Two Links

I saw this on Language Hat: The University of California Press has many of its editions available to the public online. This is the Public Only Subject List (all books are available to those affiliated with the university). It is a huge collection. I've just been skimming through it, but found two books connected to my state of Tamil Nadu: Caste and Capitalism in Colonial India: The Nattukottai Chettiars, by David West Rudner, and Eugene Irschick's Dialogue and History: Constructing South India, 1795–1895. Oh yes, and also Passions of the Tongue: Language Devotion in Tamil India, 1891–1970, by Sumathi Ramaswamy, and Inside the Drama-House: Rama Stories and Shadow Puppets in South India, by Stuart Blackburn. To tell the truth, though, I'm going to start with the film and art sections, and work forward from there.

The New York Times has a piece about chaat, a huge category of (extremely delicious) North Indian snacks. (This is supposed to be a permanent link - couldn't find one for the accompanying glossary of terms, but it's still there as I post this.)