The Society for Social Regeneration & Equity (SSRE), a group that wants to break down stereotypes about religious minorities, honored Sheela Rohekar, the only Jewish novelist writing in Hindi, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. She was given an award for her portrayal of Indian Jewish life in her new book, Miss Samuel: Ek Yahudi Gatha (Miss Samuel: A Jewish Saga). To get the most prestigious award for literature in India every year, the state gives out this award to the Bharatiya Jnanpith, which publishes the book last fall and gives it out each year.
Apna Ghar (A Home of One’s Own) is the only Hindi book that shows the Indian Jewish way of life. Meera Mahadevan, who used to be Miriam Jacob Mendrekar, wrote it 52 years ago. The event was important because Rohekar isn’t well-known in Hindi literature, which is shown by the fact that she wasn’t invited to any of the three literary festivals that took place in Lucknow last year, or to any of the other literary festivals that took place in other Indian cities.
