While the popular perception of Gujaratis is that of a community interested only in hard numbers, the story of Gujarati literature dates back to several centuries. Stalwarts of Gujarat have written on various subjects from religion to the social condition; several have followed the Gandhian path; wealthier Gujaratis have promoted little magazines; Gujarati writers have experimented with form; and some pioneers have stretched boundaries. True, the bulk of Gujarati literature responds to middle class concerns and makes the comfortable feel more comfortable, but Dalit, Muslim, and feminist poetry is on the rise. At our Online Talk #WordsNotNumbers, author and editor Salil Tripathi highlights important contributions from Gujarati literature, and examines the role of Gujarati writers from outside Gujarat, importantly, Mumbai, where some of the great modernist ideas of Gujarati literature were honed and sharpened.

About the speaker

Salil Tripathi was born in Mumbai and studied at the New Era School and Sydenham College. He obtained his MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration in the United States and is the author of four books, the most recent one being The Gujaratis: A Portrait of a Community. He is board member of PEN International. He is also a contributing editor to The Caravan, Index on Censorship, and editorial adviser to Singapore Unbound. His articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, The Far Eastern Economic Review, and The International Herald Tribune.