{"product_id":"a-queer-shade-of-saffron-hardcover","title":"A Queer Shade of Saffron | Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Queer Shade of Saffron\u003c\/strong\u003e by Shastri Akella is a collection of short stories exploring desire, gender, sexuality, longing, and queer identity across different parts of India. Set in places ranging from pre-Partition Punjab and Gujarat to Andhra and the Garhwal mountains, the stories bring together characters whose experiences challenge social expectations and established power structures.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThrough intimate relationships, unlikely friendships, love, loneliness, and acts of resistance, the collection examines what it can mean to live outside rigid ideas about gender and sexuality. The stories approach South Asian experiences of queerness with empathy while considering the connections between love, shame, caste, patriarchy, and power.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eAbout This Book\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe stories in \u003cstrong\u003eA Queer Shade of Saffron\u003c\/strong\u003e present different expressions of queer experience across time, geography, and social circumstances. One story follows an unlikely friendship between two boys in pre-Partition Punjab, while another uses a ghost to connect two men separated by the Kashmir border.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eElsewhere, a temple singer in Gujarat discovers an experience of love that changes how he understands shame and intimacy. In an Andhra village, two women find strength in their relationship as they confront caste and patriarchy, while a story set near the Garhwal mountains follows two abused and lonely boys whose experiences take on a mythic dimension.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe collection uses the idea of 'queering' to question rigid hierarchies and assumptions. Written with close attention to atmosphere and detail, these stories consider how intimacy and resistance can intersect when characters confront social structures that attempt to define their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eWhat You'll Discover\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eQueer stories set across diverse regions and communities in India\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eExplorations of gender, sexuality, desire, intimacy, and longing\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eAn unlikely friendship between two boys in pre-Partition Punjab\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eA story connecting two men separated by the Kashmir border\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eLove and intimacy confronting shame, caste, and patriarchy\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eRelationships that challenge established social hierarchies and power structures\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eSouth Asian experiences of queerness presented with empathy and emotional depth\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePerfect For\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eReaders who enjoy contemporary Indian short fiction\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReaders interested in queer literature and South Asian experiences\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eThose interested in stories about gender, sexuality, identity, and desire\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eReaders exploring the intersections of intimacy, caste, patriarchy, and power\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eFans of literary fiction with strong social and emotional themes\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003ch2\u003eWhy You'll Love This Book\u003c\/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Queer Shade of Saffron\u003c\/strong\u003e brings together intimate and socially engaged stories that examine queer lives across different Indian settings. Shastri Akella combines personal relationships with questions of power, shame, caste, and social expectations, creating a collection that considers how love and resistance can challenge the structures that shape people's lives.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Shastri Akella","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54749613457683,"sku":"BY13.6521","price":565.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0812\/4494\/6707\/files\/AQueerShadeofSaffron.webp?v=1789822191","url":"https:\/\/booksandyou.in\/products\/a-queer-shade-of-saffron-hardcover","provider":"Books and You","version":"1.0","type":"link"}