my little hearth

whether i am

a thousand miles

away or twenty,

any distance from

you is too far;

any moment without you

hurts too much to enjoy.

her ancestors? you mean her dad? 

y’all realize she was crowned in 1953 right? Nearly 70 years of imperialism with her face stamped on it. She’s the longest-lived, and longest reigning British monarch. 

Y’all look at her and see a kindly withered old gramma with memeability, but completely ignore the amount of damage that she and her family have done to so many countries. 

“oh well, what did you want her to do, just walk away from it?”

yes. 

Yes, I do expect people to look at the harm that systems they uphold do to the world at large and then actively refuse to continue their participation in them. I do not believe that is too much to ask of anyone, let alone one of the most powerful women in the entire fucking world. 

Sorry that I’m not particularly impressed with her #girlboss legacy when the Indigenous Peoples of Canada and Australia are still feeling the monarchy’s effects on their homes and families. 

70 years and she never once thought, “Hm, maybe imperialism is a bad idea?” 

Sudan (finished fighting for independence in 1956)

Ghana (finished fighting for independence in 1957)

Malaysia (finished fighting for independence in 1957)

Singapore (finished fighting for independence in 1959)

Cyprus (finished fighting for independence in 1960)

Nigeria (finished fighting for independence in 1960)

Somaliland (finished fighting for independence in 1960)

Tanzania (finished fighting for independence in 1961)

Cameroon (finished fighting for independence in 1961)

Kuwait (finished fighting for independence in 1961)

Sierra Leone (finished fighting for independence in 1961)

Jamaica (finished fighting for independence in 1962)

Trinidad and Tobago (finished fighting for independence in 1962)

Uganda (finished fighting for independence in 1962)

Kenya (finished fighting for independence in 1963)

Malawi (finished fighting for independence in 1964)

Malta (finished fighting for independence in 1964)

Zambia (finished fighting for independence in 1964)

Gambia (finished fighting for independence in 1965)

Maldives (finished fighting for independence in 1965)

Barbados (finished fighting for independence in 1966)

Botswana (finished fighting for independence in 1966)

Guyana (finished fighting for independence in 1966)

Lesotho (finished fighting for independence in 1966)

Yemen (finished fighting for independence in 1967)

Eswatini (finished fighting for independence in 1968)

Mauritius (finished fighting for independence in 1968)

Nauru (finished fighting for independence in 1968)

Fiji (finished fighting for independence in 1970)

Tonga (finished fighting for independence in 1970)

Bahrain (finished fighting for independence in 1971)

Qatar (finished fighting for independence in 1971)

United Arab Emirates (finished fighting for independence in 1971)

the Bahamas (finished fighting for independence in 1973)

Grenada (finished fighting for independence in 1974)

Seichelle (finished fighting for independence in 1976)

Brunica (finished fighting for independence in 1978)

Solomon Islands (finished fighting for independence in 1978)

Tuvalu (finished fighting for independence in 1978)

Kiribati (finished fighting for independence in 1979)

Saint Vincent and the Bernardines (finished fighting for independence in 1979)

Saint Lucia (finished fighting for independence in 1979)

Vanuatu (finished fighting for independence in 1980)

Zimbabwe (finished fighting for independence in 1980)

Antigua and Barbuda (finished fighting for independence in 1981)

British Barbudas (finished fighting for independence in 1981)

Saint Kitts and Nevis (finished fighting for independence in 1983)

Brunei (finished fighting for independence in 1984)

Hong Kong (“given” to China in 1997)

Anguilla (still a colony)

Bermuda (still a colony)

British Antarctic Territory (still a colony)

British Indian Ocean Territory (still a colony)

British Virgin Islands (still a colony)

Cayman Islands (still a colony)

Falkland Islands (still a colony)

Gibraltar (still a colony)

Montserrat (still a colony)

Pitcain, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno islands (still a colony)

Saint Helena (still a colony)

Ascension Island (still a colony)

Tristan da Cunha (still a colony)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (still a colony)

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (still a colony)

Turks and Caicos Islands (still a colony)

as well, of course, as Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, which are still a part of the British kingdom, although i am unsure whether the people in them consider their countries to be colonies

so, yeah. “ancestors” my ass

and that’s not mentioning that none of these countries ever got reparations and all of them (as well as pretty much any other third world country) are still victims of british imperialism

Also have u read "Caste as woman" by vrinda nabar? I started reading that and so far it seems good, i would love to know what u think if u have read it!

hello ♥️♥️. no I didn't read that book, but I'll look it up. full disclaimer, I don't read much non fiction, so this will mainly be me recommending feminist fiction, and then some writers who can be considered Indian feminist icons.

fiction

the palace of illusions, chitra bannerjee divakaruni: the maharabharat is narrated from draupadi's pov in this lush and richly evocative mythological retelling of the epic, a great study of feminine rage in a world peopled by the destinies of male "heroes".

breast stories, mahasweta devi: as the title suggests, this short collection centres around the breast- as a symbol of violation, of revolt and of agency. in general, I really recommend mahasweta if you're looking to get into indian feminist writing especially now, when her stories are being deliberately excluded in many ~esteemed~ university syllabi.

when i hit you, meena kandasamy: a harrowing account of the domestic abuse inflicted upon the narrator by her ex revolutionary husband, this novel provides great commentary about how a person's seemingly radical political beliefs can mask his misogyny and the various ways an Indian woman is alienated in her house and in society.

kari, amruta patil: beautiful graphic novel about a butch lesbian coping in the aftermath of a tumultuous relationship and a botched suicide attempt. provides an intimate portrait of navigating sexuality, gender dysphoria, urban loneliness and mortality as queer women. a favourite of mine.

the quilt and other stories, ismat chugtai: yes yes we all know chugtai's sardonic and wittily erotic sapphic story lihaaf (the inspired behind deepa mehta's fire) but this collection also includes her other works, mainly centred on sexuality of women and the ways we are not often allowed ownership of even our own bodies.

non fiction

essays and poems, savitribai phule: she wrote several poems, including the collections kavya phule and bavan kashi subodh ratnakar. if you can read marathi you can read her original works, or like me, read translations of selected poems. most of her poems deal with casteism and rebelling against caste-based traditions/identities.

daughters of the sun, ira mukhoty: a historical biography of the many beautiful, fierce and brilliant women of the mughal empire, who often played a crucial role in shaping the politics and culture of the dynasty. from formidable matriarchs to wilful empress consorts to female saints and darogas and poetesses, this book is full of accounts of remarkable women.

the weave of my life, urmila pawar: memoir of a mahar dalit author who moved away from the konkan coast to mumbai (against severe opposition) and went on to embark on a lifelong mission for the emancipation of dalit women. it's ultimately a book of hope.

novels by easterine kire: kire writes incredibly poignant novels about the experiences of naga women; while a terrible matriarchy is her account of naga rituals and lifestyle, and how matriarchy doesn't necessarily equate a feminist society, don't run, my love deals with how the fragile peace between a mother and daughter is severed by the arrival of a male hunter at their doorstep.