This is a collection of life stories of those who are
affected by AIDS. Sixteen of the best-known authors of India come together and
create this anthology with a common goal of exploring the hidden world affected
by the epidemic.
It starts with Nikita Lalwani meeting up with a
doctor who is HIV positive but his positive attitude towards life has kept him
alive. Kiran Desai goes to open fields of Godavari and opens up the
world of highly paid sex workers who are in this profession from many
generations and those poor ones who can barely earn a living out of this act. Jaspreet
Singh telling ghost stories to the children affected by the epidemic in
a HIV positive care home for children easily melts your heart. Salman
Rushdie explores the world of Hijras
and prefers to call them Ardhanarishwar,
I too wonder why not. William Dalrymple meets up with the
daughters of Yellamma to hear their
stories and so on goes every author going to all corners of India and lending
the deceased an ear and bringing us their life stories.
Icing on cake is, there is Introduction by Bill and Melinda Gates and Foreword by Amartya Sen.
This wonderful anthology is the result of Gates Foundation
approaching Random House in creating a tradition of literary journalism for a
social cause.
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