from Dadi, she said that I will do something, unke kaam me hath bataungi she will help her husband. So, the thing is, that even when the surroundings were all negative about her husband returning, she hoped that he will return. She knew that he will return, that he's finding her, she believed him, she had trust in him. Like in arranged marriages, how?, you don't know right, that she is out there and he took all her jewellery and and it's an arranged marriage, typical arranged marriage in that setting. All these things used to happen in that time that the guy will leave her, but she had trust in him, all because he was actually finding her, he was actually praying for her return, he started loving her when he said, ki English, full English mein bol ke dikhau and he said, I love you. He actually meant it. He was praying for Phool's return. That's why the faith and trust in Phool for her husband never died. And I love this.