Book Excerpts

In this excerpt from Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada, Shahu Patole’s 2015 Marathi book translated by Bhushan Korgaonkar, we catch a glimpse of the rich language, history and recipes from the often stigmatised kitchens of the Mahars and Mangs of Maharashtra.

In this excerpt from Superpowers On The Shore (2022) by Sejal Mehta, we learn about the weird and wonderful ecosystem of creatures that flourishes on Indian coasts. In the chapter “Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby” Sejal hilariously tackles reproduction in the intertidal zone.

Hameedha Khan’s File no.786 [The Night Journey] is one of the many exciting stories in The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF (2024), edited by R.T Samuel and published by Blaft Publications. Don’t miss this passage from her short story.

In this excerpt from Corruption Plots: Stories, Ethics, and Publics of the Late Capitalist City (2024) by Malini Ranganathan, David L Pike and Sapana Doshi, we learn about the corruption surrounding the gentrification of slums, and the displacement of the people residing in these areas, and the erasure and banishment of the urban poor.

In this excerpt from Governing Forests: State, Law and Citizenship in India’s Forests (2024), author and environmental lawyer Arpitha Kodiveri delves into flawed workings of Indian forest law, which fails to recognise the rights of Dalit forest dwellers, and analyses the reasons behind this current crisis. Drawing on her many years of experience working with the affected communities, Arpitha highlights how they have been oppressed, divided, and exploited in the name of conservation, and yet they also hold the key to reforming forest law in India.

In this excerpt from Intertidal: A Coast and Marsh Diary (2023) by Yuvan Aves, we take an introspective look into different vocabularies, plants, animals, and liminal zones that exist beyond binaries, and celebrate queerness in the natural world.

Part memoir and part meditation, Intertidal: A Coast and Marsh Diary (2023) by Yuvan Aves is filled with dedicated observations on nature, community, the dangers of industrial pollution, liminal spaces, urban wildlife and more. Tackling several themes with kindness and empathy, Yuvan weaves in stories from his own life, taking us along on his journey into adulthood. In this excerpt, he introduces us to blue buttons (Porpita porpita) that are often found along the Chennai coast.