15 July,2026 09:22 AM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Varma
Initially, Dalits and other oppressed castes were settled inside the fort walls of Dhoraji, but with the advent of development, they were evicted. Pics courtesy/Wikimedia Commons
Gujarati writer Chandu Maheria's new book Homes Without Windows (Juggernaut), translated into English by Hemant Ashwinkumar, is an honest account of what it meant to grow up as a Dalit boy in the working-class suburb of Rajpur in Gujarat. We learn how several Dalit families left their villages after independence to settle in parts of Ahmedabad. Through 11 essays, Maheria helps readers draw a brief history of caste politics in Gujarat: from aggression in schools of the Khadol village in the 1960s, to the anti-reservation riots and the growing consciousness of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's ideology across the state in the 1980s.
The writer explores the dynamics of caste politics in context to the ideologies of national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr Ambedkar
Through it all, Maheria's tone is understated and nuanced. This is most prominently witnessed in the chapter exploring his relationship to Mahatma Gandhi and his ideas. He excavates the reasons why a majority of the Dalit community resents Gandhi and prefers to advocate Dr Ambedkar's views. Without disagreeing with the concerns of the community on the Gandhi-Ambedkar debate, he argues that one cannot disregard Gandhi's role in bringing the subject of caste to the forefront of public discussion and politics.
Chandu Maheria
Maheria's most distinctive quality is how he examines everyday objects and gives evidence from his personal experience to portray how deeply entrenched the caste system is in India. Chapters like âYour Chappals, Our Skulls', which highlights footwear, or âThe Mayor's Bungalow', which looks at public toilets, become significant in this regard. For instance, he recollects being turned away at the school gate as a kid, on the first day of school, because he couldn't afford footwear and reached barefoot. The final chapter on fighting rumours and sicknesses with multiple hospitalisations offers a poignant closing to a sensitive and necessary book.
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