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Readings

This section contains the readings and films covered in the course.

Readings by Session

Lec # TOPICS Readings
1 Introduction: Why South Asia? Film: Nishant (Night's End) by Shyam Benegal (Hindi, India).
I. Diversity and Difference: Stories from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
2 Stories from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan Readings: Spent by Selina Hossain (Bangladesh), The Festival by Akhtaruzzaman Elias (Bangladesh), Hands by Sharad Chhetri (Nepal), Cracks in the Heart by Farkhana Lodhi (Pakistan), and The Bird by Amar Jalil (Pakistan).
3 Stories from Sri Lanka Readings: Desert Nymph by Arupa Patangia Kalita (Assam), Mehndi Bazaar by Dalbir Chetan (Punjab), Bhuvna and Planet Guru by R Chudamani (Tamil), The Wild Buffalo (Sinhala) by Piyaseeli Wijemanne, and The Homecoming by M. A. Al Asumath (Tamil, Sri Lanka).
II. Politics and History: A Tale of Turmoil
4 Stories from Pakistan Selections from Black Margins by Saadat Hasan Manto (Pakistan).
5 Stories from India Film: The Terrorist by Santosh Sivan (India).

Selection from The Age of Kali by William Dalrymple: "On the Indian Ocean".
6 Stories from Sri Lanka (cont.) Reading: In the Garden Secretly by Jean Arasanayagam (Sri Lanka).
7 Stories from India (cont.) Film: Mr. and Mrs. Iyer by Aparna Sen (English, India).

Reading: "Is Secularism Dead?" by Asghar All Engineer.
III. Gender and Society: Margins and Center
8 Stories from Bengali and India Film: Dui Kanya (Two Daughters) by Satyajit Ray (Bengali, India).

Reading: Selected Short Stories from The Matchbox by Ashapurna Devi (Bengali, India).
9 Stories from India (cont.) Reading: Selected Stories from Balika Badhu (The Child-Wife), an anthology of Bengali Short stories (India).
10 Stories from Bangladesh AmarMeyebela (My Girlhood) by Tasleema Nasreen (Bangladesh).
11 Stories from Bengali and India (cont.) Film: Mandi (The Market) by Shyam Benegal (Hindi, India).

Readings: Selections from the work of Nabaneeta Dev Sen (Bengal, India).
IV. Transition and Social Change: Past, Present and Future
12 Stories from Bengali and India (cont.) Film: Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players) by Satyajit Ray (Bengali, India).

Readings: Brief selections from Picador Book of Modern Indian Literature (emphasis on Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya, Sindhi and Telugu writing).
13 Stories from India and Pakistan Film: Mukhamukham (Face to Face) by Adoor Gopalakrishnan (Malalayam, India).

Readings: Selections from Mottled Dawn by Saadat Hasan Manto (Pakistan).
14 Stories from Bengali and India (cont.) Film: Utsab (The Festival) by Rituporno Ghosh (Bengali, India).

Readings: Brief selections from Penguin Book of Indian Literature (emphasis on Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Urdu writing).