250 years after her birth, Jane Austen's spirit lives on in India

Mint

14 hours ago

Bored of reading about sewing, pianoforte sessions and perambulation, a friend and I tried rewriting Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Emma to fit into our high school-setting in Chennai about three decades ago. 'Fan fiction' wasn't a term we knew, Clueless was a hit but hadn't yet reached our corner of the world, and so, in our ignorance, we felt quite bold, creative and original. We weren't really fans, but the Bennet sisters held promise, we decreed. They were more interesting and independent-minded than the four Little Women and not as preachy as Thomas Hardy's characters—also in the syllabus—but they still seemed rather old, prim and hemmed-in for 15-year-olds who borrowed adventure stories from the library and were repelled by the idea of conformity and marriage. So I was convinced there'd be little to recommend Austen to the contemporary reader in India—an opinion that was greeted by horror from the team, which wanted to mark the 250th anniversary of her birth. And I'm really glad to have been proved wrong, as the stories we've done in the past week bear out. Somak Ghoshal reports that for discerning young women, Jane Austen represents freedom of expression and pursuing one's own goals despite the circumstances. Udita Jhunjhunwala finds that Indian cinema thrives on Austen's universal themes—of family and misunderstanding, tradition and independence, duty and love. And author Mahesh Rao discovered the spirit of Jane Austen alive in Delhi, instead of her hometown in the UK where she's reduced to quotes on cushion covers. We also have a Clueless moment in our Style section, when Pooja Singh decides to make AI her stylist for five days with less than exciting results.
For more weekend activities, pick from our lists of what to watch, read, eat, and do. As for me, I'm going to finish Persuasion, which I bought when we started talking about Austen's 250th birth anniversary—and this time I am able to see its charm (and if you are invested in the fate of that early fanfic effort—it hasn't survived the years though the friendship remains much like one Austen might have written).
There's plenty to read in the print issue of Mint Lounge dated 14 June 2025.
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With summer holidays in full swing, most people are heading to the hills to unwind and escape the heat and bustle of the plains. Besides figuring out how to get there and where to stay, the other daunting task is what to wear, especially if you are going on a trek. Yes, clothes need to be practical, functional and light, but it isn't a bad idea to look stylish for those Instagram photos. Manish Mishra asked some experts for advice for practical yet stylish looks that are great on hiking and trekking trails as well as on Reels. Read more.