Lesser Lives

‘This book is a document of our homes which, with its details on work performed within the alleged enclosed personal space, promises to open up the closed windows of our prejudices. Exemplary … will become a landmark in opening new debates on contemporary social issues’ RAVISH KUMAR

'A wonderful selection of stories from the beginning of the twentieth century until the 1960s−70s takes us into a world which is normally kept hidden from us: the world of the domestic help who are usually infantilized, denied personhood or equal treatment. These stories give voice to the desires, longings and emotions of a marginal section of society by exploring a range of characters employed in domestic work and their relationship with their employers. The servant becomes the central figure of these stories in various social settings ranging from rural to urban, zamindari to middle-class and Hindu and Muslim households and we see the complex realities of their lives as real persons, not just an invisible piece of furniture, meant to make our lives easier.' RANA SAFVI