TAWAIFNAMA

Book Details

• Book Name: तवायफनामा / Tawaifnama
• Format: Paperback
• Language: Marathi
• ISBN-13: 9789357201292
• Writer: Saba Dewan
• Book Edition: 1
• Publisher: Mehta Publishing House
• Pages: 684
• Size: 6 x 9 inches
• Binding: Paperback
• Subject/Category: Biography

Book Description

Tawaifnama is a multi-generational history that chronicles the lives of a prominent family of tawaifs from Banaras and Bhabua, offering an in-depth exploration of their cultural and social contributions in Northern India. Saba Dewan’s exploration brings to light the lives and self-histories of these women, shedding light on the nuances of their existence that conventional narratives have long erased or rewritten.

In a time when women were denied access to education and social rights, the tawaifs not only became skilled artists—singers, dancers, and musicians—but also actively engaged in literature and politics. Their kothas became centers of cultural refinement, and the art forms they nurtured, such as Kathak and Purab Ang Thumri, are now integral to Indian classical traditions.

Despite their influence and affluence, tawaifs were marked by the stigma of being public women, accessible to the male elite. This social image deepened in the colonial and nationalist discourse of the 19th and 20th centuries, where the community was criminalized and dismantled.

Tawaifnama is a profound and powerful microhistory that reexamines the legacy of the tawaifs against the larger backdrop of Indian history. This book is essential for understanding the complex intersections of gender, art, culture, and power in colonial and post-colonial India.