Do you know who Sivagangayin Veera Mangai is? While Rani Velu Nachiyar is famous enough, do you know that her army of women, Udaiyaal , was named after her adopted daughter who died while destroying a British store of weapons?
Tara Anand’s new book, Warrior Women is filled with trivia like these. A self-professed geek, Tara says she would devour book after book on Indian history, its leaders, and kingdoms. “After a point, it became impossible to ignore the lack of female narratives,” she says.
In Warrior Women , she sets out to document the female figures in our history — an active effort to make sure that their names and stories are brought to light.
Published by Tulika, Warrior Women is aimed at children over eight. “The stories we read during childhood are the ones that stick with us,” she says. The book features 12 women, from diverse parts of the nation: Chand Bibi of Maharashtra, Rani Chenamma of Karnataka, and Mai Bhago of Punjab. Also, Uda Devi Pasi, a Dalit leader from Uttar Pradesh, and Rani Gaidinliu, a Naga leader.
- Cloud Eater by Chewang Bhutia (Tulika)
- Sultana’s Dream by Begum Rokheya, as illustrated by Durga Bai, a Gond artist (Tara Books)
Foremost an illustrator, Tara pays special attention to the sketches of the characters. So Rani Velu Nachiyar, from Tamil Nadu is a brown beauty, with fierce eyes and a determined half-smile. As are Rani Durgavati, and Joya Thaosen. If you’re looking for demure smiles, move along.
Research for this book was trickier than expected. The original list of women came from a series of illustrations that she did in 2016, however the list used in this book was altered to include figures from all over India, across hundreds of years.
“The initial research involved getting basic information about the women from online sources and books. As you can imagine, information about women in Indian history is scarce and so for this book, I collaborated with the team at Tulika. We looked for information that would contextualise the women as well as give us information about them as people,” she says. Tara hopes that the book highlights that strong women are not a 21st Century idea, but have been around for ages…. “and their stories will always be there to provide guidance and strength to contemporary women”.
The book can be bought online or at Tulika Bookstore. 24991639
