Homes without Windows By Chandu Maheria, Translated by Hemang Ashwinkumar

AN UNSPARING MEMOIR AND POWERFUL TESTAMENT TO RESILIENCE, INTELLECTUAL AWAKENING, AND THE FIGHT AGAINST CASTE DISCRIMINATION, TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Written by Chandu Maheria—a pioneering voice in Gujarati Dalit literature, veteran journalist, and activist—Homes without Windows charts a searing journey from grinding poverty in the working-class chawls of east Ahmedabad to a life dedicated to literature, thought, and political struggle.

Set against the turbulent backdrop of 1980s Gujarat—a era marked by communal tensions, mass migration, and anti-reservation riots—this memoir lays bare the everyday violence of caste prejudice. Yet, Maheria grounds his story in intimate, lived reality: the humiliation of public toilets, children growing up without shoes, chronic hunger, a father’s late-life militant atheism, a mother’s austere resolve, and recurring encounters with mortality. Alongside this personal history runs a profound record of intellectual formation, featuring unsparing reflections on Gandhi’s legacy and debates with fellow thinkers.

Why this book is a must-have:

• Pioneering Voice: The first English translation of a seminal autobiographical work by one of Gujarati Dalit literature’s most influential figures.

• Vivid Historical Document: Captures the complex social dynamics, anti-reservation movements, and class struggles of 1980s urban Gujarat.

• Profound Personal & Political Memoir: A deeply moving record of deprivation, resilience, intellectual awakening, and social activism.

• Essential Non-Fiction: An indispensable addition for readers of Indian history, Dalit literature, memoirs, and social justice works.

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