Now Reading: Small towns turn into boutique sub-mode for writers, filmmakers
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Small towns turn into boutique sub-mode for writers, filmmakers
Author Neelum Saran Gour argues that small towns have evolved into a boutique sub-mode for writers and filmmakers, challenging the popular perception that they are quaint or backward. She says these towns…
The Story in Brief
Author Neelum Saran Gour argues that small towns have evolved into a boutique sub-mode for writers and filmmakers, challenging the popular perception that they are quaint or backward. She says these towns are now as fragmented and emotionally disconnected as metros, despite their smaller scale. Gour, who grew up in Allahabad in the 1960s and 1970s, credits the city's mix of Indic, Islamic and cosmopolitan influences for shaping her writing.
Gour has written seven novels and several other books, including 'Requiem in Raga Janki', which won The Hindu Fiction Prize in 2018 and the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2023. She taught at the University of Allahabad for over four decades and believes that standard teaching protocols can be modified creatively to make learning a shared adventure, not just an exam-focused exercise.
The Indian Opinion
Gour's view pushes back against two lazy narratives: that small towns are idyllic repositories of tradition, and that they are irrelevant to modern culture. She shows they have their own complexities and are fertile ground for creative work. The real test is whether policymakers and educators will listen to voices like hers, or keep treating small towns as afterthoughts in India's urban story.
Source: frontline.thehindu.com
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