Blog compiled and written by Saadia Pirzada
Leela Soma was a poet and novelist based in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire. She was born in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India and studied for her undergraduate and Master’s degree in social studies at the University of Madras. She arrived in Glasgow in 1969, studying for her Postgraduate Teaching Certificate at Jordanhill College, now part of Strathclyde University. After she retired as a Principal Teacher of Modern Studies, she was able to spend time on her writing.
Leela was involved in the local community as Chair of Bearsden Writers, and serving on the committee of the East Dunbartonshire Arts Council. In 2013, she was commissioned along with 20 other writers to write a story for GWL’s anthology, 21 Revolutions. Her story ‘Boxed In‘, was inspired by three items from the Library’s collections, including a copy of ‘The Woman Worker‘ from 1908.
Her writing reflected her dual heritage of India and Scotland. Her first poetry collection ‘From Madras to Milngavie’ was self-published, written to raise money for a Breast Cancer charity. Her second collection ‘Tartan and Turmeric ‘was published in 2020. Dreich Press published her pamphlet ‘Chintz’ in 2022. Her poem ‘Memory’ was nominated for the Pushcart Prize 19/20 by Anthropocene Press. She was longlisted for the Erbacce Prize 2020. The Federation of Writers Scotland appointed Leela as their Scriver 2021.
Leela published three novels, ‘Twice Born’ in 2008, ‘Bombay Baby’ in 2011 and her first crime novel, ‘Murder at at the Mela’ in 2020. In ‘Murder at the Mela’, she drew masterfully on her own dual-heritage to capture Glasgow’s rich, multicultural nature, in a work which is fascinating, engaging and intense.
In collaboration with the Glasgow University Creative Writing staff, Leela set up the KAVYA Prize, to recognise and empower BIPOC Writers with a Scottish connection – this was first awarded in 2022.
Leela appreciated art and classical Indian music, and these art forms influenced her creative process. She contributed a short story, ‘Brodie’ to The Library of Rejected Beauty, which narrates the experiences of a young man from Glasgow who secures a placement in an Indian music college. The story delves into his fascination with Carnatic music, a classical South Indian genre. While Leela was primarily known for her writing, she maintained a connection to music through her appreciation of classical Indian music, the incorporation of musical themes in her stories, and participation in events that blended poetry and music.
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