Behind the Clouds: Writing from the Margins is more than an anthology—it is a vibrant symphony of voices, a chorus of resilience, and web of tales woven from the threads of marginalization. Composed of the silent, resilient voices of those cast aside by the mainstream, this collection guides readers into the shadows of society, where stories of identity, struggle and strength are intertwined.
Archi Madhani Patel’s essay, ‘The Muffled Voices’ dives into the raw emotion and alienation faced by LGBTQ+ characters in Mahesh Dattani’s plays. These characters’ muted struggles depict a spectrum of isolation, inner conflict, and self-discovery, bringing to life the journey of finding one’s voice in a world determined to silence it. Medha Sharma’s ‘Ek Ladki ko Dekha to Aisa Laga’ weaves delicate portrayals of forbidden love and same-sex desire amidst rigid societal norms, capturing the aching need for acceptance. Paramveer Chahal’s piece on Sachin Kundalkar’s Cobalt Blue is another gem, exploring the intricacies of bisexuality and the unseen rift between public morality and private yearnings. Ms. Sophianne Job’s ‘Transgenders: Acceptance or Exception’ explores the delicate interplay between societal acceptance and the enduring stigma attached to transgender lives
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Kshama Balaji’s ‘Reading the Marginalisation of Women’ in the film The Last Colour portrays the widows of Varanasi, whose silent existence underscores a profound cultural and personal erasure. These women are consigned to the periphery of tradition, stripped of agency and identity, seen only as shadows. Balaji’s essay invites readers to look deeper, to acknowledge the humanity of those society has condemned to voicelessness, reminding us that even the silent have a story.
Pranav Joshipura and Swati Vyas (Kapadia) portray the pain of Indo-Fijian communities in their essays, ‘Issue of Land and Indo-Fijian Reality’ and ‘The Displaced Migrants of Fiji’. Here, the ghosts of colonial exploitation are palpable. In these essays, land is more than soil—it is life, home, and memory, torn away under the weight of foreign rule. Their work offers a haunting reminder that colonization’s scars do not fade with time, binding generations to loss and dislocation.
In ‘Towards Understanding Dalit Hermeneutics’, Anupam Nagar gives voice to mythical reinterpretations that challenge India’s deep-rooted caste structures.Kshipra Purani’s ‘Thus Spake the Mahars’ further illuminates Dalit autobiography, capturing stories of resistance and quiet dignity. However, the anthology’s most wrenching portrayal of caste-based suffering may be found in Bama’s ‘Annihilation’, translated by Indira Nityanandam. This short story is a visceral exploration of Dalit women’s compounded victimization, a stark exposé of patriarchal oppression and caste cruelty that tears at the very fabric of one’s soul. Rashmi Varma’s exploration of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s The Adivasi Will Not Dance unveils the stark exploitation faced by India’s indigenous communities at the hands of industrialists, missionaries, and political forces. The narrative reverberates with the cries of a people pushed to the margins, whose cultural lifeblood is siphoned away, replaced by the hollow promises of development. Shubhangi Sinha’s ‘A Comprehensive Analysis of Indigenous Perspectives in The Adivasi Will Not Dance’ further delves into the oppression faced by the Adivasis on their native soil and in foreign lands alike, especially focusing on the double marginalization endured by Adivasi women.
Sunil Macwan’s ‘Globalizing Dissent through Fiction: Arundhati Roy’s Small Cosmopolitanism in The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness’ contends that Roy’s novels champion dissent by linking the struggles of India’s marginalized to a global audience. Through her landscapes of local resistance, Roy amplifies these voices to reach the world, challenging both local and global systems of oppression.
Nivid Desai, in ‘Examining the Role of Oral History in Documenting the Trauma of Partition’ delves into the emotional profundities of those whose lives were cleaved by the Partition of India and Pakistan. Through oral histories, Desai captures the heart-wrenching tales that reside not in written pages but in spoken memories; fragments of a scarred past that continue to bleed into the present.
Minnie Mattheew’s study, ‘Understanding the Marginalization of Women in Vandana Shiva’s Staying Alive’ paints a vivid picture of how patriarchal models of development have ravaged both ecology and women’s lives. In exploring Shiva’s ecofeminist stance, Mattheew unveils the technocratic disregard for natural and human life, especially affecting women, who remain the stewards of a fragile, exploited earth.
Dhaval Kataria in ‘Compulsion, Coercion, or Choice: Unveiling the Dynamics of Prostitution’, interrogates the painful complexities of prostitution, examining economic need, societal pressure, and the shadows of human trafficking. Kataria exposes the evolving yet unchanging silhouettes of an industry bound to the tides of economic, social, and cultural forces, leaving countless lives trapped in its dark corridors.
Preeti Oza’s ‘Dalit Activism in the Digital Age’ shines a light on the modern-day frontiers of resistance. Social media, a digital liberator, has become a platform for Dalit communities to voice centuries-old grievances and amplify stories of their resilience. This essay shows how the online realm is not just a medium but a movement, where marginalization meets empowerment in the face of silence.
Behind the Clouds is an unapologetic testament of survival; a chorus of stories that defy erasure. Each essay is a woven thread in a larger quilt of resilience, urging readers to confront the beauty and pain of lives lived on the periphery. With poetic prose and haunting insights, this anthology stirs us to see beyond the clouds, to recognize the veiled faces, and to honour the strength of those who, despite centuries of marginalization, have held their ground and fought to be seen. This is a collection for scholars, students, activists, and anyone willing to traverse the complex, often uncomfortable landscapes of marginalization.
Intaj Malek, Professor at L J University, Ahmedabad, is a writer and translator.