This book examines the varied influences and accomplishments of the Indian Ladies' Magazine, the first Indian magazine established and edited by an Indian woman-Kamala Satthianadhan-in English, written by women, for women. Influences include Victorian, Edwardian, and Modern literature and culture as well as traditional Indian literature and culture during the late colonial, pre-independence period. More than a literary journal, this publication also addressed social reforms, from "ladies' philanthropy" to "women's mission to women"; the emergence of Indian "identity politics" in response to the nationalist and independence movements; the Indian Woman Question in the context of female education debates and shifting concepts of "womanliness"; cultural exchanges recorded by Indian travelers to America; and the emergence of Indian nationalism, between World Wars I and II, leading to independence. This publication recorded and participated in the most pivotal moment in modern Indian history and did so by appealing to both the conservative and progressive socio-political urges marking the era.

Notes on the TextIntroduction: Kamala Satthianadhan and The Indian Ladies' MagazineChapter 1: Women's Periodicals, West and EastChapter 2: ILM and Literary CriticismChapter 3: ILM and the Life LiteraryChapter 4: ILM and Women's Social ActivismChapter 5: ILM and Indian Identity PoliticsChapter 6:. ILM and the Indian Woman QuestionChapter 7: America, the Superlative and the Jewel in the CrownChapter 8: Mothering IndiaConclusion: End of The Indian Ladies' MagazineAppendix B: Press ReviewsAppendix C: Publication and Subscription HistoryBibliography: PrimaryBibliography: SecondaryIndexAbout the Author