Navayana founder and co-writer of Bhimayana, S Anand engages in some plainspeak about working on the project

Navayana's books convey a specific anti-caste ideology. Yes. Navayana was started in 2003, with a self-driven mind to create a unique stream of publishing. My friend, Ravi Kumar, who is part of the Dalit movement, played a huge role in kickstarting it.

Despite the Internet and advanced technology, caste issues continue to be prevalent. We aim to reinforce this in new ways. Even in the public media, the issue is reduced to reservation-based coverage.

As a mainstream journalist, prior to founding Navayana, I found it impossible to take the issue forward. Publishing was a viable medium, particularly since nobody took up the caste issue. We publish non-fiction, academic books and poetry.

Navayana means 'new vehicle', a term to define Ambedkarite Buddhism. We are not a Buddhist publishing house, but are highly influenced by Ambedkar's anti-caste policy.