EK SHAHAR, EK PAHAD, EK MOHALLA
Ragini Lalit
EK SHAHAR, EK PAHAD, EK MOHALLA by By Ankur Lekhak Samuh. Illustrated by Allen Shaw Eklavya Foundation, 2023, 132 pp., INR 200.00
November 2024, volume 48, No 11

Ek Shahar, Ek Pahad, Ek Mohalla is a collection of stories from the most polluted part of Delhi–stories of Khichdipur and the adjoining areas around the Ghazipur landfill. The stories are written by the adolescents and youth living in the Khichdipur area, and all of them are connected to the Ankur Society for Alternatives in Education. The book is divided into five sections and speaks to the synchrony of humans, trees, animals, flowers, air, water, noise, and garbage as all of them actively shape and are shaped by each other in Ghazipur. The sections of the book are interspersed with photographs of the area, and the stories are accompanied by vivid watercolour sketches by Allen Shaw. The illustrations savour and capture the unhurried moments that the stories present.

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