Freedom remains bitterly contested in Independent India. Democracy works only
for some, who thrive in its liberties, security and choice. Others are condemned
to life-sentences variously of hunger, homelessness, stigma, fear, penury and
neglect.
In this collection of essays, written between 2004 and 2011, we encounter many
of these exiles from India s secular democracy children living on the streets,
households battling hunger, communities battling the politics of hate; we
encounter injustice and suffering, but also resistance and hope. These essays
straddle many subjects people and policies, books and films. Within these pages,
we witness a giant nation at once old and new, dark and shining, cruel