Reading democracy: 12 writers pick their favourite works on India
NEW DELHI : Every five years, as Indian democracy gears up for its biggest carnival—the general election—publishers fall in step with the spirit of the season. Suddenly bookshops are flush with political titles. From itinerant reporters with their ears to the ground to armchair analysts making heavy-duty predictions to politicians of all colours lobbying for their cause, everyone wants a piece of the democratic pie that is the Indian book trade.
Undoubtedly, there is value in reading contemporary critiques of the state of the nation. But even as we delve into immersive reportage, the data stories, the autobiographies and hagiographies, it’s crucial to remember our primal understanding of the promises of democracy. That’s why, instead of putting out a list of new political books that have graced bookshops this election season, we decided to go back to the first principles.
We invited 12 distinguished writers to tell us about some of their formative memories and literary experiences of democracy. What follows is an eclectic garland of ideas, thoughts and inspirations, strung together with remembrances of poems, stories, novels, non-fiction and defining moments from the past. Each of these pieces draws our attention to a point of view that is unique, a history of emotions that straddles reading, watching, conversations, and other traces of memory.
We hope you will be inspired to look up some of the works mentioned and allow them to expand and complicate your consciousness. Siddalingaiah offers insights into the nature of democratic participation —Vivek Shanbhag Siddalingaiah’s autobiography Ooru Keri (translated as A Word With You, World by S.R. Ramakrishna, Navayana, 2013) opens with a scene where he, as a young boy, is
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