Mozhi is pronounced ‘mo’ as in ‘moment’, ‘zhi’ like the ‘ri’ in the word ‘prince’ with an American accent.

Mozhi is a Tamil word meaning language or tongue. It is also used to refer to a dialect, slang or patois. While Mozhi is a Tamil word, the idea suggested by it is a universal language that transcends any particular language. It is in this sense that we are calling this initiative Mozhi. Mozhi is a transcendental space between and beyond languages, a space of pure meaning.

The /zh/ in Mozhi is derived from the retroflex consonant, produced when “the tongue slides backwards in the mouth without stopping the flow of air“, as David Shulman puts it. In English this sound is represented by the letter ‘l’ (as in the final /l/ in the name of the language ‘Tamil’), or by ‘zh’ (as in ‘Mozhi’/’Tamizh’). While the sound exists in multiple languages, Tamil and Malayalam are unique in that they have a consonant letter denoting this specific sound.

As far as sounds go, the retroflex consonant is unique. When enunciating other sounds, the tongue touches different parts of the mouth, or doesn’t move at all. In enunciating the retroflex consonant zh/ழ, there is perfect freedom. The tongue folds and moves in the space of the mouth but touches nothing. It is this space of perfect linguistic freedom that Mozhi envisions.

As we lay out in our vision statement, we envision Mozhi to be a space for critical discourse about Indian literature that is rooted in homegrown aesthetic ideas and traditions.

Aesthetics can be traced back to the Greek aisthetikos meaning ‘of or for perception by the senses,’ or aisthanesthai meaning ‘to perceive (by the senses or by the mind), to feel.’

The creation and assimilation of art are, at their core, subconscious processes. In literature, the first instance of engagement with a text, whether for the writer or the reader, happens through the senses. While writing or reading, we see, we hear, and we feel, before we think or intend. By privileging aesthetics, therefore, we are privileging experience, and by extension, the subconscious. The subconscious is indefinite, questful, unpredictable. It is what endows an art form with subjectivity, seeking, and aliveness. It is what makes us argue passionately for what we like, and disavow what we dislike. It encourages us to stay true to our original feeling, rather than be guided by normative judgements.

Mozhi’s mission to focus on aesthetics is also guided by the value we place on the plurality of ideas and expression. When we argue for works on the basis of representation, we inherently devalue them. We need women’s writing to be read, not because women need to be represented, but because they have something unique to share with us, something no one else can tell us. We need stories from Odia to be read, not because Odia needs to be showcased, but because the language and culture will bring a world view, an experience, that no one else can offer us.

By being truly true to aesthetics, we can both deepen and broaden our understanding of the world, and of ourselves.  

We publish translations of fiction, non-fiction and poetry from various Indian languages. We also publish works of criticism, reviews and interviews. These can be either works originally written in English, or translated from any Indian language. We aim to be a multilingual platform, and aspire to have each article in more than one language.

We recommend that you take a look at the articles we have already published to evaluate if yours would be a good fit for our platform. If you are in doubt, or if you have an interesting pitch you would like to bounce by us, write to us at submissions@mozhispaces.in

Mozhi values the effort of our contributors, and will pay a modest honorarium for published articles. Please note that you will need to be an Indian tax resident in order to receive the honorarium. However if you are willing to forgo the honorarium, we are happy to consider your submission regardless of your tax residency.

Please take a look at our Submissions page for guidelines.

Submissions for the Mozhi Prize typically open in July every year. Please follow our website as well as social media handles (X | Instagram) for updates. If you are keen on entering the contest, you may already want to identify a few stories and check on availability of rights to translate and publish them, before you begin translating. You can find more tips and tricks here.

If you are a writer or a literary translator working in an Indian language, we invite you to participate in our forum, Mozhispeaks. We hope to develop a loose collective of writers and translators who can learn from each other and grow as a community. Please do join us and contribute to the conversation!