Portraits from Ayodhya

Almost two decades after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Scharada Dubey, an Ayodhya resident, studies the barricaded Ram Janmabhoomi site, travels through temple alleyways, visits the residents, ordinary and prominent, of a town that has known no peace. What follows is Portraits of Ayodhya - a startling compilation of oral history, a mighty jigsaw puzzle of voices from across the town. In this book of narrative non-fiction, we meet Ayodhya denizens with varying pasts, residents from all walks of life - from the allegedly omnipotent Mahant Gyandas, head of the Hanuman Garhi temple, to the unassuming Ram Sharan Das, occupied in cleaning gutters, and the gentle musician, Gauri Shankar Das. Even as we witness two sides to every story, we spot a thread binding all the major figures: a love for Ayodhya, a longing for quiet, a struggle for a sense of belonging. If the present is no more than the collective swell of everyday voices, if places are defined by people, Portraits of Ayodhya is testament to this belief. Unflinchingly honest and sincere, this is a book that presents an Ayodhya never seen before.