Between the Lines: The Influence of Folklore on Contemporary South Asian Writing by Namrata

Published every Friday, Between the Lines is a weekly column by Namrata, where she delves into the cultural, emotional, and thematic intricacies of both classic and contemporary books. In today’s column, she explores the influence of folklore on contemporary South Asian Writing.

There is something deeply familiar about folklore. These are the stories whispered to us in childhood, passed down in kitchens and courtyards, embroidered into lullabies, or conjured around lanterns during power cuts. Folklore, in South Asia, isn’t just a cultural artifact. It is a living, breathing inheritance. And today’s writers are not only preserving it, they are reinventing it.

In contemporary South Asian literature, folklore resurfaces not as a relic, but as raw material that is reworked, reinterpreted, and infused with new urgency. Writers are turning to these myths and oral traditions to make sense of the present: to comment on gender, caste, climate, and conflict. These age-old tales of spirits, shapeshifters, and tricksters are now reimagined to confront modern realities.