These five endearing books published by Muskaan, Bhopal break new ground in more ways than one. For one, all of them are written by tribal and Dalit girls and women. Secondly, three out of the five—Taalaab ke Kinare, School Mein Seekha aur Sikhaya, Jungle Kiska are written by young girls in their teens. Mitti is a story written by Madhu Dhurve as a young adult, about her childhood. Mirchi ka Choora is written by renowned dalit writer Bama.
All these stories have two things in common, they depict the work lives of the deprived and conflicts with adults or with socio-political processes. Secondly, the reflections on these conflicts or their resolutions depict a world view of nonviolent coexistence, an important part of the world view of tribal cultures.