Fire on the Ganges: Life among the Dead in Banaras

Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru Book Clubs – 2015 had organised a programme to release the Award-winning journalist and debut author Radhika Iyengar’s book, Fire on the Ganges: Life among the Dead in Banaras at Grub House in city recently.

The book was released by Anu Chowdipura, Director, IT, USA and the first copy was received by Capt. Audrey Maben, Founder of I Can School in Mysuru and an Aviator, in the presence of Shubha Sanjay Urs, Founder-Chairperson of Mysuru Book Clubs-2015 and Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust.

Copies of the books were also given to Divyashree Sanjay and Amrita Sunil, Convenors of the book release event.

Meena Joshi, former Special Educator, member of the Mysuru Book Clubs and a Benarasi, was in conversation with the author. Before starting her talk, Radhika Iyengar asked the audience to close their eyes and picture themselves at Manikarnika Ghat, the setting of the story. She wanted them to consider what a challenging and depressing life the Dom’s as a community had.

Ghat, a significant cremation site in Banaras to earn a few rupees for their meagre subsistence.

The discussion included the Dom men’s experiences working at Manikarnika Ghat, where they are forced to labour in the shadow of flaming pyres without any safety gear. Iyengar talked on their personal conception of death and the psychological effects of this.  

By the time the conversation concluded, the audience had raised a number of important concerns and it  became a lively session. Many in the audience said that Iyengar’s work had awakened them to the presence of a marginalised community whose members have terrible lives and whose income is based on cremating corpses.

Club Member Prithvi Sudindar was the master of  ceremonies while Yamuna Achaiah and Anuradha Ashok introduced the author  and  conversationalist. Lakshmi Palecanda proposed the vote of thanks.