28 June,2026 11:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Isha Ganesan
Ajita
In a world full of boring, mundane books, there are such literary works which make you uncomfortable and are a joyride for your brain. If you wish to give your mind an adrenaline rush, then these recommendations are for you.
Bhimayana: Experiences of Untouchability (Navayana, 2011) created by artists Durgabai Vyam and Subhash Vyam, and writers Srividya Natarajan and S Anand is a graphic novel that showcases the caste system through incidents in the life of BR Ambedkar. The novel uses artistic devices such as symbolism, allegory, imagery, and metaphors and uses a non-linear form of writing. The art is a traditional form called Pardha Gond art, depicting Ambedkar's stories. It is open and non-restricted, almost flowing through the pages rather than being constrained within comic panels. The piece uses its form to disseminate itself and makes the reader question and respond to ideas within.
Even though I Have Not Seen Mandu (Speaking Tiger, 2021) is a memoir by Swadesh Deepak (translated by Jerry Pinto). The creative direction of the book does not follow a chronology-based narrative to represent life. Instead, the story follows Deepak, a man who deals with severe mental health issues, and rejects a linear timeline to showcase the experience of having bipolar disorder. Rather than moving forward chapter by chapter, the text uses language to move between memories of his family, psychiatric treatment, friendships, and Mandu (a place he has never been to). The book utilises the techniques of fragmentation and repetition to highlight the failure of language and memory for our protagonist.
A Different Distance (Milkweed Editions, 2021) by Marilyn Hacker and Karthika Nair is an anthrology that employs a "call and response" narrative structure. This is called Renga, a Japanese form of syllabic poetry in which the second poet picks up on the last word of the preceding stanza and begins a new line with that word. The poem highlights topics such as what the poets were eating, listening to, or reading when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The two poets took the hard way to respond to each other's emails and created a literary masterpiece.
Ajita (Westland, 2025) by K Sridhar is a novel that explores the complexity of human existence through a parallel narrative between a philosopher and a professor. Ajita is a curious young boy living in the fifth century who goes on to become a philosopher of the CÃÂrvÃÂka school. Moksh Malhar, on the other hand, is a modern man dealing with problems of his own. Eventually, he turns to the teachings of Ajita, and the two parallels meet in a loop. The inimitability of the book exists in the chapters that follow the alphabetical order with a twist! Every one of the 26 chapters deliberately excludes a singular letter.
Zero Degree (Blaft Publications) by Charu Nivedita, a Tamil novel published in 1988 and translated into English in 2008, spent time in the spotlight due to its experimental nature and refusal to submit to the rules of grammar. The writing follows a kaleidoscopic narrative by not adhering to linear flow, syntax, and the rules of grammar. In this book, the distinction between writer and reader blurs as Nivedita provides the reader with the power to form their own narrative by piecing together a web through his various symbols and meanings.
