South Asian Identity with novelist Preti Taneja

Masala Podcast Episode 3 - SOUTH ASIAN IDENTITY

On this episode I speak to the multi-award-winning novelist, Preti Taneja. Preti was born and grew up in the UK and following a career in human rights reporting, now teaches writing in prison and in universities.

Her novel WE THAT ARE YOUNG (Galley Beggar Press) won the 2018 Desmond Elliot Prize for the best debut of the year. It has been described as a 'masterpiece' and an 'instant classic' by critics in India, America and the UK, and was also shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize and the Books are my Bag Readers Choice Awards, and longlisted for the FOLIO Prize, the Jhalak Prize and for Europe’s most prestigious award for a work of world literature, the Prix Jan Michalski. It has been translated into seven languages to date and will soon be a major international TV series from the makers of Narcos, Gaumont. Preti & I talk about identity, about “fitting in”.

We talk about not having a ‘double identity’ but rather a ‘dual reality’. Which makes life far more interesting for those of us who belong to two different cultures. We talk about how shame is used as a weapon by patriarchy to keep us ‘in our place’ Preti also talks about the state legislating over the body and sexual morality – and so many other interesting things.

I talk about what my identity is, having moved to the UK from India about 15 years ago. Which parts of me are Indian and which are British? And does it even matter?

Masala Podcast is a show for South Asian women, where we talk about all those things that we’re NOT supposed to talk about in our culture. Sex, sexuality, periods, menopause, mental health, shame, sexual harassment and many more taboos.

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MORE ABOUT PRETI TANEJA:

Website: http://www.preti-taneja.co.uk/

Twitter: @PretiTaneja

Link to buy the novel WE THAT ARE YOUNG: https://www.galleybeggar.co.uk/paperback-shop/we-that-are-young  

MASALA PODCAST PRODUCER:

Hana Walker-Brown, Multi-Award-Winning Documentary Maker + Composer Executive Producer at Amazon Audible www.hanawalkerbrown.com

Music Credit: Sunny Robertson @sunnyrobertsonmusic