Image credit: Julien Masson.
By Laura McCarthy.
Bridges not Borders: An Anthology of South Asian Writing is a brand new anthology which champions South Asian voices. Laura McCarthy spoke to editors Wales-based Aiysha Jahan and Susmita Bhattacharya, who lives in Winchester, about the book.
Can you summarise what the stories in Bridges Not Borders are about?
Aiysha “The stories in this anthology reflect on experiences and emotions that are universal, even though we look at these from a South Asian lens. The anthology is very well described in the words of author and poet, Gita Ralleigh, who says that ‘this gorgeous collection takes us from Lahore to London, Angkor to Singapore with stories ranging from heart breaking realism to the comical and fantastical. An underlying theme is the fragile web of relationality: scenes of parents and children, friends, siblings, lovers, neighbours and bosses alike are vividly depicted, with a rare authenticity of language and tone.’ Sabyn Javeri, a UAE-based writer and Undergraduate Program Head of Creative Writing at NYU Abu Dhabi, describes the stories as ‘engaging narratives that highlight everyday struggles and triumphs. Through vivid characters and compelling settings, this wonderful anthology offers a profound insight into the region’s diverse cultures and experiences. Showcases the diversity of the South Asian experience in profoundly touching ways.’”
What is Write Beyond Borders? How does the collection fit in with this project?
Susmita “Write Beyond Borders is a digital mentorship and literature development project run by Susmita Bhattacharya and Aiysha Jahan. It was founded in 2021 by Aiysha, Susmita and Nazneen Ahmed Pathak.
The six-month project brings together established and emerging authors of South-Asian origin from the UK and South Asia, offering an opportunity for literature-based knowledge exchange, skills development and creative collaboration, beyond borders. The project aims to create connections between writing communities in the UK and South Asia; combat the under-representation of writers of South Asian origin in mainstream literary culture; offer emerging writers the opportunity to develop their skills; and boost the skills and profile of emerging writing talent at local, national and international levels.
Emerging writers receive support and guidance from mentor authors in the form of one-to-one mentoring sessions. Project leaders and mentor authors deliver a series of masterclasses on the elements of craft and publication, also made available to a wider audience.
Write Beyond Borders 20234-24 is funded by the AHRC-funded Diverse Capacities project based at the University of Southampton and an Arts Council England Project Grant called Bridges not Borders that celebrates South Asian art and culture in the Solent region of the UK. The anthology is a part of the Bridges not Borders project where we wanted to extend an invitation to writers of South Asian heritage globally to submit a short story that touched upon the theme of ‘bridges, not borders’.
This call-out was open to anyone who identified as of South Asian heritage.”
Can you explain your role in the creation of this anthology?
Aiysha: “We, Aiysha and Susmita, are both co-founders of the project as well as co-editors of the anthology. We planned the theme and how we’d like to produce this book. We put out a call for submissions and invited mentees from the previous cohort of the Writer Beyond Borders project to be first readers. We read all the submissions as well and went through an editorial process with the selected writers. We edited, proofread, and did the final proofreading – or rather had many, many final proofreading sessions! We commissioned an artist, Dina Gamaleldin, to design the cover image. According to the newspaper The Hindu, ‘of the 7,099 living languages, South Asia is one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the world with four language families comprising more than 650 individual languages’, so we wanted all the fifteen writers to contribute to the cover image design by providing a line in their own languages that says – ‘We Are All One’ and then we designed the cover.”
What were the intentions behind the creation of this collection of short stories?
Susmita: “This really goes back to the time when the Indian Subcontinent was really one big country, or region. Due to colonisation and its consequences, like the partitioning of India, and religious needs, most of the different countries that currently make up South Asia were created. A lot of borders sprang up that divided the region. We wanted to unite these countries through art and literature, and show that there are more similarities rather than differences – that the human experience is universal and not constrained by borders. We wanted these writers from the different countries to engage with each other and support each other’s work. We also wanted to work with an independent press run by a South Asian publisher, so Dahlia Books was the perfect choice for us.”
Of all mediums, why short stories in particular?
Ayisha: “Short stories are a good length to showcase a theme such as bridges, not borders. The stories – all between 2500 and 3500 words – are just the length that readers can dip into during their busy routines. And both of us are huge fans of the short story, being mainly short story writers ourselves.”
What is unique about the anthology?
Susmita: “The anthology represents writers, both emerging and established, of South Asian heritage from across the world. We have writers based in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE, UK, the USA and Singapore. The foreword is written by Prajwal Parajuly, who is of Indo-Nepali heritage. It is really an amalgamation of places, cultures, experiences and beliefs that are so different and yet so familiar. Each story touches on the theme, quite literally or in a subtle way. And by asking the writers to be a part of the designing process makes it a book of which everyone feels a sense of ownership. As Jhumpa Lahiri responds to an interview question in Lithub about ‘the desire to feel untethered’ as a writer, she replies that it is ‘the ideal state for the writer…to be able to write from purely one’s own perspective, and not feel that one needs to tell other people’s stories. Maybe one wants to tell other people’s stories, but how much of it is a want, and how much of it is a sense of obligation? Even if the obligation is coming from within yourself.’ We wanted our contributors to have the freedom to explore what they wanted to write, without a sense of obligation.”
Why should readers pick up a copy?
Ayisha: “So often, narratives focus on difference and division. This collection celebrates what brings us together across borders. We feel it is important for readers to get a glimpse of people going about everyday lives, each dealing with their own demons. We want readers to view South Asian lives in colour, outside the deep shadow of immigration. There are so many nuances, differences and commonalities within the cultures and the sub-cultures of South Asia. We feel this anthology offers a view into this kaleidoscope of diversity within the South Asian regions. We hope readers will pick up a copy and empathise with the characters, laugh with them, cry with them and miss them when they put the book down.”
Finally, pick three words to describe this collection.
Susmita: “Universal, Empathetic, Entertaining”
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Short stories weave together a sense of belonging through diversity