‘This book is a chronicle of memories . narratives from an India which few of us who read this book will ever encounter.’
Have you ever really looked at the people who live on the streets around you?
Many of them have fought against unimaginable odds to live a life of dignity and courage. Some have emerged from their sufferings with greater strength and gone on to help others like them.
Harsh Mander writes with compassion and deep sensitivity about these unsung heroes of India—Mogalamma who cannot walk and yet is a pillar of support for others like her;Rajmane who was wrongfully imprisoned and now assists other poor prisoners get justice—and helps us see that there is another India around us, if only we would stop and look.
This is a book that every young Indian should read, because it is easy to forget that for every successful Sindhu and Rahman, there are thousands of Mogalammas and Rajmanes, struggling bravely just to live a normal life.
About the Author
Harsh Mander, writer, human rights worker, columnist, researcher and teacher, works with survivors of mass violence, hunger, homeless persons and street children. His books include Unheard Voices: Stories of Forgotten Lives, The Ripped Chest: Public Policy and the Poor in India, Fear and Forgiveness: The Aftermath of Massacre, Fractured Freedom: Chronicles from India’s Margins, Untouchability in Rural India (co-authored), Living with Hunger and Ash in the Belly: India’s Unfinished Battle against Hunger. He regularly writes columns for the Hindu, Hindustan Times and the Mint and contributes frequently to scholarly journals. His stories have been adapted for films, such as Shyam Benegal’s Samar and Mallika Sarabhai’s dance drama Unsuni.