Arundhati Roy on Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld (1972–2006), quoted in the Guardian:
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In Search of India

Published in The Guardian, 18 April 2009

“I recommend [this] raw, disturbing stuff. I don’t agree with his politics now (he supports the Hindutva brigade), but his work should be read because it tells of what a brutal society we live in.”

Vijay Prashad, in Himal Southasian, on Anand Teltumbde’s Khairlanji:

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Rural Dalit ghetto: ‘Khairlanji’ by Anand Teltumbde
Published in Himal Southasian, April 2009
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“…a book that will never allow [the Khairlanji] massacre to be forgotten. Nor will it allow us to think of it as an aberration…Teltumbde has created a solid corpus of work that bears witness to the degradation of Indian democracy, and to the capacity of Indian socialism. India’s revolution is sharpened on the anvil of [his] thoughts.”

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Frontline on Nissim Mannathukkaren’s Rupture with Memory: “A clear-headed study of Jacques Derrida’s venture into Marxist political theory.” Read the complete review here.

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Reviews of Anand Teltumbde’s Khairlanji: A Strange and Bitter Crop, which chronicles the Khairlanji massacre and its genealogy, call it ‘engaging’ (The New Indian Express), ‘well-researched’ (The Telegraph) and ‘a must-have in your collection.’ (Mint Lounge)
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Tehelka: “A saga of pain, agony, exclusion, cumulative deprivation and discrimination, a substantive addition to the literature on dalits by an insider.”

The Telegraph: “Teltumbde’s research is exhaustive and he shies away from sensationalizing the tragedy. Khairlanji will force readers to ponder whether modernity and globalization hold any promises for the disempowered in this country.”

New Indian …

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Reviews of Namdeo Dhasal: Poet of the Underworld (1972-2006) call it ‘vigorous, high-voltage, bruising poetry’ (The Hindu), ‘unmistakable and hard-hitting’ (Outlook) and ’sheer burning fury’ (Deccan Herald).
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Times of India: “Handsomely planned with plenty of breathing room…Riveting.”

The Hindu: “Vigorous, high-voltage, bruising poetry on the festering innards of Mumbai. There is a tough and unsentimental quality to Dhasal’s vision [that] crackles with both rage and compassion.”

Outlook: “Succeeds in reproducing the images and metaphors of Dhasal’s work, and his unmistakable, hard-hitting voice.”
Biblio: Dhasal employs an aesthetic of fracture… towards writing into existence the …

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Reviews of Kancha Ilaiah and Durgabai Vyam’s Turning the Pot, Tilling the Land call it ‘imaginative and brilliant’ (Insight, September 2007), ‘essential reading for every Indian child’ (Washington Post) and ‘a book with a difference’ (Deccan Chronicle, August 2007).
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The Hindu: “A must read…a valuable addition to those who teach social sciences in schools.”

The Tribune: “A novel title, an extraordinary theme, an attractive getup and lots of pen drawings-no booklover can remain inattentive to this book.”

Tehelka: “Turning the Pot, Tilling the Land will prove vital in empowering our children to …

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Reviews of Dan Hind’s The Threat to Reason call it ‘elegant’ (The Independent), ‘thoughful’ (The Financial Times) and ‘lucid’ (Times, London).
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The Independent: ” In this elegant polemical essay, Dan Hind rightly quibbles with this supposedly Manichean tussle between the guarantors of Enlightenment in the West and everyone else. Hind wants to rescue the idea of Enlightenment from its usurpers, while pressing it into the service of something better.”
The Financial Times (registration required): “In this thoughtful polemic Dan Hind argues that we are being misled by a debased “Folk Enlightenment” which …

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Himal Southasian on Gail Omvedt’s Seeking Begumpura: “Marks a watershed in the battle to uncover the hearts and minds of the oppressed and powerless.” Read the complete review here (Registration required).

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Reviews of D.N.Jha’s Myth of the Holy Cow call it ‘a gem of a book’ (Socialist Review), ‘cutting edge scholarship’ (Times Literary Supplement, 2002) and ‘an enlightening endeavour’ (Journal of Asian Studies).
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New York Times: “While cow veneration and vegetarianism may be the hallmarks of Hinduism today, Jha compiles copious evidence that this has hardly always been the case.”

Journal of Asian Studies: “Jha draws on an amazingly wide range of material … an enlightening endeavour, demonstrating a critical understanding of a popular misconception.” 

Times Literary Supplement, 2002: “Jha traces the …

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Reviews of S.Viswanathan’s Dalits in Dravidian Land say ‘Strongly recommended’ (Frontline), ‘An invaluable addition on an important subject’ (P.Sainath) and ‘goes well beyond mere reportage’ (New Indian Express).
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Frontline: “make[s] [a] significant contribution to one’s understanding of a persisting social and political problem that is the reality of one out of five in the population.”
The Hindu: “[A] painstaking chronicle of the deprivations, discriminations and atrocities faced by the Dalits in a progressive state.”
New Indian Express, Janurary 8 2006: “Portrays such spirited actions with rare understanding, bringing a depth to Dalit studies …