Out of God's Oven

This unerring journey through memory and reminiscence . . . is a triumph' ?Indian Express Despite all odds it is often said India holds together. Perhaps it does the authors of this perceptive and provocative study of Indian society concede but there are bitter truths that this uncertain success barely conceals. For even after half a century of independence and the institution of democracy India remains a deeply divided society a 'fractured land'. While the old inequities of caste and class persist there are new challenges posed by the advent of extreme religious fundamentalism and an unabashedly consumerist culture. Out of God's Oven is an uncompromising look at the drama of contemporary India based on the authors' personal memories and first-hand accounts of terrible landmarks in Indian history such as the communal riots in Gujarat the strife in Ayodhya Naxal violence in Bengal terrorism in Punjab and caste wars in Bihar. In the midst of so much despair if there is hope the authors discover it lies in the resilience of ordinary people. But how long they ask before this too is lost? Recording the voices of several Indians including the anonymous and the famous the dispossessed and the privileged the sane and the fanatical Dom Moraes and Sarayu Srivatsa have produced a revelatory and sobering book that will be remembered and discussed for a long time to come. 'The travelogue is a time tested time worn device a trusty steed for philosophy and rambling prose. It is a tribute to Moraes' control over his material that God's Oven maintains its pace and rhythm without ever losing its focus or direction' ?Indian Express 'Out of God's Oven is that rare book that will be remembered long after other lesser works have been forgotten' ?Telegraph 'A travel book with a difference . . . beautifully written.