Radhika Iyengar’s Fire on the Ganges is a nuanced exploration of the business of death in Banaras through the lens of caste
Iyengar tells the story of the Dalit community of Doms but is careful never to allow the authorial “I” to overpower the narrative, reflecting instead on the privilege that it occupies
indianexpress.com
Review: Fire on the Ganges byRadhika Iyengar
The ceaselessly burning pyre at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi is a living spectacle, where death asserts itself as the last witness to life.
www.hindustantimes.com
‘Fire on the Ganges’ book review: Inferno of the outsiders
Ah, the worlds that live beyond the worlds we know; Radhika Iyengar’s Fire on the Ganges takes us into one such. It leads us into the world of the Doms, which c
www.newindianexpress.com
Book Review: ‘Fire on the Ganges’ by Radhika Iyengar | Book Reviews – Storizen
Radhika Iyengar’s debut, “Fire on the Ganges,” delves into the intricate realities of the Doms in Banaras, offering a poignant exploration of their lives amid the city’s legacy of death.
www.storizen.com
Flames of invisibility
Assigned the task of performing the Hindu ritual of cremation, the Doms — labelled ‘untouchables’ — are situated at the lowest rung of the caste hierarchy
www.telegraphindia.com
The handlers of death
The book presents the stories of real people of the Dom community with the added flourish of a novelist’s eye, featuring a vast cast of characters.
frontline.thehindu.com
‘Fire on the Ganges’: What life in Varanasi is like for the Doms who dispose of corpses
Transgressions are costly and tricky matrices of caste and gender are punitive. The Doms of Banaras continue to pay a heavy price to simply live.
scroll.in
‘Witnessing such sights each day has a deep, scarring impact on the children at Manikarnika Ghat,’ says Radhika Iyengar, author of Fire on the Ganges
Radhika Iyengar’s debut book, ‘Fire on the Ganges’, paints a vivid picture of the Doms of Banaras, a community whose traditional occupation is cremating corpses at the ghats. Through her research, Iyengar explores the lives of the Doms beyond the cremation ground, examining their choices, education, and attempts to break away from the caste-bound profession. She also highlights the harsh realities of the Dom children who scavenge shrouds at Manikarnika Ghat, and how the practice of giving unpalatable or leftover food to oppressed castes is linked to decades of humiliation and pain. Iyengar hopes that mindsets will change, and that the Doms will be given the right education and opportunities.
www.thehindu.com
Doms are doing a crucial work and need to be given due respect in society: Radhika Iyengar
#SoftCover In her book ‘Fire on the Ganges: Life among the Dead in Banaras’, journalist and author Radhika Iyengar chronicles the everyday realities of the D…
www.youtube.com
‘Dom women are not expected to be enterprising or entrepreneurial’: Radhika Iyengar on writing ‘Fire on the Ganges’
In her non-fiction book on Varanasi’s corpse-burner Dom community, ‘Fire on the Ganges: Life Among the Dead in Banaras’, debutante author-journalist Radhika Iyengar demonstrates how caste-heteropatriarchy controls who gets to have a choice in the life they lead.
www.moneycontrol.com
‘Our Society Doesn’t Want the Dom Community to Stop Their Caste-Based Work’
In conversation with Radhika Iyengar, the author of ‘Fire on the Ganges’, about her research into the Dom community and their daily lives and ambitions.
thewire.in
Why a young journalist wrote a book on ‘life among the dead in Banaras’ | India News – Times of India
India News: Read about journalist and debutante author Radhika Iyengar’s book called Fire On The Ganges: Life Among The Dead in Banaras. Explore the lives of a small community of corpse burners in Banaras and their struggles with untouchability and caste discrimination.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
