Shivani’s emoir to be translated and published in English for the first time

Penguin Random House India has recently acquired the publication of the English translation of a charming memoir by the late Hindi writer Shivani. Titled Amader Shantiniketan, this book has been translated into English by Ira Pande, translator par excellence and the author’s daughter. It will be published under the Vintage imprint and released in May.

This timeless memoir was written by Shivani nearly fifty years ago from her perspective as a child and young girl studying in Shantiniketan, the school set up by Rabindranath Tagore. It is a loving homage to a grand institution and its legendary gurus. Along with the moving tributes she wrote when some of her beloved contemporaries passed away, the memoir is a sort of diptych that captures the spirit of the Ashram and the liveliness of its inmates, many of whom went on to become iconic Indians.