Women should be seen and not heard — was and continues to be an oft-repeated belief in schools, households, and public spaces. The act of silencing women is masked by the seemingly innocent excuse of upholding their honour and respectability. In this context, using their voice to talk about their experiences becomes a powerful act of defiance.

Through these curated boxes, we hope to encourage you to explore writing by women poets, writers, and activists from different parts of the subcontinent. Each of them displayed a unique brand of feminism and femininity, creating a lasting impact on their readers and listeners. 

In our second box with Champaca, we curated the set around the theme of Fearless Chronicling by women - of lives, times and love. 

What do we have in the box?

My Story by Kamala Das - A sensational autobiography, shocked readers with its total disregard for mindless conventions and its fearless articulation of a subject still considered taboo. Depicting the author's intensely personal experiences in her passage to womanhood and shedding light on the hypocrisies that informed traditional society, this memoir was far ahead of its time and is now acknowledged as a bona fide masterpiece. 

Letters of Blood by Rizia Rahman translated by Arunava Sinha -  A chronicle of the lives of women trapped in the bleak world of prostitution as they face the constant risk of physical abuse, disease, and pregnancy, while also all too often struggling with drug addiction. Published originally in Bengali in the 1978, Letters of Blood created a huge stir in Bangladesh for its frank depiction of the horrors of prostitution

Daak Writers Notebook - A notebook for you to fearlessly chronicle your story by immersing yourself in an exercise gently guided by South Asian greats. The notebook is hard bound, unruled with inserts. 

2 x Daak Cheeky Greeting Card - A cheeky greeting card for your girlfriends who have been there for you! 

Daak Fridge Magnet - Phir Milangi by Amrita Pritam - A verse for undying love by fearless poet, Amrita Pritam.