STORY

In Sanskrit, samudra means ocean. Our press takes its name and inspiration from the ancient story of Samudra Manthan, the Great Churning of the Ocean. In this myth, gods and demons must work together, pulling opposite ends of a cosmic rope, to churn the ocean depths. Only through their collective labor and tug-of-war are the most precious treasures revealed, including amrit, the nectar of immortality.

OUR MISSION

We believe essential literature emerges the same way—when opposing forces meet and create something new. Samudra Books is dedicated to work rooted in South Asian life, migration, and cultural history: voices that navigate the spaces between worlds, that reimagine identity, interrogate belonging, and challenge reductive narratives.

While South Asian literature has found space in mainstream publishing, it often exists within narrow parameters. We see only specific stories, aesthetics, and voices deemed palatable or marketable. Much remains overlooked: the multiplicity of our languages and histories, the friction between tradition and transformation, the uncomfortable questions we ask of ourselves and our communities. We publish work that pushes beyond these limits and refuses to be contained by categories.

At Samudra, we seek the nectar found in the churning of the South Asian experience—wherever that churn takes us.