An Ode to the Women of the Highlands—Keepers of Memory, Makers of Destiny
From the mist-laden slopes of South India comes a story that spans five centuries—of women who remember, resist, and reclaim.
In The Highlands of Yore, Monisha Raman takes us on a journey to Betta, a mythical mountain district where generations of women have been the keepers of knowledge, choice, and love.
A sixteenth-century queen defending her lineage.
A young bride awakening to forbidden desire.
A housewife haunted by the tenderness of a lost lover.
What binds them all is the unyielding spirit of womanhood—its quiet rebellions and enduring grace.
Told in lyrical, interwoven voices, The Highlands of Yore celebrates indigeneity, ecological harmony, and ancestral wisdom; a moving ode to the love that roots us: for land, for legacy, for each other.
Coming soon on Readomania!
About the Author:
Through her writing, both fiction and non-fiction, Monisha Raman seeks to explore the imperceptible connection humans share with land.
Monisha’s essays have been published by New Asian Writing, Kitaab, Where the Leaves Fall, It’s Freezing in LA, Singapore Unbound, New School Food, Impermanent Earth, The Curious Reader, Spacebar Magazine, Planted Journal, Purple Pencil Project, The Punch Magazine, Sustainability Next and Feminism in India. Her works of fiction have been published by Borderless Journal, Usawa Literary Review, Phenomenal Literature GJLL, Bengaluru Review, The Punch Magazine, Active Muse, Indian Ruminations, Terralingua Langscapes, Asian Extracts, The Universe Journal, and Storizen Magazine. Her work was a part of the anthology Narratives in Domestic Violence by the International Human Rights Arts Movement. Her work is also forthcoming in the Tribal Folklore Anthology by Rupa Publications and Solastagia, an Anthology of Environmental Essays by Four Palaces Publishing. Her work can be found at https://linktr.ee/Monisharaman.
She was the winner of the Orange Flower Award for Short Fiction by Women’s Web Magazine in 2020 and was a part of the Bound Writers Retreat in 2019. She is an alumnus of Granta Writers’ Workshop (nature writing).
She has been a part of the Green Literary Festival team since 2023 and edits their monthly newsletter. She is currently researching and writing about indigenous perspectives in conservation.
The Highlands of Yore is her debut work of fiction which is also forthcoming by Running Wild Press. She lives in Chennai, South India with her husband and daughter.
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