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‘Halla Bol’: A book of modern Indian history

January 6, 2020. Breathless. I have to put words down as I read else I’ll be left with none by the end of Halla Bol. As I tumble through the first chapter, I feel I am in a film. Somewhere I have read spoilers, I know how this will end. Even so, I am on the edge of my seat praying for a miracle. Every hard detail – new shoes, a green sweater, a cycle rickshaw, bamboo stick broken like twigs, a refrigerated room – seared into my mind’s eye. The cuts are too fast, the angles too crazy. A [...]

‘Memoirs of a Dalit Communist’: Note from the Editors

17 January 2020 We are pleased to bring you the life story of R.B. More as written by More himself and by his son Satyendra. This is not only a crucial document of the past, but it is an inspirational testimony for our struggles today. We are glad that the work of father and son is now being appreciated and studied. Satyendra More finished the work of his father. The original Marathi text was written and edited by Satyendra More. Printed editions of this book will make this clear by a sticker, [...]

Raising Hell at Jhandapur

Much has changed in the past thirty years: the marginally better roads, there’s even a metro station not too far away; overdriven speakers in autos playing 90s music or folk songs with a techno beat; the mobile phones, smart or otherwise; the denims and t-shirts; the many shops selling things people couldn’t have imagined back then; a community centre, complete with a building, a lawn, and a gate. While it’s debatable if the lives of the residents at Jhandapur have improved, today’s hig[...]

The Journey of ‘Halla Bol: The Death and Life of Safdar Hashmi’, Part 3

As he lay agonising over the nearly-finished manuscript, Sudhanva would share, every now and then, nuggets from the Janam photo archive. Read on. There’s a lot here that didn’t make it into the final text. (Click on the sub-heads to see individual Facebook posts.) Halla Bol: The Death and Life of Safdar Hashmi will be out on January 1, 2020. Do join us for the book launch at Jhandapur that day. << Part 1 – The Journey of ‘Halla Bol’ | Part 2 – The Journey of ‘Halla Bol’[...]

The Journey of ‘Halla Bol: The Death and Life of Safdar Hashmi’, Part 2

As the book begins to take shape, as much in the author’s mind as on paper, we keep satiating our curiosity with these highlights from the life of Safdar – actor, activist, man of letters. Read on. There’s a lot here that didn’t make it into the final text. (Click on the sub-heads to see individual Facebook posts.) Halla Bol: The Death and Life of Safdar Hashmi will be out on January 1, 2020. Do join us for the book launch at Jhandapur that day. << Part 1 – The Journey of ‘H[...]