Given the direction India is headed, I am now wondering if I should make a server for posting books and reading materials. Piracy is being handled more stringently than before, and many kids will not have access to valuable databases, be it for learning purposes or just for leisure reading. And costs of books keeps rising exponentially, particularly queer literature, which is more or less unavailable in mass market form. It's all so bleak man.
some people have expressed interest, I'm currently making a server, please be patient as I'm not good with data management and administrative stuff 😭 I'll do my best.
Dear friends, kind hearts, and everyone who has stood with us,
When I first opened my heart to the world and shared our story, I never imagined the amount of love and solidarity we would receive. Thanks to your incredible support, we’ve now reached $12,837—a milestone that brings real light to some very dark days.
From the deepest corners of my heart, thank you.
💔 A Journey of Loss, but Also of Strength
As many of you know, I’ve lost 25 of my loved ones during this devastating war. That grief lives with me every single day. It’s in the silence that once held laughter, in the empty spaces where we once gathered as a family.
But through your help, I’ve also felt something else: hope. And that hope is priceless.
“21/Oct/2023 Before It Reached Us: The Day Our Neighbor’s House Was Destroyed”
A quiet moment of fear, filmed just before everything changed.
“22/Oct/2023 The Morning After: Our Family Home in Ruins”
This is what was left behind after the bombing of our home.
🌿 What Life Looks Like for Us Now
Despite everything, we’re still here.
Still surviving. Still hoping.
But things have only gotten harder.
The war has returned, more brutal than before—and for over a month now, Gaza has been completely sealed off. No food is coming in. No medical supplies. No aid. No trade. No one is allowed to leave, and no one is allowed to enter.
We’re trapped.
🏚 We live with the fear of tomorrow, every single day. Airstrikes, drones, and the uncertainty of what might happen next.
👨👩👧 Our family is forever changed—we haven’t just lost people; we’ve lost pieces of ourselves.
📉 Basic needs go unmet—even clean water feels like a luxury now. Medicines, if they exist at all, are unreachable.
And yet…
Your support reminds us that we’re not forgotten. It reminds us that someone, somewhere, is still listening. That someone still cares. That we’re not completely alone in this.
Every message. Every share. Every dollar. It tells us:
You’re walking this road with us.
And that gives us the strength to keep going.
💖 What You Can Do
If you’ve already donated—thank you beyond words.
If you can share our story again, it could reach someone who can help.
Even $5 means warmth, comfort, and a chance to breathe a little easier.
My name is Mosab Elderawi, and I am a survivor of the war in Gaza. Life as I knew it has been completely destroyed. I have lost my home, my
✨ Why It All Matters
This isn’t just about reaching a fundraising goal. It’s about surviving war with dignity.
It’s about believing in tomorrow. It’s about making sure my daughter grows up knowing that the world did not look away.
Thank you for your kindness, patience, and belief in our humanity.
You’ve helped me find my voice—and I will use it to keep hope alive.
🙏 From the Heart: A Quiet Apology
There’s something I need to say—something that’s been on my heart for some time.
When I first began sharing our story, I didn’t know what the right way was. I was scared, grieving, and trying to protect my family in any way I could. I reached out to many people, hoping someone, anyone, would see us. In that process, I now realize I may have overstepped, and I might have made some feel overwhelmed.
If that happened, I am truly sorry.
Please believe me when I say it was never out of disregard or pushiness. It came from a place of fear—fear of being forgotten, fear of not being able to keep my family safe, fear of watching everything I love slip away in silence.
I’m learning as I go. I’ve slowed down. I’m more mindful now, trying to share our journey in a way that feels respectful of the space and hearts of those listening.
If my words ever came at the wrong time, or in the wrong way, I hope you can understand where they came from—and I hope you can forgive me.
Thank you for seeing past my mistakes. Thank you for still being here. It means more than I can ever explain.
Vetted by @gazavetters ( #309 )
With love and endless gratitude,
Mosab and family ♥️
My name is Abdelmajed.
I never imagined I’d be sharing my story like this, but life in Gaza has become unbearable. I am a survivor of the war here, and in the blink of an eye, everything I once knew—my home, my safety, my community—was ripped away from me.
The war has transformed Gaza into a graveyard of broken dreams. The buildings that once stood as symbols of life and resilience are now piles of rubble. Every corner is filled with the echoes of explosions. Every moment is shrouded in uncertainty. There is no security. There is no stability. There is no light at the end of the tunnel.
Basic needs have become luxuries.
Food is scarce. Clean water is even scarcer. Hospitals are overwhelmed and under-resourced, and there is almost no medical care to be found. Every night, families go to bed hungry, praying they’ll wake up to see another day. The cost of basic necessities has skyrocketed, and it’s become a daily battle just to survive.
I’ve seen things I never thought possible—standing in long lines for a piece of bread, rationing every drop of water, and watching my people suffer in silence. I have lost everything—my home, my safety, my dignity.
Escape from Gaza is my only hope,
but it’s almost impossible without financial help. The cost of evacuation is far beyond my means, and without support, I’m trapped in a warzone with no way out.
I’m reaching out to you now, in the hopes that someone, anyone, can help. I am not asking for luxury. I am asking for a chance—just a chance—to live. A chance to escape this never-ending cycle of fear, destruction, and loss. A chance to rebuild my life somewhere safe, where I can begin again, where I can find hope once more.
My name is Abdelmajed, and I am a survivor of the war in Gaza. Everything I once knew has been taken away—my home, my safety, and the people
Any amount you can give will help me get closer to safety.
Even the smallest donation will make a difference—it could be the lifeline I need to survive. If you are unable to donate, please share my story. The more people who hear it, the better the chance that I can find the support I desperately need.
Your kindness and support mean the world to me. You’re not just helping me escape a war; you’re giving me a chance to live, to rebuild, to breathe again.
History of Kashmir from 250 BC to 1947 [to understand Kashmir's multi religious history and how we got to 1947]
Broad timeline of events from 1947 to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution in 2019 (BBC) [yes, BBC. hang on just this once]
Human Rights Watch report based on a visit to Indian controlled Kashmir in 1998 [has a summary, background, human rights abuses and recommendations]
Another concise summary of the issue
Sites to check out
Kashmir Action - news and readings
The Kashmiriyat - independent news site about ongoings in Kashmir
FreePressKashmir - same thing as previous
Kashmir Law and Justice Project - analysis of international law as it applies to Kashmir
Stand with Kashmir - awareness, run by diaspora Kashmiris [both Pandit and Muslim]
These two for more readings and resources on Kashmir: note that the petitions and donation links are from 2019 and also have explainers on the background (x) (x)
To read
Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? - about women in the Kashmiri resistance movement and the 1991 mass rape of Kashmiri women in the twin villages of Kunan and Poshpora by Indian armed forces
Until My Freedom Has Come: The New Intifada in Kashmir - a compliation of writings about the lives of Kashmiris under Indian domination [available on libgen]
Colonizing Kashmir: State Building under Indian Occupation - how Kashmir was made "integral" to the Indian state and examines state-building policies [excerpt]
Resisting Occupation in Kashmir - about the social and legal dimensions of India's occupation [available on libgen]
Of Occupation and Resistance - another collation of stories of Kashmiris living under state repression
On India's scapegoating of Kashmiri Pandits, both by Kashmiri Pandits (x) (x)
Of Gardens and Graves - translations of Kashmiri poems
Social media
kashiirkoor
museumofkashmir
kashmirpopart
posh_baahar
readingkashmir
standwithkashmir and their backup account standwithkashmir2 [their main account is banned in India. I wonder why!]
kashmirlawjustice
kashmirawareness
kashmirarchive
jammugenocide [awareness about the 1947 genocide abetted by Maharaja Hari Singh and the RSS]
To watch
Jashn-e-Azadi: How We Celebrate Freedom parts 1 and 2 - a documentary about the Kashmiri freedom struggle [filmed by a Kashmiri Pandit]
Paradise Lost - BBC documentary about how India and Pakistan's dispute over the valley has affected the people
Kashmir - Valley of Tears - the exhaustion with the conflict in the post nineties
In the Shade of Fallen Chinar - art as a form of Kashmiri resistance
Human rights violations (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)
Land theft and dispossession (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)
A note: The list of readings is not exhaustive. It is only an introduction to the history of the occupation. I know annoying "Desis" are going to see this and bitch and moan about how Kashmir is actually integral to their country out of a sense of colonial entitlement. Kashmir belongs to Kashmiris, the natives, no matter what religion they belong to. Neither Pakistan nor India get to decide the matter of Kashmiri sovereignty. The reasons given by both parties as to why Kashmir should be a part of either nation are bullshit. The United Nations itself recognises Kashmir as a disputed region, so I will entertain neither dumbfuckery nor whataboutism. I highly encourage fellow Indians especially to take the time to go through and properly understand the violence the state enacts on Kashmiris. I've also included links to learn more about Kashmiri culture because really, what do the rest of us know about it? Culturally & linguistically Kashmir differs so much from the rest of India and Pakistan (also the way Kashmiri women are fetishised... yikes). It's not just a bilateral issue between the two nations over land, it actually affects the people of Kashmir
May I offer possibly the best index I've ever found for free media. It's a Library of Alexandria for this kind of thing. The one I linked is for streaming but this site has it all.
Hey, hope you're doing well! I'm asking you since you're a lit major; you know the posts on Tumblr about how we don't learn enough about queer history, but it's usually about American queer history? But in India we never talk about it either. Do you know any good books about Indian queer history?
hello 💜 here are some books about indian queer history:
Gay Bombay: Globalization, Love and (Be)Longing in Contemporary India by Parmesh Shahani: one of the first queer case studies when it was published in 2008, this book looks into the life of the Indian gay community in the late 1990s-mid 2000s, vis-á-vis the creation, navigation and interactions on lgbtqa safe online spaces created by an activist group named Gay Bombay. it's conversational, well contextualised in indian history, vibrant and beautifully written.
Sakhiyani: Lesbian Desire in Ancient and Modern India by Giti Thadani: a comprehensive history of lesbian desire in India, starting with Vedic scriptures, cultural motifs and cosmology, then moving on towards how such feminine narratives were stamped out by a complex mix of masculine rewriting of religion/history, social stigma and colonialism fuelled Othering. while complex and brutally honest, I adore this book for including same-sex desires in rural/underprivileged sections of India too.
Loving Women: Being Lesbian in Underprivileged India by Maya Sharma: written by an eminent feminist scholar of India, this book tells the real-life stories of 10 working class women in North India, all of whom identify as lesbians. It is absolutely necessary to seek intersectionality when it comes to queer studies too, particularly in a country like ours, where multiple identities are monopolized by the upper class elite. This book also introduced me to Fire by Deepa Mehta, a great desi sapphic masterpiece!
A Lotus of Another Colour: An Unfolding of the South Asian Gay and Lesbian Experience by Rakesh Ratti: documenting the experiences of multiple queer south asians. Idk how this book is as I haven't read it personally but it sure pissed off Khushwant Singh so that's always a good sign.
A Truth About Me: A Hijra Story by A. Revathi: autobiography of a trans woman who left her abusive family to find acceptance and kinship among the Hijra communities. This is a hard read, so I won't recommend it to those who are looking for more idealistic stories. However, I recommend A Life in Trans Activism by the same author, if you feel that the ending of this one leaves you without hope.
hope this helps!
list of more resources about desi queer literature.
Hello! Do you have any book recommendations which genuinely portray the caste structure in India, because as you said in your last post, many Indian authors play on the suffering of underprivileged groups? I am Indian Hindu myself, and I've been trying to educate myself as much as possible, because savarnas try to delude themselves, to rid themselves of responsibility and blind themselves of their own privilege.
here are some anti caste books that I recommend:
Annihilation of Caste by B.R. Ambedkar: ESSENTIAL ANTI CASTE READING. This was originally a speech that Ambedkar was asked to give at an event hosted by a Hindu reformist group but they revoked his invitation when they found the speech "offensive". I urge everyone to read this book, it's not very long but it's so comprehensive, it's a historically significant text especially in our present scenario, and provides startling insight into Gandhi's so called benevolence (or lack thereof) towards the underprivileged.
Towards an Aesthetic of Dalit Literature: History, Controversies and Considerations by Sharankumar Limbale: I read Limbale's The Outcaste before this, but I would recommend this one more simply because of his repeated emphasis on OWN voices rep in Dalit Literature and his critique of how savarna authors (*coughs*) hijack dalit narratives for sympathy points.
The Weapon of The Other: Dalitbahujan Writings and the Remaking of Indian Nationalist Thought by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd: Oh this man makes our country big mad. Ilaiah is also the author of the amazingly scathing anti-Hindutva critique 'Why I Am Not a Hindu' and I would recommend any of his books for anti caste references. The number of times he has angered our politicians......sweet.
Karukku by Bama (transl by Lakshmi Holmstrom): this is the autobiography of a Tamil Dalit feminist navigating her identities as a woman, as a Dalit, as a Christian. At the time of its publication in the original Tamil, it was a pioneering work of its genre (and still remains so). The writing style is kind of rambling, but it's a very raw and sincere narrative and doesn't shy away from showing the microaggressive humiliations the author suffered on the daily.
Ants Among Elephants: An Untouchable Family and the Making of Modern India by Sujatha Gidla: this one traces the journey of Gidla and her childhood with her "untouchable" family in Andhra Pradesh. Much of the story revolves around her uncle, who becomes a communist leader, and her mother Manjula, who lead a lifelong battle against Dalit oppression. I haven't read it personally but the premise sounds interesting (there are also criticisms in the novel against faux upper-class communism) and it deals in intergenerational impacts of caste based trauma.
I also recommend reading other works by these authors, A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, the poetry of Kalyani Thakur Charal, works by Anand Teltumbde and following accounts like @/dalitfeminismarchive on insta. Hope this helped!
Hello, me again. I was wondering if i could have some book recommendations for indian feminist literature?
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.
hope you find something to your liking from this (very short) list. there are tons of great indian feminist writers!
Plz reblog this one actually I wanna get as big of a sampling of tumblr as possible. Reblog at any and all times of the day so we can reach different time zones.
when i say “girl” randomly as an interjection i’m speaking to the omnipresent all knowing being of Girl. asking her for mercy. taking girl’s name in vain
discoholicmusic
kianamaiart
annaxmalina
blakekathryn
dededos
