111. Speaking Gujarati

Speaking Tongues

Hello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. Joining me this week in conversation about Gujarati language and culture is Jenny Bhatt, writer, translator and founder of Desi Books.

In this episode, Jenny talks to us about growing up in Mumbai and many of the languages that are spoken and heard in this cosmopolitan city. We talk about the unique nature of Hindi as it’s spoken in Mumbai and the Gujarati dialects heard not only in Mumbai but in regions of Gujarat. We discuss Gujarati literary tradition and using translation as a language revitalization tool. And speaking of translation, Jenny is talking with her latest translation work “The Shehnai Virtuoso and other Stories” which is the first Gujarati to English book length translation of noted writer Dhumketu and the first translation of this kind to be published in the U.S. As Jenny is also the founder of Desi Books, we talk translated works of South Asian authors as well. Now, make sure you keep an eye on my instagram account because we are doing an IG live “afterparty” to talk about The Shehnai Virtuoso and South Asian literature. Links can be found in the shownotes to all platforms.

Big thank you to Jenny for this conversation and for all that you do in uplifting the works of South Asian authors and community. If you enjoy episodes of Speaking Tongues, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review the Speaking Tongues Podcast on Apple Podcasts and like and subscribe on YouTube so that other language lovers like ourselves can find the show! Special shout out to Speaking Tongues’ recent supporters and Patrons Heidi L., Linnea H and Pat N. If you’ve been a long time listener of the show or a recent listener, you can now pledge ongoing support for the show on Buy Me a Coffee dot com or on Patreon dot com. And as you know, I wrote a book! My food ‘zine of international language and cuisine, Taste Buds Vol 1. is available now for purchase! Check social media for the sneak peek inside of the book and make sure you purchase for yourself and your friends! Links to all platforms are below!

To Find Jenny:

https://jennybhattwriter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennybhatt0/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/jennybhatt

To Find Desi Books:

Desi Books: https://desibooks.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desi.books/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DesiBooks

Buy "The Shehnai Virtuoso and other Stories": https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-shehnai-virtuoso

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