Mumbai writer to release Hindi book in Tashkent

Mumbai, June 22 (IANS) Well-known Hindi feminist writer Suman Saraswat will launch her new collection of short stories, 'Mada' (Female) at the Vth World Hindi Conference scheduled in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, next week.

'This is my sixth major collection of short stories and I got this rare honour to release it before an international audience of Hindi litterateurs,' an excited Suman told IANS on the eve of her departure for Tashkent Friday.

A former journalist with 'Jansatta' Hindi daily in Mumbai, Suman said the 'Mada' collection has 14 stories besides the title story and keeping in tune with her image, 'all are bold topics, written for the modern, aware and demanding woman.'

Doing the honours for the book release will be Hindi Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha (Maharashtra) chancellor Vibhuti Narain Rai, who had raised the hackles of women writers and feminists around the country for criticizing their approach to Hindi literature.

Suman (45), wife of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) vice-president Vageesh Saraswat, will be among 27 top Hindi writers from Maharashtra at the Tashkent conference which will have a total of 132 delegates from around the world.

Explaining the large contingent from Maharashtra, Suman laughed and said that the state has made a huge contribution to Hindi literature.

'Not only Hindi writers, but several top Marathis have made a major impact on Hindi literature,' she said.

Among them are Damodar More (Hindi department dead at KCJ College, Thane), Parag Bombatkar (English department chief at Tirpude College), and Principal V.V. Naik of DK Umthe College, Nagpur.

Besides 'Mada', Suman who started writing in 1993, has penned acclaimed books like 'Tilchatta', 'Muawwza', 'wara Kutte', 'Ret Ghadi', 'Duniya Ki Sabse Khubsoorat Aurat' based on the social-cultural-emotional problems of women in India.