Saffron and Silk

Print InformationTitleLanguagePrint ISBN9780994523020Book SubtitleSeries NameSeries No.Edition NameEdition No.Authors & ContributorsRoleContributor First NameContributor Last NameContributor MiddleContributor LocationCountryState/ProvinceCityContributor's BiographyAnne Benjamin is a writer, poet and educator. She was born and raised in the Hunter Valley in NSW. In 1984 she married her Indian-born husband and joined him in India in his work on behalf of the poor. Their first child was born in India. Anne has won awards for her poetry, fiction and non-fiction. She has served variously as teacher, teacher-educator, academic, researcher, administrator and in university governance. From 1990-2005, she held senior roles in Catholic education in western Sydney including nine years as Director responsible for 75 schools in the region. She is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Western Sydney and an Honorary Professor of the Australian Catholic University. She has conducted over 40 reviews of senior educators, leaders and organisations.She regularly visits India where she enjoys the company of family and friends.Contributor's Prior WorkPrior publications include: Catholic Schools: Hope in Uncertain Times (co-edited with Dan Riley); Children of the Kingdom, an award-winning curriculum for primary school children; Story-Makers, an award-winning curriculum resource; Gemstones (ed), an anthology of collaborative tanka written with 7 international poets; Saffron and Silk (originally published 2016); Australian Catholic Educators 1820-2020 (in publication); numerous articles on education, poetry, leadership; poetry, reviews, short stories and non-fiction in international journals.Contributor's AffiliationsRegular contributor to Kerala Naadam, Ribbons (Tanka Society of America), Eucalypt (tanka journal), Kokako (NZ tanka journal), Gusts (Canadian tanka journal);CategoriesImprintSubjectBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / GeneralFAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS / GeneralTRAVEL / Asia / India & South AsiaAudienceRegional SubjectIndian sub-continentThema SubjectBiography: generalPoverty and precaritySocial workIndian sub-continentTitle Description Saffron and Silk is about two unlikely lovers: a handsome thirty-something Indian and a thirty-something Australian woman. Out of character with her background and normal demeanour, the bride has left her life in Australia to marry and live in the South Indian city of Chennai. Readers enter into the bride's new family and their Kerala origins and into some of the rich culture of Tamil legends and history. She shares her struggles and frustrations as a 'foreign wife' and her insights into both the domestic minutiae of everyday life and the macro challenges of poverty.These stories are all set within the annual cycle of religious feasts and festivals around which life in India turns. The author tells of a famous relative who was close to Mahatma Gandhi, the death in custody of a former member of parliament she met, the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and threats to her and her husband. Saffron and Silk gives personal insights into poverty in a wealthy complex nation.There are also domestic matters - motherhood, women, travel. Saffron and Silk gives an insider's story of some of the treasures and dilemmas of India.