The Book
Writer and revolutionary worker Yashpal (1903–1976) was an important member of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA), a radical political group involved in India’s freedom struggle. After his arrest in 1932, he famously turned—in his own words—‘from bullet to bulletin’. This was the beginning of a long and prolific career as a novelist, short story writer, journalist and political commentator.
This book offers a reappraisal of Yashpal’s work and legacy, critically examining his crucial role in both the literary and the socio-political history of India and focusing on his preoccupation with questions of gender and sexuality. An international group of scholars, working in both Hindi and English, has contributed to this volume, which also features a personal essay by Yashpal’s son Anand.
A comprehensive volume on an inimitable figure in modern Indian history, it is essential reading for scholars of literature, cultural studies and those seeking to engage with modern Hindi literature.
The Author(s)
Simona Sawhney is Professor of Literature at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
Kama Maclean is Professor of History at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany, and Visiting Professorial Fellow at UNSW, Sydney.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Publisher’s Acknowledgments xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
PART 1: INTRODUCING YASHPAL
1. Yashpal: Political Passions 3
Simona Sawhney
2. Yashpal, a Revolutionary Life 58
Kama Maclean
PART 2: NOVELS
3. Can a Women be a Comrade? Sexuality, Gender and Political Affiliation in Yashpal’s Gita 77
Ania Loomba
4. Reading Yashpal’s Divya (1945): Ambivalences in the Narration of Gender 93
Nikhil Govind
5. Buddhism and Charvaka in Yashpal’s Divya (1945) 108
Ashley L. Cohen
6. ‘Jhootha Sach’: The Partition, Nationalism and the Question of Feminism 125
Virendra Yadav; translated by Pratik Ali and Shubham Solanki
7. Punjabi Refugee Women in Urban Spaces in Jhootha Sach 134
Ritu Madan
8. Narrative Critique of the Congress Rule in Yashpal’s Jhootha Sach 149
Xiaoke Ren
9. Rivals and Allies: A Study of Masculinities in Yashpal’s Deshdrohi 168
Sevali Hukku
10. Meri Teri Uski Baat: A Dialogue Between Viveki Rai and Yashpal 181
Viveki Rai and Yashpal; translated by Pratik Ali, Shubham Solanki and Simona Sawhney
PART 3: SHORT STORIES
11. What Did Lenin Say to Clara Zetkin? Sexuality and the Question of Feminism in Yashpal’s Short Stories 203
Sanjeev Kumar; translated by Pratik Ali and Shubham Solanki
12. The Recurring Riddle… Sexuality and Society in the Stories of Yashpal 217
Mrityunjay; translated by Pratik Ali and Shubham Solanki
PART 4: ESSAYS
13. Whose Truth? Cold War Journeys 231
Vasudha Dalmia
14. On her Own Terms: Viplav, Women and Prakashvati Pal 245
Francesca Orsini
15. Viplavi Bharat: A Journalist and His Discontents 260
Gautam Choubey
PART 5: REMEMBERING YASHPAL
16. The ABhaYa Trayi of Lucknow: Amritlal Nagar, Bhagwati Charan Verma and Yashpal 279
Deeksha Nagar and Richa Nagar
17. Yashpal, My Father 291
Anand
APPENDICES
Timeline 311
Publications by Yashpal 316
Notes on the Contributors 322
Index