It has been almost ten years since I read this book in paperback as a part of my BA literature course. Its plot had touched me deeply. Anand’s angle is sympathetic but deeply revolting. Pretty few people have tried to touch this part of the society in their works. Particularly interesting is how he describes the colorful aspects of the backward class. The characters are also as deeply engaging and diverse. From Bakha, the protagonist to Sohini his sister, there are many other interesting characters like Havildar Charat Singh, Gulabo, Waziro, and the villain Pandit that seem very real. Many have found the novel pungent but it is not the novel or its story. It is the anathema it hits upon – UNTOUCHABILITY- that stinks. An English writer would not have presented it with as much clarity as Anand does. Bakha’s story and his struggle are painful but the plot is deeply stimulating. https://goo.gl/Vvav8D