Mahadevi Varma’s animal portraits first appeared in Hindi as Mera Parivar in 1972. Ruth Vanita’s English translation, My Family, published in August 2021, brings these closely observed accounts of animals in Varma’s life to English-language readers. The book’s relative obscurity is a matter of critical attention and delayed translation—not a measurable claim about sales or readership.
What is Mahadevi Varma’s book about animals?
Mera Parivar (मेरा परिवार), meaning “My Family,” is a collection of animal portraits and reflective prose by Hindi writer Mahadevi Varma. It focuses on animals she knew as individuals, rather than treating them simply as scenery or as interchangeable pets.
The English edition, My Family, was introduced and translated by Ruth Vanita. In an excerpt from her introduction, published by The Wire, Vanita writes: “Thus, her body of work begins and ends with writing about animals.” The sentence points to the book’s place in Varma’s literary life as well as its subject.
Which animals appear in the book?
The publisher names several of the animals whose portraits appear in the collection:
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- Gillu, a squirrel
- Neelkanth, a peacock
- Sona, a doe
- Neelu, a mountain dog
A review describes the book’s main body as seven chapters: most center on an individual animal or bird, while the final chapter recalls three creatures important to Varma’s formative years. The portraits are accompanied by attentive descriptions of individual traits and behavior; the Penguin Random House India hardback edition also includes hand-drawn illustrations.
How observation shapes the book
The collection’s attention to detail is part of its method. A review recounts the preface’s story of Varma, as a child, rescuing a chick that was intended to be dinner. Recording the chick’s distinctive features became a way of learning to notice and remember animals as individuals.
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Vanita’s introduction, excerpted by The Wire, describes the portraits as poetic prose that grants animals agency and takes their ways of seeing seriously. A Scroll review also connects Varma’s careful observation of animals with her ability to portray human subjects as individuals. That is the reviewer’s interpretation, rather than a claim of scholarly consensus.
Why the book has been called “almost unknown”
The phrase is best read as a comment on the book’s limited presence in critical and biographical discussion and on how long English-language readers had to wait for a translation. The original appeared in 1972, but My Family did not arrive in English until 2021. Available publication records and reviews do not establish sales, circulation, or readership figures, so “almost unknown” should not be taken as a quantified description.
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Varma (1907–1987) was a Hindi poet, prose writer, educationist, and journalist associated with the Chhayavad movement. Penguin Random House India’s author biography lists the Padma Bhushan, awarded in 1956, and the Jnanpith, awarded in 1982, among her honors. The relative neglect of this animal-centered book sits alongside recognition of her broader literary career.
Publication and edition details
The original Hindi book was published in 1972, according to the Scroll review and The Wire excerpt. Penguin Random House India lists the English hardback as a 168-page Hamish Hamilton edition published in August 2021.
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| Edition or record | Language and details | Identifier |
|---|---|---|
| Original publication | Hindi; Mera Parivar; published in 1972, as reported by Scroll and The Wire | Not stated in those sources |
| Penguin Random House India catalog | English hardback; My Family, introduced and translated by Ruth Vanita; Hamish Hamilton; August 2021; 168 pages | ISBN 9780670095902 |
| Google Books listing | 2021 Penguin Random House India edition; 168 pages | ISBN 9789354921582 |
The two ISBNs appear in different catalog records and should not be assumed to identify the same format. If you are buying or citing a copy, match the ISBN to the specific format and listing. The publisher’s catalog page is available at Penguin Random House India.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who may want to read it?
My Family is a good starting point for readers interested in Varma, Hindi literary history, animal writing, or prose attentive to the character and agency of nonhuman lives. To find the English edition, search for My Family by Mahadevi Varma or My Family translated by Ruth Vanita; for the Hindi original, search for Mera Parivar.
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