A Treasure-trove of Indian Women’s Writings in the 19th Century

In the Indian print culture landscape, a significant event happened in 1901 when a young Telugu Christian woman, Kamala Satthianadhan (1880–1950), an Indian writer, feminist, and editor, started a magazine dedicated to women’s writing. The establishment of the magazine was a bold intervention and it had significant consequences; it created an insightful literary archive on women’s narratives about political and social life of the times. The Indian Ladies’ Magazineoffered the women a platform to voice their ideas and reflect on their evolving political and social identities in the backdrop of imperialism and advent of social reforms. Critical questions about idea of the Indian woman, her role in the society, and her reflection on pressing issues of the time took centre stage in such writings.