Manual For A Decent Life is on the shortlist for the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2021-22. I am very pleased to be on this shortlist because of the ethos of this prize, which chimes with me, and the continuing importance of Tagore’s philosophy in our world.
JUDGES CITATION: Kavita A. Jindal cuts through all the relevant contemporary narratives and tells the story of Waheeda, a mother and a Muslim, who ventures into a world of politics in the midst of socially unprogressive mindset. In a time and place where every layer of society is patriarchal, each step Waheeda takes is a transgression of what defines her and soon enough her life is a battlefield with everything at stake, yet, what she stands to lose is not what she bargained for.
Manual For A Decent Life is a gripping read about what happens to a woman who, at her own peril, violates established patterns of what is proper, but remains resilient despite the enormity of sacrifice.
See more about the eleven shortlisted titles at https://www.tagoreprize.com/.