A conversation with the Assamese writer Aruni Kashyap on crafting stories on love, resistance and belonging set against the long shadow of violence in India’s Northeast.

Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan speaks to the Assamese writer, translator and poet, Aruni Kashyap about his new collection of short stories, 'The Way You Want to Be Loved ' (Gaudy Boy, October 2024).

In The Way You Want to Be Loved, we are introduced to characters who are outsiders – immigrants, queer individuals in conservative societies or minorities marginalised in Western and academic spaces – struggling to hold onto their identity while still seeking connection and belonging. They wrestle with repression and the search for personhood in societies where identity is shaped, and often compromised, by forces larger than themselves.

Kashyap’s collection is also a powerful critique of the broken promises of democracy in both India and the United States. With unflinching honesty and moments of darkness, these stories navigate absurdity, grief and resilience against a backdrop of violence and state repression in Assam and beyond.

This episode is available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/btapvkwrTxUSpotify: https://spoti.fi/4557fiy

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/44Z2YNr

Let’s keep the conversation going – please share your thoughts on the episode or on Aruni’s book. If something resonated with you – or even challenged you – leave us a comment on Youtube or send me an email (shwethas[at]himalmag[dot]com) to share your thoughts. We promise to read and reply to all of them!

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