Goethe and ‘HerStory Foundation’ to host circle reading on Wednesday

German cultural institution Goethe-Institut Bangladesh and HerStory Foundation will jointly host an online reading circle from the short story collection 'Mother Steals a Bicycle and Other Stories' by Salai Selvam and Shruti Buddhavarapu at 7.00pm on Wednesday, reports UNB.

The book has been illustrated by Tejubehan, his second project with Tara Books.

The virtual event titled 'Sister Library: Circle Reading Apart Together' is open to all and this maiden edition of 2022 will feature the popular Indian short story collection as the latest edition of the monthly reading circle.

"….Stories about a mother who tells her child about her strange and exciting adventures growing up in a village in South India. Look carefully at the beautiful illustrations... and imagine yourself in this fantastic world of midnight feasts, roving hyenas, shrieking peacocks, buzzing insects and stolen bicycles... does it sound unbelievable? And yet...could it all be true? The readers will discover together with us, in this reading cycle," the organisers said about the book for this reading circle.

Salai Selvam is a Tamil writer, working in the genres of children's literature, education, and childhood studies. She has been working on literacy and gender issues in rural India for almost three decades now, and her works have been published in a number of Tamil magazines and newspapers. She is currently working for a charity that promotes teacher education.

Shruti Buddhavarapu is a poet, academic, and translator who has a double masters in Literature and Social Justice from the University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and University of British Columbia. Her work is rooted in sifting the numerous networks of power in the quotidian, and is informed by both popular culture and critical theory.

Tejubehan, who was born in Rajasthan and raised in a musical family, was part of a group that used to travel the streets singing devotional songs. The singers were given grain, clothing, and money in exchange. This custom, like many other historical caste-based customs, has survived in some form but is no longer a sustainable vocation.

According to Sister Library authority - the platform, powered by female excellence, is a space to celebrate female creativity. The flagship library, founded by indigenous artist Aqui Thami in Mumbai, holds one thousand works of women writers, artists, and zine makers. It is an evolving and generative artwork that engages with an in-depth reflection on the visual and reading cultures of modern times.

The goal of the project is to bring together readers, in order to explore literary contributions, showcase the artistic quality, and celebrate women in the creative world - as well as to foster interests and understanding of the accomplishments of female writers and artists, according to the Sister Library.

Goethe informs that following the usual format of the event, the circle readers take turns reading from the text and it is not mandatory for every participant to read, instead, the participants can continue listening while the speaker narrates the play, as the circle goes round.

Interested participants can join the circle through the Zoom link - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988398635?pwd=d3BWcE1jQ3NmaEd3Q09EMUxCdDRGdz09.

The meeting ID for the event is 819 8839 8635 and the passcode is 596096.