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The Binding
In a small town in Tamil Nadu, Rasangam lives with his widowed mother and aunt, and siblings and cousins. Thrust prematurely into the shoes of the patriarch and keenly aware of the need to protect the family’s standing in their conservative society, Rasangam abandons his dreams of higher education.
When great misfortune befalls his beloved elder brother and then his younger sister, Rasangam is heartbroken. However, the foundations of their ties and resilience as a family run deep, nurtured by the meticulous yet overlooked care of the women. He turns to his faith – surrendering to the will of Allah, devoting himself to religious service and undertaking the Haj – which earns him the respect that had eluded him all his life. But history appears to repeat itself years later with Imran, Rasangam’s dutiful son, whose love is thwarted by political propaganda, throwing up questions about the reality of societal progress.
In this sparkling narrative, celebrated Tamil author Salma grapples with the many forces that shape our faith, family, tradition and the complicated bonds that link us to one another. Brought to life for English readers by award-winning translator Janani Kannan, The Binding is a quiet meditation on how that which tethers the human heart can also fetter it.
When great misfortune befalls his beloved elder brother and then his younger sister, Rasangam is heartbroken. However, the foundations of their ties and resilience as a family run deep, nurtured by the meticulous yet overlooked care of the women. He turns to his faith – surrendering to the will of Allah, devoting himself to religious service and undertaking the Haj – which earns him the respect that had eluded him all his life. But history appears to repeat itself years later with Imran, Rasangam’s dutiful son, whose love is thwarted by political propaganda, throwing up questions about the reality of societal progress.
In this sparkling narrative, celebrated Tamil author Salma grapples with the many forces that shape our faith, family, tradition and the complicated bonds that link us to one another. Brought to life for English readers by award-winning translator Janani Kannan, The Binding is a quiet meditation on how that which tethers the human heart can also fetter it.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 23, 2025
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About the author
Salma
38 books46 followersSalma is a writer of Tamil poetry and fiction. Based in the small town of Thuvarankurichi, she is recognised as a writer of growing importance in Tamil literature. Her work combines a rare outspokenness about taboo areas of the traditional Tamil women’s experience with a language of compressed intensity and startling metaphoric resonance.
With the film, she thinks that she has truly arrived. Salma the film, through a series of interviews, tries to bring to light the realities that have shaped the poet, of how she would write hiding in the toilet because she could not pick up a pen outside.
With the film, she thinks that she has truly arrived. Salma the film, through a series of interviews, tries to bring to light the realities that have shaped the poet, of how she would write hiding in the toilet because she could not pick up a pen outside.
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