Across the Kala Pani

SKU: 9781485904861
Across The Kala Pani - Readers Warehouse

Across the Kala Pani

SKU: 9781485904861
Author: Shevlyn Mottai
Ages 18+·Historical Fiction

The epic stories of these immigrants - the brave, the bold, the kind; the weak, the cruel, the cowardly - are woven into the fabric of South Africa's Indian population today

RW Saving 5%
/
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.
Dispatches in 5–7 working days
  • STORE COLLECTION - Collect in-store within 5-10 working days (R20).
  • INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING available. See Shipping information below for delivery times and terms.
"In 1909, four women board a ship in Madras to cross the Kala Pani, the 'black water', to Natal. Lutchmee, a young widow, has escaped her vengeful mother-in-law and self-immolation on her husband's funeral pyre. Vottie, from the Brahmin caste, is an educated girl whose abusive husband tries to hold on to his caste at all costs. Chinmah, heavily pregnant when she boards the ship, is married to an older man as part of an unpaid debt. Dazzling but shy Jyothi is single. On board the ship, the women will form friendships and alliances. They will help each other through trial and trauma, even after they arrive and are separated. Like many Indians desperate to escape unbearable conditions in their home country, these women are only too eager to believe what they've been told: that a better life awaits them in South Africa, where caste doesn't matter, food is plentiful, and liberty will be theirs after just five years. But the reality of life on the plantations reveals the truth about the crossing: that it is usually a one-way journey, rife with misery, and that the hardship doesn't end after the ship has dropped anchor in Durban harbour. The epic stories of these immigrants - the brave, the bold, the kind; the weak, the cruel, the cowardly - are woven into the fabric of South Africa's Indian population today. Shevlyn Mottai has drawn on her ancestors' history to highlight the bonds formed between women during adversity, and to celebrate their journeys of tragedy and triumph"--Back cover.

Book details

Reading age
18+
Pages
274
Publisher
Penguin Random House
Language
English
ISBN
9781485904861

SOUTH AFRICAN SHIPPING

In-store collection is R20 and will be available for collection anywhere between 5-10 working days. The relevant store will contact you when your order is ready for collection.

Courier Delivery - Shipping is calculated at checkout. Orders are dispatched within 1-3 working days.

Our shipping is currently calculated by the delivery address area.

NB: Exact delivery times cannot be guaranteed once your order has been collected by the courier. Please use your tracking number to follow up and get exact delivery times.

RETURNS AND EXCHANGES

See conditions and procedure in our return FAQs

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING

Our product prices do not include any tax and duties. Should there be any duties or taxes the receiver will be liable to pay these fees on receipt of order. Please refer to your local tax authorities on any expected fees in your local states or country.

We do not accept returns and exchanges on international orders.

This section doesn’t currently include any content. Add content to this section using the sidebar.