DUDIYA - IN YOUR BURNING LAND by VISHWAS PATIL, translated from the Marathi by NADEEM KHAN

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BOOK NAME:  DUDIYA - IN YOUR BURNING LAND

AUTHOR NAME: VISHWAS PATIL translated from the Marathi by NADEEM KHAN

GENRE:  TRANSLATED BOOK - CONTEMPORARY FICTION

PUBLISHER: THORNBIRD - NIYOGI BOOKS

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Dudiya-Your-Burning-Vishwas-Patil/dp/9391125654


BOOK COVER IMAGE




BOOK REVIEW

Dilip Sawar, a civil servant, is posted for election observation duty for 76 days in the naxal-infested parts of a Chhattisgarh village. While this would have disheartened anyone else, Dilip was almost close to celebrating this feat. He had always imagined doing daring works like this and never understood the big fuss about being posted in Chhattisgarh.


During his duty, he meets the young and energetic refugee girl, Dudiya, with a strange sense of aura around her that intrigues Dilip. Dudiya then opens up about her life as an Adivasi tribe who was caught between the state administration and the Naxals. While the state administration uprooted them from their homes for development purposes, the Naxals lured their way into the minds and hearts of the Adivasi youth. 


This book was such a great read for me. It spoke about the lives of the tribal people caught in the naxal - police battle. While some joined the Naxals passionately, a few others realised the truth behind their motto. They could not escape the Naxal camp for fear of being branded as traitors, tracked down and killed. Dudiya, in her story, paints a picture of her life filled with sadness, loss and trauma. She initially joins the Naxals, later escapes them after feeling disillusioned and trapped, and surrenders to the police. But this process was not simple for her, and she had to suffer the loss of relationships and was forced into marriage multiple times. 


I loved the fast-paced setting of this book mixed with history, suspense and melancholy. The coming-of-age story of Dudiya was heart-wrenching and left me rooting for her till the end. This book beautifully portrays the intricacies of life forced to surrender to fate. I recommend this book to all who would want to learn about the lives of tribals and the problems of Naxal infiltration in Chhattisgarh. 


MY REVIEW: 4/5

This post is a part of Blogchatter’s #TBRchallenge and Blogchatter’s half marathon 2023

#penbooksandscalpel


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