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Fatal Accidents of Birth: Stories of Suffering, Oppression and Resistance
This volume collects seventeen stories of women and men who, simply because they were born poor, or a particular gender, or into a certain caste or religion, fell prey to the many atrocities and indignities endemic to contemporary India. Some resisted, survived, and soldier on. Some did not. Lachmi Kaur lost almost all the male members of her family in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. She then overcame despair to singlehandedly bring up her children and grandchildren with fierce love and pride. With great courage of conviction, Krishan Gopal, a Dalit man from Nimoda in Rajasthan, decided to build his own shrine to Hanuman after being forbidden from the village temple by his upper-caste neighbours. What followed was persecution, violence and exile from the village which lasted all his life. At twenty-eight, Dandapani defied his family--which could not accept him for what he was--left home, and underwent a sex-change operation. Now known as Dhanam, she lives with her extended family of eunuchs in a Chennai shanty. And, in a chilling first-person account, Raheem tells of his village in Muzaffarnagar which, after cynical political manipulation, went from amity to a communal conflagration in just a week. Fatal Accidents of Birth is a powerful, challenging book. It tells us of the many ways in which we inflict violence upon each other--most of all by choosing to not see. And as it does so, this necessary book ensures that these stories will find their rightful place in our consciousness.
- GenresNonfictionAnthropology
216 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 26, 2017
Read this after reading Looking Away by Harsh Mander first. This book has 17 stories depicting the suffering, oppression, and hardship in the lives of poor, and minorities in India. There stories from 1984, 2002 riots, stories of beggars, stories of Dalits and more. These stories are disturbing, heartbreaking and compelling on their own but the book Looking Away will expand the scope of these stories.
I think my tears dried up in the end. These 17 stories are not a rare collection from remote parts of India. One can look out of their window and can see people living these stories. It's everywhere. They are taking place right in front of our eyes, and I don't know what can be done to stop them.
On second thought, maybe don't read this book and live a with a relaxed mind.
I think my tears dried up in the end. These 17 stories are not a rare collection from remote parts of India. One can look out of their window and can see people living these stories. It's everywhere. They are taking place right in front of our eyes, and I don't know what can be done to stop them.
On second thought, maybe don't read this book and live a with a relaxed mind.
October 21, 2018
An enlightening & informative book. This book needs to be read by everyone living in contemporary India. This is a book that describes the harrowing tales of so many people in everyday India that due to the 'fault' of their 'birth' & circumstances have to face situations which are quite disturbing. If you want to be informed about the 'real' India, you should read this book. If you are into social work, Sociological studies, political studies or want to know about the realities of people in 21st century India then this is the book you should be reading. This book has really made me realize that all is not as it seems, & that people in my country are suffering terribly. A very well presented, researched & analysed book.
September 17, 2024
It’s a powerful, thought-provoking book illustrating the harsh realities of inequality and justice.
January 20, 2021
"We live in a world, one which we have created ourselves, where we can fly to other planets but light-years seems to operate us from those who live with and battle the worst oppressions and cruelties. However, the truth is that the distance between human beings is no greater than the elementary recognition of our equal human dignity."
"A country and a world where the lives and destinies of millions of women and men, young people, boys and girls, still continue to be determined only by the fatal accidents of their births. Not by the breath of their hearts, the glint of their minds, the grit of their endeavors, the mettle of their characteristics and the flight of their dreams."
"A country and a world where the lives and destinies of millions of women and men, young people, boys and girls, still continue to be determined only by the fatal accidents of their births. Not by the breath of their hearts, the glint of their minds, the grit of their endeavors, the mettle of their characteristics and the flight of their dreams."
July 8, 2021
This is a collection of 18 stories of people across length and breadth of the India and their reality as we do not know it. Most are based on authors personal experience, few others are based on the sensational cases which shook India in and out. The authors carefully curates the stories some of which end well for the protagonist most others define the daily travails of the bottom pyramid in India.
An eye opener and a great read!
An eye opener and a great read!
January 21, 2026
Harsh Mander's book, Fatal Accidents of Birth, is a heart-wrenching collection of twenty-one stories of those people who have suffered the worst of society, whether it's oppression, untouchability, casteism, communalism, hunger, neglect, hatred, or other evils that are present in our society. The tales mentioned in this book are a grim reminder that fighting against the social evils should be given priority anyhow, especially for a diverse nation like India.
February 5, 2023
Being in India and not knowing most of the stories mad me feel bad about myself.
January 7, 2017
Fatal Accidents of Birth (Stories of Suffering, Oppression and Resistance)
Author: Harsh Mander
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Price: Rs. 499
Pages: 203
‘Our task is to change some conditions that appear to me as obviously against the beauty of being human’, said Paulo Freire. The quote greets the reader first. Little did I know that as I would turn the pages, I would learn so much about the inhuman intricacies woven into human lives, at times by circumstances and at other times simply because of one’s ignorance about the bigger picture while nitpicking over the supposedly misplaced tiny details.
The preface Other Lives, Other Worlds is hard-hitting and delivers the chills even before the human coldness starts storming in from the seventeen stories ahead.
Far from the hustles and bustles of rural India, where people swear by superstitions and certain beliefs and where caste still plays a dominant role, living in a city like Mumbai with its own cacophony of things ranging from one’s livelihood to his grand plan of existence, this book caught me off-hand. It is not only powerful but also offers riveting accounts of human lives caught in the glare of media at some point of time. While the tales of some characters ended abruptly just like their lives, some other characters’ tales found a better twist and hopefully will have a ‘proper ending’, if there would ever be one. But each of the seventeen stories is a slap on the face of the society that we are a part of. Each story has the potential to leave the reader aghast and rework the so-called rules of the ‘rigid society’ which according to many no longer exists. It very well does exist, probably just outside the confines of the place they call ‘home’ and sometimes inside it too, without their knowledge.
It also provides various angles to the Ishrat Jahan case (The Many Deaths of Ishrat Jahan) and leaves the threads of her tale open so that the reader can try to make some sense of it and make patterns of it in his mind as per his understanding.
It also chronicles the story of Rohith Vemula, doctoral scholar at the University of Hyderabad and a lover of people, who, he believed, are created of stardust, from the time of his mother’s birth. The story of ‘a man who could not rescue himself from what he described as the “fatal accident” of his birth, Rohith Vemula’s first and last letter to the world and the outrage that followed his death also find mention in this book [Mourning Rohith Vemula (1989-Forever)].
From the social stigma attached to HIV/AIDS, prostitution, bisexuality, begging and certain castes to the consequences and dangers of human trafficking, militancy, murder and riots – there is much insight to be gathered about all of these from this book. Some first-person accounts are dark and gory to the core which will make the reader pause and reflect over the lesser fortunate ones with whom he co-exists and yet is unaware of, or is rather silent when he should be voicing against the injustice meted out to them.
The human race is selfish. It will take kindness and a lot of empathizing to drill a sense of brotherhood and ‘-ity’ into ‘human’. Harsh Mander, maybe because he is a human rights worker and has seen in person and heard the tales of many of the people whose stories constitute this book, manages to bring to life a picture of the lives and tribulations of those hit by tragedy into mainstream conscience, deftly. It gives the reader a chance to step into the shoes of those whom one would generally not give a thought about, or rather whom one would look through, because caught as they are with the cobwebs of their own life, who would want to spare a second to possibly gather more cobwebs? Isn’t it? No. By doing so, we may actually be able to do something better to a lesser fortunate one. We could, even if we cannot clean their cobwebs, at least try to be a ray of hazy light for them to look past their cobwebs-filled existence.
Pick up the book if you think your life could have been better than it is right now. Chances are, you will be grateful for the life that you were granted while in the bylanes, a mother would pray for a son from the confines of a prison and another woman would wince as another hand would grope her unprotected body while in yet another roofless camp, heartfelt prayers would be sent to bring some solace for those with charred thoughts who would have to start learning once again how to live, clutching on to the vestiges of a dream that now lies shattered into a million pieces.
-Divya Nambiar
(http://www.freepressjournal.in/book-r...)
Author: Harsh Mander
Publisher: Speaking Tiger
Price: Rs. 499
Pages: 203
‘Our task is to change some conditions that appear to me as obviously against the beauty of being human’, said Paulo Freire. The quote greets the reader first. Little did I know that as I would turn the pages, I would learn so much about the inhuman intricacies woven into human lives, at times by circumstances and at other times simply because of one’s ignorance about the bigger picture while nitpicking over the supposedly misplaced tiny details.
The preface Other Lives, Other Worlds is hard-hitting and delivers the chills even before the human coldness starts storming in from the seventeen stories ahead.
Far from the hustles and bustles of rural India, where people swear by superstitions and certain beliefs and where caste still plays a dominant role, living in a city like Mumbai with its own cacophony of things ranging from one’s livelihood to his grand plan of existence, this book caught me off-hand. It is not only powerful but also offers riveting accounts of human lives caught in the glare of media at some point of time. While the tales of some characters ended abruptly just like their lives, some other characters’ tales found a better twist and hopefully will have a ‘proper ending’, if there would ever be one. But each of the seventeen stories is a slap on the face of the society that we are a part of. Each story has the potential to leave the reader aghast and rework the so-called rules of the ‘rigid society’ which according to many no longer exists. It very well does exist, probably just outside the confines of the place they call ‘home’ and sometimes inside it too, without their knowledge.
It also provides various angles to the Ishrat Jahan case (The Many Deaths of Ishrat Jahan) and leaves the threads of her tale open so that the reader can try to make some sense of it and make patterns of it in his mind as per his understanding.
It also chronicles the story of Rohith Vemula, doctoral scholar at the University of Hyderabad and a lover of people, who, he believed, are created of stardust, from the time of his mother’s birth. The story of ‘a man who could not rescue himself from what he described as the “fatal accident” of his birth, Rohith Vemula’s first and last letter to the world and the outrage that followed his death also find mention in this book [Mourning Rohith Vemula (1989-Forever)].
From the social stigma attached to HIV/AIDS, prostitution, bisexuality, begging and certain castes to the consequences and dangers of human trafficking, militancy, murder and riots – there is much insight to be gathered about all of these from this book. Some first-person accounts are dark and gory to the core which will make the reader pause and reflect over the lesser fortunate ones with whom he co-exists and yet is unaware of, or is rather silent when he should be voicing against the injustice meted out to them.
The human race is selfish. It will take kindness and a lot of empathizing to drill a sense of brotherhood and ‘-ity’ into ‘human’. Harsh Mander, maybe because he is a human rights worker and has seen in person and heard the tales of many of the people whose stories constitute this book, manages to bring to life a picture of the lives and tribulations of those hit by tragedy into mainstream conscience, deftly. It gives the reader a chance to step into the shoes of those whom one would generally not give a thought about, or rather whom one would look through, because caught as they are with the cobwebs of their own life, who would want to spare a second to possibly gather more cobwebs? Isn’t it? No. By doing so, we may actually be able to do something better to a lesser fortunate one. We could, even if we cannot clean their cobwebs, at least try to be a ray of hazy light for them to look past their cobwebs-filled existence.
Pick up the book if you think your life could have been better than it is right now. Chances are, you will be grateful for the life that you were granted while in the bylanes, a mother would pray for a son from the confines of a prison and another woman would wince as another hand would grope her unprotected body while in yet another roofless camp, heartfelt prayers would be sent to bring some solace for those with charred thoughts who would have to start learning once again how to live, clutching on to the vestiges of a dream that now lies shattered into a million pieces.
-Divya Nambiar
(http://www.freepressjournal.in/book-r...)
July 27, 2024
“This volume collects seventeen stories of women and men who, simply because they were born poor, or a particular gender, or into a certain caste or religion, fell prey to the many atrocities and indignities endemic to contemporary India. Some resisted, survived, and soldier on. Some did not.”
I loved the book, it’s simply a masterpiece. In today’s times, "Fatal Accidents of Birth" remains a stark reminder of ongoing social injustices and the urgent need for systemic reform. The author’s exploration of entrenched inequalities calls for renewed commitment to addressing the root causes of suffering and creating a more equitable society.
I loved the book, it’s simply a masterpiece. In today’s times, "Fatal Accidents of Birth" remains a stark reminder of ongoing social injustices and the urgent need for systemic reform. The author’s exploration of entrenched inequalities calls for renewed commitment to addressing the root causes of suffering and creating a more equitable society.
July 21, 2021
The book is well written and talks of sufferings of the common masses.
My criticism would be: the exclusion of 2002 Godhra Train Burning, 2010 Deganga Riots and 2013 Canning Riots.
Their inclusion is necessary for a holistic perspective of sufferings in the country.
My criticism would be: the exclusion of 2002 Godhra Train Burning, 2010 Deganga Riots and 2013 Canning Riots.
Their inclusion is necessary for a holistic perspective of sufferings in the country.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews