Juggernaut
A coming of age story of a transgender Devi. It is set in a small town in Rajasthan in a patriarchal society where daughters are unwelcome. Her father walks out of his ancestral home refusing to let her be aborted. He and his wife bring up Devi “just like a son.” Devi grows up as a tomboy and struggles to find her sexual identity.Will she find love in her college mate Ishwari?
Globally, the most watched and talked about Indian web series of 2024, Heera Mandi is a magnum opus about the world of tawaifs of yore. It is based in the famed bazaar of the same name, in Lahore during India’s final run up to independence. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Gajra Kottary was in the team of its additional writers.
It was Vishwa she found more difficult to forgive – firstly for being a man and therefore more in control of the situation, and secondly for the timing and object of the deceit.
Om Books International 2023
This definitive volume brings together all the short stories Gajra Kottary has written so far. These women-centric stories encompass a range of situations: a new bride’s fantasy, the existential frustrations of a crusader’s wife, an award-winning journalist who helplessly watches her campaign go awry; and many more. Always engaging, delightfully unpredictable, these stories provide a fascinating portrait of urban women in contemporary India.
In a medium that celebrates regressive content, writer Gajra Kottary has managed to swim against the tide.
