Shoes of the Dead

by Kota Neelima

Crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, Sudhakar Bhadra kills himself. The powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow. Gangiri, his brother, makes it his life’s mission to bring justice to the dead by influencing the committee to validate similar farmer suicides.

Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic Party - first-time member of Parliament from Mityala, and son of Vaishnav Kashinath, the party’s general secretary - is the heir to his father’s power in Delhi politics. He faces his first crisis every suicide in his constituency certified by the committee as debt-related is a blot on the party’s image, and his competence.

The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about ‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a chilling parable of modern-day India.

A book that will make you stroll through India’s corridors of power and politics with a perfect portrayal of how its consequences creep into the lives of the farmers forcing them to commit suicide. Get ready to read a gripping tale by Kota Neelima.

Genres: Fiction, India, Indian Literature

274 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Kota Neelima is a political author and has been a journalist for over 22 years. She holds a Master’s degree in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India, and was Senior Research Fellow, South Asia Studies at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA. She is a former political editor for The Sunday Guardian and writes on farmer suicides, rural women, and electoral reforms in India. Her bestselling books include Shoes of the Dead, Death of a Moneylender, and The Honest Season. Neelima lives in New Delhi.

Reviews

[Sumit Singla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely harrowing read! The book deals with the issue of farmer suicides in India, and how the dead are merely pawns in a larger political game that involves various stakeholders.

Gangiri Bhadra is the brother of a dead farmer, Sudhakar, who kills himself after being unable to deal with debt. Gangiri decides to return to his village and fight for the cause of farmers. In this battle that demands political skill and clout, what becomes of Gangiri and the farmers he is fighting for?

The book navigates the political games that go on behind the scenes adroitly and how a supposed democracy functions. However, some of the characters are two-dimensional and have changes of heart a little too easily. I can't relate to the idea of hardened politicians chasing nothing but money and power being swayed by rhetoric. Also, some characters such as the journalist, Nazar, and Videhi, a strong character who happens to be the wife of a businessman are decidedly underutilised. Nevertheless, the book does explain the nuanced world of Indian farmers, and why their deaths are nothing more than statistics in our world.

[Karthik R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very rarely do you come across such books which make your eyes well up with tears and brings about a total change in your thinking perspective!

[Rajesh CNB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually, I am weary of new authors, especially Indian. However, for once, I am clean bowled and I have become an instant fan of Kota Neelima. Here's why!

First, the choice of the theme and the topic. A battle between a farmer and a politician. Gangiri and Keyur Kashinath. This is the truth of India at its core. The nexus between local administration, money lenders and local politicians is very nicely portrayed. Aligned with this nexus is the press and the national political party. The farmer is trapped. Gangiri Bhadra's character fights this nexus. Slowly, systematically and intelligently. Not an easy topic to write about. Not for those who lives in the city, enjoys the food and the ambience and simply complains that this country is going to dogs.

Second, the language. To portray the emotions involved, so vividly, so gingerly, so elementally, an such a fragile manner that it made handle the book and each page delicately. I was afraid that I would hurt Gangiri if I turned the page a bit too harshly. Some of the lines are pure poetry. Gangiri's guilt has been conveyed so effectively that when he lost Balu, I lost interest in life itself! I could guess the end, but could not believe that the author would indeed give that shape. Somewhere, I hoped that Gangiri would survive miraculously like in the Bollywood films! He did not! And I am crestfallen at his fate.

Third, the values. Gangiri manages to transform the hardest of the hardest. Initially Gangiri seems to be as cunning as the others are, but his motives have never aligned with anyone else's. There are two episodes that are worth reading. One, the episode between Kashinath and Gangiri. "He realized that he wont need the dirty tricks of his team and the village politicians, if he stood by the farmers!" that says it all. The second is the episode between Gangiri and Durga Das, the local money lender. "He told them that its not retribution that is needed, its reconciliation." Sums it up. Totally sums it up. It just re-kindled my spirit to know that something as Gandhian as this could still be the solution in the modern world.

All in all, a must read for everyone who wants to fight the system to get to change things at the grass-root level. Gangiri Bhadra would be one of the most influential characters. As influential as Howard Roark.

[Ritesh Randhir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seldom does it happen when you finish reading the last sentence of a book and you keep staring at it as if looking into nothingness! I can still feel a burning sensation in my heart. This is a powerful book which has brought to light the sufferings of people of drought affected areas in India. This book is an outcome of a thoroughly researched and an empathetic mind. Needless to say Kota Neelima's writing style is as brilliant as the content is. Every character leaves behind an impact which lingers on your mind for days together. Looking forward to reading her other work. Highly recommended!

[Vikas Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Background:

As the folded cover page proclaims -

Crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, Sudhakar Bhadra kills himself. The powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow. Gangiri, his brother, makes it his life’s mission to bring justice to the dead by influencing the committee to validate similar farmer suicides.

Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic Party - first-time member of Parliament from Mityala, and son of Vaishnav Kashinath, the party’s general secretary - is the heir to his father’s power in Delhi politics. He faces his first crisis every suicide in his constituency certified by the committee as debt-related is a blot on the party’s image, and his competence.

The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about ‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a chilling parable of modern-day India.

A book that will make you stroll through India’s corridors of power and politics with a perfect portrayal of how its consequences creep into the lives of the farmers forcing them to commit suicide. Get ready to read a gripping tale by Kota Neelima.


Characters:

The protagonist of the story is Gangiri Bhadra, a righteous activist-cum-farmer, who after his elder brother’s suicide decides to wear the Shoes of the Dead to bring justice to others ill-fated in his village and district. Others who play important roles in the novel are Nazar Prabhakar, a journalist who writes under no pressure; Keyur Kashinath, a first time MP son of a respected politician of Democratic Party; Videhi Jaichand, a survey analyst at the Centre for Contempory Societies. Rest pivotal characters include maha-Sarpanch Lambodar, moneylender Durga Das, Collector Gul among others.


Story:

The story of the novel takes place part in the village Gopur of distt. Mityala and part in Delhi. The increasing number of farmer suicides in Mityala constituency under MP Keyur Kashinath after the inclusion of Gangiri Bhadra in the district suicide committee (for awarding compensation to the patra declared suicide cases) has become a bone of contention to the maha-Sarpanch Lambodar and his MP Keyur.

Gangiri, who lost his elder brother to debt-distress suicide, was refused compensation it being voted as apatra (ineligible) verdict by the suicide committee, so he decides to take the matter in his own hands to bring justice to the dead by working within the committee and forcing by truth to provide righteous compensation to several widows. But on this path of truth, he manages to make higher powers his enemy for whom more number of farmer suicides means the inefficiency of MP Keyur who has inherited power from his father, and they plan to eliminate him from the committee by any means possible.

The story then evolves into a power struggle indirectly between MP Keyur and farmer Gangiri. The latter is helped by journalist Nazar Prabhakar and Dr. Videhi Jaichand indirectly in his quest for justice and fairness to farmers.

Will Keyur be able to dominate his honest enemies and save his face? Will Gangiri succeed in his mission and what prices will he have to pay on the way?! To observe the fight between power politics and a farmer’s righteous mission, one should read this novel by Kota Neelima who has done a wonderful work here.


Likes:

Power struggle distributed throughout the book

Values and honour of a farmer and true description of his true pathetic condition in our country

The author justified the theme through the unprecedented but perfect ending of the book.


Dislikes:

The complexity of the language throughout made it difficult for me to understand any single paragraph in one go. I had to read and re-read literally every second paragraph on an average which distracted the flow of the story. Hence it took me a long time to read (coupled with my illness in between), that’s why this late review.

I couldn’t understand, first, the placing of romantic tension between Nazar and Videhi, and secondly, it being left in a cliffhanger with no use in the story.


My rating: 3.75 stars out of 5

[Priya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kota Neelima's Shoes of the dead left me feeling uneasy. Uneasy is a vague description, I know, but that's how I felt - part guilt, part sadness and somewhere in there a small sense of relief and gratitude that I live in a better world. A world infinitely better than what Gangiri Bhadra and his family live in. And what makes it all the more gut wrenching is the fact that farmer suicides are not fiction. There are scores of Sudhakar Bhadras dying every day, unable to take another day of the poverty and hunger. Not of their own probably, but of their family especially the children.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up the book - I bought it solely based on the blurb. That probably helps when trying to discover new authors, esp Indian ones. And Kota Neelima is a discovery for me. The prose was beautiful in places and the visuals and emotions were rendered crisp and perfect, like oil paints on canvas. I could've sworn I felt the winter in Mityala and the dirt and dust of its villages and streets. And that proximity, imaginary yes, but that proximity made it that much harder to digest the reality portrayed in the book about the vicious cycle of debt these poor farmers get into and how the politicians and local stakeholders still try to get mileage out of their grief.

The characters Gangiri and Keyur are written very realistically - the former suffering for his ideals and torn between standing up for justice and taking the easier way for the sake of the children and the latter showing his inexperience in politics, trying to learn everything on the fly. I liked the uncertainty about Keyur - one time he's the ruthless politician and the next he's almost humane and before you understand that he's gone back to being a pampered son born into power. My only grouse is with how Videhi and Nazar's characters are hardly used to their potential - the book was surely not that long so as to exclude these two the way they were. Under utilized, surely.

The last few chapters are a tough read because of the way the story progresses. I wish it were just fiction. Because if it isn't, we're all guilty of ignoring the plight of the farmer who grows our food. And their blood will be on hands as much as on the government's.

And oh, if you're wondering about the title - you'll understand in the last few pages. Not before.

[Divakar T Lingam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kota Neelima’s Shoes of the Dead is absolute sheer brilliance. It needs an immense effort and experience for someone to write a political fiction like this. Easily left with a hard hitting conclusion.

Also, Heard that the movie rights of this book has been bought by Director Vettri Maran. Can’t wait to see the film version of it!

[Binod Mairta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, first of all I wish to declare that I am not writing this review as a reviewer but as a reader. Though I have been an avid reader since childhood and love to sleep with books by my side even now, it is just my third attempt to write a review of a book. And I am glad to say, this is one of the books, I have found very close to my heart. It took me to my roots and left me with tears at the end. It is a story of Gangiri Bhadra, a destitute, vulnerable farmer (and believe me most of the farmers in our country are like him, so it becomes the story of famers not of a famer), who fights the world and wins, but is not able to handle the personal tragedy and commits suicide. The turn of events left me gasping.

Kota Neelima is hailed as a political novelist, but this novel, Shoes of the Dead, is not about, at least it seemed to me, politics but about farmers: farmers living in distress, farmers in debt, farmers who feed the world but cannot feed their families, farmers trapped in moneylenders’ vicious cycle of debts, farmers being betrayed by their protectors, their leaders and farmers committing suicide.

Being a farmer’s son, though in my region the suicide by famers is rare, I can feel it. As my eyes scanned the page after page of the book, pictures came alive. As a child I have seen my father and other farmers running banks to moneylenders for loan, for credit, for irrigation facilities, for seeds, for fertilizers. They didn’t and don’t wait impatiently for monsoon to get respite from the heat but to get enough water to plant paddy, and good monsoon not only provides them food for the year but also help them to repay the debt, to buy other basic items for survival.

I appreciate the way, the author has portrayed the lives of farmers and behaviour of our politicians. And only someone, who has closely watched the lives of farmers, their struggle, and believe me, they have only struggle in their share, can portray such images, which become alive as we read the words.

The story begins with the well of power, Delhi, and we find Keyur Kashinath, Member of Parliament from Mityala, a constituency which has witnessed many cases of farmers’ suicide, talking to journalists about the rising number of such cases. And a collage of pictures taken from the lives of farmers appears before us and we also notice that how the cases are being manipulated by a chain of powerful and rich persons, holding positions; how the people entrusted with welfare of the farmers, and who live with them, create the situation and stage-manage every step for their gains; how they wait like vultures for another death to usurp the deceased’s property; and how ruthless the greed of power and money can make the people.

On the other side, we have journalist, Nazar Prabhakar who still believes in ethics and is not subdued by anyone’s authority. He highlights the plight of farmers and help Bhadra in turning the tide. And in the last, we do witness the change of hearts but at the cost of another suicide.

It is a gripping tale and it captures our attention at the outset. No wonder, it is Kota Neelima’s highly acclaimed book and has won accolades from all quarters.

[Amit Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, Sudhakar Bhadra kills himself. The powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow. Gangiri, his brother, makes it his life’s mission to bring justice to the dead by influencing the committee to validate similar farmer suicides.

Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic Party—first-time member of Parliament from Mityala, and son of Vaishnav Kashinath, the party’s general secretary—is the heir to his father’s power in Delhi politics. He faces his first crisis; every suicide in his constituency certified by the committee as debt-related is a blot on the party’s image, and his competence.

The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about ‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner.

Soaked in the reality of villages, the narrative keeps you engrossed and provides a rich insight into politics of farmers suicide and an almost inhuman approach to desensitize such a appalling issue. Most of the characters may bounce off as too intellectual or politically obsessed with the details but the writer knows the material well and in all probability, as a reader you are ready to delve deeper into these notes to grasp an understanding of their trials and tribulations.

There are hard hitting thoughts on the Indian diaspora and punchy one liners to keep you on line with the critical theme of the story. It also helps that the author does not take a moral stance on the issue and keeps alternating between different point of views punching in both sides of the coin. It does border on giving a moral lecture in the form of rural reportage but in an overall context provides a deeper understanding of the complexities of Indian rural scene.

It raises uncomfortable questions on the plight of farmers conditions and a hope of a nation to do something about them even after 60 odd years of independence. In the end, it is also fight of a one man army among corrupt politicians, slimy bureaucrats and hefty village henchmen. It is a tale of hope, moral judgement and evolution of arguably, the bread winner class of India. The writer blends these critical issues with aplomb and sensitivity.

The book gives a deeper understanding of the rural politics and a great insight into the rigmarole of the farmers suicide. I am going with 4/5 for Kota Neelima's 'Shoes of the Dead'. A little shorter in length would not have hurted it but in its current form, it is a one time startlingly provoking parable from rural India.

[Jaideep Khanduja · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Book Review: Shoes of the Dead: Fight Between Poor Farmers And Lousy Politics

Shoes of the Dead by Kota Neelima – a hardbound book, published by Rupa Publications, has a neatly woven storyline. It has a strong bunch of negative and positive characters scripted in an interesting and powerful manner. I received this book for review from BlogAdda under their Boook Reviews Program. Kota Neelima is a Political Editor for The Sunday Guardian. She is also undergoing her Research Fellowship for South Asia Studies at John Hopkins University, Washington DC. She already has a twin hit of her previously published novels under her belt – Riverstones, and Death of a Moneylender.

This is a sensitively written book presenting both ends of a typical Indian scenario – where on one hand poor farmers keep following suicide spree due to various reasons as most of them depend heavily on monsoon rains, political and local moneylenders support and living with low temperament always worried about the next meal for their family; political leaders keep taking advantage of these situations with just motive of keeping their vote bank intact with whatever measures they have to take to achieve it. One bad monsoon creates a big debt for a farmer and forces him to get pushed under heavy weight of loans drifting him to more poor and uncertain conditions. Local politicians and moneylenders unite and create a kind of mafia to loot poor farmers and mint money by grabbing their land, money, jewelry and home. Very few who understand this ballgame get screwed badly if they try to resist.

The whole game starts with the suicide of Sudhakar Bhadra who belongs to Gopur village, kills himself out of huge debt and no possibility of any healthy conditions returning back so as to live a normal life. He leaves his wife and two kids behind him. Gangiri (the main lead of this story), when comes to know about it, leaves his teaching job in city and returns back to take care of Sudhakar’s family and a single motive of fighting with the poor conditions being faced by other farmers in his village. Sudhakar’s wife plea of considering Sudhakar’s suicide as debt driven and hence sanctioning relaxation in the payable loans by him gets rejected by the local committee stating it otherwise.


Shoes of the Dead is a fight of poor against rich, good against bad, common man against politics and administration. Overall it is an interesting read passing through various twists.

[Nirvaan Baid · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there has to be one word to describe this piece of literature it is 'Captivating'. This genre is a refreshing change from all the rom-coms the new age Indian authors are coming up with. The way the details are presented in such an articulate fashion would make even the best in the business proud! Take a bow Neelima!
The story of a farmer, who succumbs to the pressures of life, crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, and finds death to be the easier way out. As fate would have it, the powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow.
Gangiri, the farmer's brother, who fights for justice to his brother’s widow is the main protagonist of the story, while Keyur Kashinath, The antagonist of the Democratic Party.
The tone of the book is highly empathetic and it seems to have a heart of its own. The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about ‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a chilling parable of modern-day India.
One of the lines which struck me was "Where booked enjoyed better air conditioning than half of country's population" "Where family of dead farmer owned land, compensation was denied, so that family is forced to sell off land, where they had no land, compensation was granted so that debt could be repaid in cash".
The cover of the book and the sepia adds to the grave tone which is very well complemented with the narration. This sort of humane rendition to the characters and the storyline makes the narration effective and easy to understand. The dilemmas associated with pride and poverty are very well-sketched. The dilemmas faced by committees and the discomfort faced by people are also nicely done. This is a piece that will make you amble through the corridors of power and politics of India along with a perfect portrayal of how its consequences creep into the lives of the farmers forcing them to commit suicide.

[Shail Raghuvanshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until now I lived in the illusion that it was I who selected the kind of books that I wanted to read and review. But, today after reading Shoes of the Dead, “….I am only incidental,” I realized that I played no role whatsoever in the kind of books that came to me. Instead, the books choose me! Whether good or bad, energy consuming or a wastage of time, the books decided whether I was worthy of them or not. Otherwise, how could it be that some books refused to come to me even though I desperately desired to read them while some books just seem to pop into my hands without any effort or desire?

Kota Neelima’s book, Shoes of the Dead seems to be one such purposeful and heart wrenching book which deals about one man’s courageous battle against the system that refuses to acknowledge suicides by farmers.

It isn’t easy writing about farmer suicides. All the more difficult weaving a novel around it without appearing cynical or hypocritical. After all, such things happen in villages, to poor desperate farmers, not to urbanites like you, me or the writer! But, the author writes a novel that is sensitively soaked in reality with a narrative that edges you on, making you feel part of it all, making you want to make a difference!

The novel deals with the issue of suicides of debt ridden farmers, how it affects their families, how the matter is either ignored or politicized for selfish gain by the people in power both, in villages and at the Centre.

Don’t miss out on this powerful piece of political fiction. I guarantee that you will not come out unaffected.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shoes of the Dead is an adventurous book for having tackled the very real problem of farmer suicides in India. Using a "one man's fight against all" narrative to illuminate the cronyism between politicians and moneylenders, the reader is introduced to the challenges in addressing the problem. Districts organize suicide committees whose task is to evaluate whether a farmer suicide was motivated by indebtedness. If so, the committee would rule the family eligible for a 1 lakh compensation payment. Yet simultaneously a positive decision signals to moneylenders of money imminently available to pay back the deceased's loans, a course of action vividly described in the book.

The dialogue often comes across as stunted or more appropriate for a fantasy novel of lesser writing, otherwise I would've rated the book higher. Take for example this exchange between Gangiri (the protagonist whose brother has committed suicide) and Keyur (the district politician whose redemption unfolds): 'My name is Keyur Kashinath.' 'So you are the one who has been plotting against me!' ... 'And you are the one destroying my political career.' 'Not on purpose! But you sent men to hurt me and my family...' or an earlier passage which feels similarly unpolished: "You may recall the man Keyur Kashinath was talking about last night, the educated farmer Gangiri, who will not accept injustice. He knows he can fight the system using the disparities contained in it."

[Ritika Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those pieces of fiction that opens you to reality. Most of us know about the distressed situation of farmers due to crop failures, or we think we know it (that is how this book will make you feel). One crop fails and a life is taken. Add to that the unscrupulous money lenders, powerful politicians and the minuscule compensation is also denied. Thus, testing a common man's resilience. How he tactfully fights without compromising the system makes him a hero for us, one that is truly needed in these times. While characters like Nazar, the journalist and Keyur, the MLA of the distressed constituency are also carved well, the story definitively belongs to Gangiri, you smile when he wins and your heart goes out to the sacrifices that he has to make to get to justice.

Summary: The news of drought will never ever be the same. It will always remind me of a Sudhakar whose life it took and instill a hope that there exists a certain Gangiri somewhere.

[Arunachalam Bharathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely well written book. It even indulges in a romantic description of the fog and sunrise of a mundane city like Delhi. Apart from bringing the problem of farmer suicides and governments response to it, the influence of the money lenders etc.., there is a gripping story woven around the theme of farmer suicides. It highlights the role of honest men/women still in our system, who can turn around many fence sitters towards doing what is morally correct. What is nice about the book is that it is a story of the survival of idealism, even in the crass world of politics, governance and journalism. The weight of moral strength comes to the fore, very rarely seen in the books of modern times.

[Tushar Mangl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start with the cover. This book is available in hard cover and the designing is beautiful. It tempts the reader to follow it through. The content in itself is superbly presented.

It tells about the agriculture in India and how the poor farmers are being victimized by the society. Does anyone care for them?
The politicians want to gain as much mileage out of it as possible.
Everyone wants something, but no wants to serve these farmers.
Not everyday you get to hear such a story.

Go read the story of Keyur and Gangri and hopefully you will take away something from their worlds.

[Ashreya Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you truly want to know about Politics, yes this is the book.it tells how much a person can do for sake of votes.
the best part of the book is characterization. how the story is built to support each character. you feel like you have heard this story from your grandmother who is into farming or read it in news paper.

[Naveen K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat political fiction which interweaves the plight of debt-ridden farmers with the contours of politics and journalism except for the ending which seemed abrupt and clichéd.

[Fleme Varkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He was not merely killing himself, he was killing the farmer in himself.” These lines from Neelima Kota’s book Shoes of the Dead highlight the pathos that the book conveys in its 274 pages.

Politics is deeply ent­ren­ched in the heart of this book. The author talks of power, the lack of it, and inherited power in modern India — a story which reflects the current state of the country. Strung along is another of the country’s problems which politicians have brushed under the carpet — that of farmer suicides.

The book tells the story of a man’s struggle to bring justice to his dead brother, a farmer, and the story of how a young man groomed by his father to enter politics faces the first crisis in his constituency — farmer suicides.

It is as written, “A brilliant farmer (Gangiri Bhadra) battles his inheritance of despair, while the arrogant politician (Keyur Kashinath) fights to keep his inheritance of power.”

The author also makes no bones about the fact that her story is set in the backdrop of the Vidarbha farmer suicides. Neelima explains what she means by this ‘inheritance’: “It is the idea of inherited power in a democracy that I seek to challenge. My book deals with dynasty politics and the inheritance of poverty. The story is of the farmer who lives in inheritance debts, a son that inherits the hopelessness from the parents. The son of a politician can easily walk in the shoes of his dead father. For the son of a debt-ridden dead farmer, it is a dilemma.”

From the bottom level of governments, political dynasties are involved. Precedents are already set. The only hope is that we realise as voters to refuse the legacy of hereditary power, she says. Gangiri and some of the youth in the book represent what she noticed during her research on the subject. “The rural landscape is changing, gone are the days of typecasting the villagers as backward or unaware. Today they are asking uncomfortable questions like, ‘why is our destiny different from those of the youth in the urban areas? Why do we have to struggle to live while our counterparts in the cities thrive?’ The focus has always been on urban problems, from flyovers, hospitals and roads. The focus should shift to the villages,” she explains.

Gangiri, one of the main characters in the book, questions and challenges the authority, the sarpanches and the corruption-ridden committees in Gopur village.The questioning, needless to say, shakes some very powerful people in the cities, (here, Keyur) who want to hush up the matter. Keyur and his party, in collaboration with the important people in the suicide committee, want to make sure that nothing jeopardises his taking over the party’s reins from his father and farmer suicides were proving to be a difficult thorn to remove.

The author then goes on to make a very pertinent point. “The focus is always on the City, because that’s where the protests are, that’s where the politicians live, but the youth in the villages are equally angry yet their protests remain outside the

limelight.”

Central to the plot is the suicide committee in Gopur. It is the one which decides whether a farmer’s death was due to debt-related distress or other reasons. Based on their votes, the compensation to the widows would be awarded. Gangiri fights his way through into the committee and his reason — the one which Neelima feels is the most important — is that there is no one to represent the farmers themselves on the committee which includes the maha sarpanch, a cunning moneylender, the village doctor, banker and a woman sarpanch among others.

“It’s ironical. In life, the farmer suffers because of debts and poverty and in death, he is denied justice. No government wants this blot on their head and so they try their best to bury the actual farmer suicides. I have quoted some of the actual solutions given by farmers. One said, ‘Many of the farmers commit suicide due to the humiliation and insults they face when they fail to repay loans to the banks or moneylenders. Private loan recovery agents make lives miserable for us. So it is advised that a panchayat member be present when the loan recovery agents come, so that at least their dignity is maintained’. The suicide committee in the book argues that a farmer who died of alcoholism or heart attack or depression is not eligible for compensation, but the truth is that it is debt-ridden lives, the humiliation and the desperation which leads them to commit suicide,” adds Neelima.

The desperation is carried on from father to son. On a visit to Vidarbha on New Year’s Day, Neelima saw the stark contrast. “While the cities were brightly lit and there was celebration in the air, in the villages in Vidarbha there was calm. There was intense anger. I asked the children if they would become farmers. Some said yes because they felt they were more educated than their parents, they would not make the same the mistakes as their fathers and that they would try and make a difference. Those who refused said they would not because of their parent’s fate. My heroes are the ones who are willing to farm again,” she says.

There are no solutions that she gives but suggestions plenty. A hard-hitting narrative of the rivers of blood that flow down the corridors of power, whom none but the poor can see.

[Amrit Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agriculture is considered to be the major occupation in rural India. In terms of farm output, India currently ranks second in the world. The agricultural sector in India accounts for almost 16 percent of GDP and 10 percent of export earnings. The importance of agriculture and farming in this country can thus never be undermined.

However, the irony lies in the fact that the welfare of the farmers, who play the most important role in this occupation, are often neglected and ignored. The poor farmers cannot afford advanced technologies and thus depend on rainfall and other sources of nature to grow their crops. At times the farms fail to produce the desired yield, perhaps due to scanty rainfall or lack of proper planning, leading to poverty and deprivation. The farmers then have to borrow money from the money lenders at high rates of interest to survive and to sustain their families, with hope that they can repay the loan with a prosperous yield in the next season. However, when fate deserts them, they find themselves standing at the cross-roads of failure and hopelessness, under the burden of heavy debts. The poor miserable farmers then resort to their last option, suicide.

Kota Neelima’s 'Shoes Of The Dead' highlights the agony of farmers and their families in this political fiction based on the backdrop of debt-driven farmer suicide. The story starts with the suicide of Sudhakar Bhadra who fails to bear the huge burden of debt. However, the district committee of Mityala, comprising of powerful individuals, dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to the widow. Sudhakar’s brother, Gangiri, makes it the mission of his life to bring justice to the dead by influencing the committee to validate similar cases of farmer suicides.

Gangiri faces severe hurdles on the way, from politicians and other prominent members of the district committee. However, it is his firm determination that leads him on. He is supported by Nazar, a well known journalist, who publishes his story of struggle and resoluteness, thus shaking the very foundation of power in the state. Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic Party, and first time member of Parliament from Mityala, feels the heat and tries several ways to gain control of his first major crisis. Keyur is the son of Vaishnav Kashinath, the party’s General Secretary, and is all set to inherit his father’s power in Delhi politics.

The book is slow to start with. However, that is justified since characterization plays a key role in this story, and the first few chapters lead to the setting of the plot and introduce the primary characters to the readers. Gangiri is caring, loyal, hard-working, and devoted to his goals, and he gradually creates a place in your heart. You smile when he rises, and feel sorry when he falls, but you never leave his side even for a single moment in the story. Keyur is another memorable character in the story who brings out the true shades of a normal human being, the inability to distinguish between good and bad, and fails to strike the perfect balance in his actions and deeds. Other characters like Lambodar, Vadrangi, Nazar, Gul and Videhi keep the story alive, as the line between fiction and reality blurs eventually.

Kota Neelima meticulously deals with the problems surrounding farmer suicides, and tries to come out with a solution or two. She manages to transport us in the world where peasants and farmers feed on their tears and survive with an everlasting fear of loss and defeat. She is a political editor with The Sunday Guardian which clearly showcases her prowess with the subject. She is also a Research Fellow for South Asia Studies at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC. Her previously published work includes the novels Riverstones and Death of a Moneylender.

Somewhere in the story, the conversation between two main characters is as follows:

“You must be a fool to forgive so easily.”
“Or a farmer.”

Strange but true – it’s tough being a farmer in the land of farming. This 'Shoes Of The Dead' fits perfectly in the heart, mind, and soul of its readers.

[Abhyudaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author- Kota Neelima
Title- Shoes of the dead
Publisher- Rupa
ISBN- 978-81-291-2396-1
Price- Rs. 495.00
Genre- Political Fiction

This time I have the honour to review an uncommon genre. It’s a topic that has been touched upon by many a thinkers and political columnists in India but it has seldom been depicted so vividly in the form of a work of fiction.

About the Author-Kota Neelima works as Political Editor with the Sunday Guardian and is a research fellow for South Asia Studies at The Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washingto, DC. She has previously written and published “Riverstones” and “Death of a Moneylender”.

About the cover-The cover draws a sharp contrast between the two poles of developing India where the book title separates the world of famine-struck terrain to the world of power corridors in the nation’s capital. The sepia tone lends certain seriousness to the theme which is also undeniably grim and haunting for the mind.

The Book Title- Shoes of the Dead refers to the footsteps of the dead farmers who have committed suicides due to the dismal state of affairs in India; which need to be followed by those who seek justice. It’s, as the introduction suggests, an unequal battle with a definite advantage toward those who are in power. The title does justice to the book’s theme and lends a certain weight to the issue.

The Main Characters-Sudhakar Bhadra- The “dead”. He is the farmer who commits suicide after successive crop failures and the burden of debt. The district committee of Mityala refuses compensation to the widow and thus begins the tale of injustice and fight against it.Gangiri- Sudhakar’s brother who fights for justice to his brother’s widow. He is the protagonist of the story.Keyur Kashinath- The antagonist of the Democratic Party. First time Member of Parliament and son of Vaishnav Kashinath- the party’s general secretary- An arrogant and fierce politician.

The Plot, Language and Myriad Other Aspects-The tone of the book is highly empathetic and it seems to have a heart of its own. The language is simple and sentences are short. The book will cater to an audience which seeks to bring justice to those stuck at the claws of bureaucracy and politics in a timeless warp. It takes sharp digs at the system and its ability to corrupt the power hungry. The amount of research that has gone into the book is highly evident and at places, it does seem like you’re reading a real story straight out of a weekly news magazine.
The events are believable and do bear resemblance to reality. The protagonist has his tryst with the fragility of morality in the course of story and it sometimes stops being a Mahabharata between good and evil but becomes a game of one-upmanship. This sort of humane rendition to the characters and the storyline makes the narration effective and easy to understand. The dilemmas associated with pride and poverty are very well-sketched. The dilemmas faced by committees and the discomfort faced by people are also nicely done. You can get the frustration associated with the inner workings of a government appointed committee and feel helpless and motivated at the same time. These emotions which are the quintessential components of any political novel are highlighted and well handled.All in all, a good read. I’ll rate it 3.5 out of 5. The language could have been more technical and political but I guess that would have narrowed its reader base. Understandable compromise on the part of the author.

[Nitin Vadher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely well written book and a hardcore political fiction. Apart from bringing the problem of farmer suicides and governments response to it, the influence of the money lenders, surpanchs, collectors, talatis etc.., there is a gripping story woven around the theme of farmer suicides. This book is an eye opener on how a farmer's life is controlled by various entities in a village, and political agenda behind twisting unfavorable numbers and this book is a good reference for those studying politics and agriculture. It is a tragic story that illustrates the terrible situation of the farmers in central India, where the failure of crops and increasing burden of debt on them, is forcing them to take an extreme step of ending their lives. Also It highlights the role of honest men/women still in our system, who can make changes in our system.
· The Plot
The hardworking farmer Sudhakar Bhadra committed suicide as result of the permanent failure of his crops and under the burden debt. However, to suppress the suicides committed by the farmers the powerful community of Mityala fakes out the news of suicide committed by the farmers and cancels the compensation to his family. The Protagonist Gangiri, Sudhakar’s brother decides to take a revenge on this and thus bring justice to all the farmers who had died due to failure in successive crops.
The novel throws light the working of Indian political and democratic system. The farmer who works hard in his field throughout the year to earn a living but fails to see any significant results in the form of rich crops, the situation turns to be from bad to worse for him. He is left with no other option but to take an extreme step of committing suicide.
Gangiri is determined to change the prevailing conditions in Mityala, a district in south central India. He demonstrates some chain of events that threatens to spoil the career of an ambitious young politician, Keyur Kashinath.
Political drama, changing equations, slyness and what not. This book is a detailed and well crafted account of what could have been the reason behind the sudden suicides and things related to it. It’s a must read and the writing grips you from the very beginning. Overall, I loved it and recommend it to everyone who loves reading stories set in the rural and political backdrops.
Also I would like to add that government is providing good infrastructure to the metros and mega cities but basic needs are not being provided to the farmers. Needs like check dams, canals, proper electric power supply. Our India is an agriculture country we are much depended on it, and then also farmers are being criticized.
Some of the catchy lines which I liked are:-
I believe that those who show us our mistakes are more precious than those who ignore them. Page no 133
They suffer because of my decisions, sir. I could have chosen to give them a brighter life, but I bartered it for justice…. Page no 137
This is not cricket, where defeat is part of the game. This is chess; defeat is the end of the game. Page no 230

About the Author
Kota Neelima is a political editor with The Sunday Guardian and a Research Fellow for South Asia Studies at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC. Riverstones and Death of a Moneylender are some of her previous creations.

[Thousif Raza · Rating 3 out of 5]

India as a developing nation has a variety of problems to cope with. But none is greater and more dangerous than farmers killing themselves over the grief of not being able to pay the loans acquired by them. With this premise in mind, Kota Neelima begins the tale of Shoes of the Dead. A story that focuses to dwell deep into the perils of the Indian farmers who have to struggle every day to grow the food that keeps this nation alive.

From the first line itself, the author, Kota Neelima, sets in the exact mood that would make you care about the cause of the book. The story starts with Keyur Kashinath, son of the famous Vasihnav Kashinath, trying to understand the situation of his constituency as he keeps hearing about the problems that just won’t go away. Coming to power as a newly elected MP from the poverty stricken village of Mityala, Keyur’s informal meeting to figure out reasons why farmers are committing suicide sets the tone of the book.

As the story progresses we learn how deep the problem is. Keyur’s character comes out well as a newly elected MP as he makes mistakes due to his arrogance. These mistakes get escalated when the journalist, Nazar Prabhakar, learns how deep the political conspiracy is to silence the true number of farmer’s suicide as it tarnishes the name of Keyur.



Following a lead from one of the associates of Keyur, Nazar tries to help one of the strongest characters in the book, Gangiri Bhadra.

Gangiri Bhadra’s character is fascinating to read as you get to know how much a person can suffer to make something right that has gone terribly wrong. As you read, you get to know how Gangiri’s lifestyle in the city takes a violent 360 degree turn when he gets to know about his brother’s death. The chapter where you learn how he helps farm widows get the justice they deserve is amazing to read.
The story also focuses on the bad guys such as Durga Das and Lambodar Maha Sarpanch. The motives behind Durga Das trying to capitalize on farmer’s death is traditionally clique, but Lambodar’s reasons to nullify as many farmer suicides as possible is as shocking as it can get.

The research done by Neelima is very good as you get to know how farmers struggle to turn the brown of the mud into the lively green of the nature. Some of the aspects of Keyur’s character could have been written better as he makes mistakes that no son whose father has been a cunning politician for more than 30 years should make.

hoes of the Dead starts out strong, but is riddled with uneven storytelling that keeps jumping from one aspect of storytelling to another. Like how after Gangiri makes a big splash by becoming the member of the suicide committee it’s explained how he gains trust of the other members. I felt that part should have been explained before the author makes him seem like such a menace to Keyur.

All in all, it’s a good attempt on part of Neelima as she explains the perils of farmers striving every day to provide food for this great nation of India. I will give 3.5 stars for the solid writing that sometimes surprises you and makes you really care about the situation endured by the life givers of our nation.

[Shail Raghuvanshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until now I lived in the illusion that it was I who selected the kind of books that I wanted to read and review. But, today after reading Shoes of the Dead, “….I am only incidental,” I realized that I played no role whatsoever in the kind of books that came to me. Instead, the books choose me! Whether good or bad, energy consuming or a wastage of time, the books decided whether I was worthy of them or not. Otherwise, how could it be that some books refused to come to me even though I desperately desired to read them while some books just seem to pop into my hands without any effort or desire?

Kota Neelima’s book, Shoes of the Dead seems to be one such purposeful and heart wrenching book which deals about one man’s courageous battle against the system that refuses to acknowledge suicides by farmers.

It isn’t easy writing about farmer suicides. All the more difficult weaving a novel around it without appearing cynical or hypocritical. After all, such things happen in villages, to poor desperate farmers, not to urbanites like you, me or the writer! But, the author writes a novel that is sensitively soaked in reality with a narrative that edges you on, making you feel part of it all, making you want to make a difference!

The novel deals with the issue of suicides of debt ridden farmers, how it affects their families, how the matter is either ignored or politicized for selfish gain by the people in power both, in villages and at the Centre.

Gangiri Bhadra is the main protagonist of this deeply moving novel who has to face the agony and loss of his dear brother Sudhakar, a farmer to suicide. More tragic is the betrayal of the law that refuses to accept the untimely death as related to any ‘burden of unpaid farm debt.’

Gangiri has a choice – to either go back to the city, continue his job as a teacher and become just “a man from nowhere, a man who was just a name on a salary cheque, a face on a photo ID, a voice on the phone. A part of the moving mass of people in a crowded bus, a metro, a local train. Perhaps he was braver than Sudhakar. He was not merely killing himself; he was killing the farmer in himself.”

Or, make a decision, “to make sure no farmer was ever humiliated again, no widow ever called a liar.”

But, the fight is deadly, the consequences even deadlier – not only must he protect his sense of integrity and self respect, he must also not allow poverty, hunger and the innocent vulnerable desire to live of his brother’ s two small children and widow to make his mission weak. He has to protect them from humiliation, hunger and death while be wages a war against a system that is both powerful and insensitive.

Will he succeed when the enemies outnumber him in politics, power and immorality? Will he be able to garner justice for the farmers when Keyur Kashinath, MP whose constituency lies in Gangiri’s village is hell bent on destroying the blot that farmer suicides have made on his party’s image by destroying the one man who is making it public – GANGIRI?!

Don’t miss out on this powerful piece of political fiction. I guarantee that you will not come out unaffected.

[Abhishek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shoes of the dead is the story of fight between two categories of people: the poor and the oppressed represented by Gangiri Bhadra and the powerful and the corrupt represented by Keyur Kashinath, Lambodar mahasarpanch and Durga Das.

Gangiri Bhadra is the typical common man, he had the opportunity to forego the debt riddled life as a farmer in the village and make it big in the city but was forced to come back to the village and step into the Shoes of the Dead to fight against the injustices meted out to his brother's family and other farmer families of his district.
Keyur Kashinath is the typical example of gen-x of Indian politics,the youth in politics who wants to bring in some change but is bogged down by the compulsions of politics; and if exposed to this harmful radiation for too long, mutates into a specimen of typical politician who is hated by all for his callousness towards the general public which is treated only as a vote bank.

The story is about the fights of these two people, the aims of which are to the other's detriment. Gangiri wants to fight for the justice of the farmers and help the widows of the farmers get their due. For this he gets himself placed in the district suicide committee and inspires the other members to vote for what is right and not to succumb to external pressures. But this is not acceptable to the influential people of the village, who want maintain their stranglehold over the poor farmers and exploit them for personal gains.
Keyur Kashinath fights for his power, which he believes is his birthright, but this is challenged by the increasing incidents of debt related farmer suicides in his constituency. He is not bad, he once even argued with his father for taking the wrong side and not caring about the farmers, but is ultimately forced to subdue the activities of Gangiri due to electoral compulsions. He needs money and muscle power to win elections and for this he had to side himself with Lambodar mahasarpanch and Durga Das mahajan, who have selfish motives to turn down the genuine debt related suicide cases in the district committee.

This is a no-nonsense book which deals only with the issue of farmer suicides and no distractions are provided. Various practical solutions are also provided to help the farmers come out of the debt-repayment cycle. Various powerful statements, highlighting the current political situation of our country, are made through the dialogues of the characters. Also the power struggle in politics and its implications for the general public are mentioned clearly.
But I felt that the ending of the story was a bit rushed and sounded too good to be true, it was very idealistic. Also certain side characters like Nazar and Videhi could have been developed better to give a better insight to their actions. The actions of Durga Das in the end were also not properly justified. But these things don't distort the fact that this work is a masterpiece and tries to bring into the attention of the urban public the challenges faced by the farmers in our country, which is said to be an agrarian economy.

[Chitra Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book written by senior journalist Neelima Kota throws light on the pitiful condition of the farmers and the hassles they face. It is an exact reflection of the plight of the farmers in our country , in the Vidarbha belt. Its a serious no nonsense book which unearth the ground realities of the farmers in our country.


The story is about a farmer Sudhakar Bhadra , who commits suicide due to consistent crop failures and the increasing burden of debt on his family. Sudhakar is just one of the many farmers in Mityala who have committed suicide due to increasing debt. The government forms a committee to investigate the alarming increase in the number of suicide cases .The committee dismisses the deaths as debt related deaths and deprives the widows of the compensation they have the right to.


Gangiri, Sudhakar's brother who works in the city is highly affected by his brother's death and decides to bring justice to the death of his brother and many other such farmers by influencing the Committee to validate the similar deaths of farmers .Gangiri decides to fight for the farmers and sees to it their widows get the compensation .At the same time first time MP Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic party, son of the Party's General Secretary Vaishnav Kashinath is worried about the increasing suicide deaths in his territory .Keyur is considered to be the heir of Vaishnav Kashinath's power in politics. Keyur was considered to be in politics because of his influential dad and this fact was what exactly Keyur wanted to prove wrong. The first time MP faces challenge to his seat in politics when the number of certified deaths by the committee increases. Keyur is under a threat as he realises that the increasing number of deaths will tarnish his image as a politician.
The story throws light on the struggle of the farmers against the committee set up which declare debt related death as ailment related deaths. The book is a battle between Gangiri who life's mission is now to bring in justice to families of farmers and Keyur Kashinath who is on a race to save the party's image . Who wins the battle? Will Gangiri ever get justice ? Will the deaths of such farmers be ignored and justice denied? Will Keyur Kashinath be able to save his party's image? Read on to find the answers.. A very insightful and a gripping book .. A must read...

I loved the book cover. The book cover gives the feel of the story inside. The

barren land shown on the book cover is a grim reality that our farmers are facing with no support and co-operation from the ruling parties. The other best part is the writer has kept the underlying tone of the book serious , and haven't tried to incorporate a love angle to the story. Its a book for people who have an appetite for political fiction novels

A good book to read but still I believe the book could have been priced somewhere between 100- 200 bucks.

Rating: ***/5

Chitra Nair
(zindagiunlimited.blogspot.com)

[Ankita · Rating 4 out of 5]

When everyone is not fussing about "Cricket", they open the news paper which covers some serious issues India is facing today, one of them is 'Farmer's suicides', albeit one can easily Google the statistics of farmer's suicide and also read many articles on WHY? No one can ever know the truth behind it until they hike the tenacious mountains of the crude reality. 'Shoes of the Dead' gave an insight to the Mire of political world. How every step is calculated and precise, the manipulation and media ethics.

Story opens with the focus on the son of the Secretary of The Democratic Party (DP) in Delhi, Keyur Kashinath, who called a meeting to discuss and take effective measures to control the Farmer's suicide in Mityala district including Gopur village. Which gave the glimpse to all the characters, even those who were not present at the meeting, and no one appeares to be what they truly are.

Meanwhile in the village, there is a committee of members who decides whether a widow of a farmer deserves the compensation of Rs. 1 lac or not. And nothing is fair on the committee, Moneylender Durga Das and the Maha sarpanch Lambodar are the puppet masters whose every verdict in calculative, in their interest. Many Widows are denied the claim and no one speaks for them until an unfortunate farmer Sudhakar Bhadra, from the Gopur Village commits suicide leaving his family (wife and two children) in debt and hunger, his widow is denied the compensation, his younger much established brother, Gangiri returns and is determined to fight for justice.
Fighting against so many politically driven and powerful people is not easy. Videhi Jaichand, a survey analyst at the Center for Contemporary Societies and wife of one of the India's richest men decides to help him with the help of Nazir, a journalist who doesn't bother with formalities but honesty and nothings stops him from showing it in his articles.

Gul, the collector, the village doctor and many others are caught in the middle of all this. Gangiri is the man of principals and he is does not yield before wrongness ans 'Shoes of the dead' is his story. Its a story of a complex politician Keyur, its the story of the bloodcurdling politics farmers are target of each day.

The ending unexpected, its not where everything falls in place and there is a happy ending, no. Its the reflection of Reality from First to last page that will bind you and you won't put it down until you are done, and when you are done, there will be a lump in your throat and your eyes will be moist, and you'll find yourself with a vision for this current India. That is what happened with me.

I am really thankful to blogadda.com for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing Book.

[Ankit Mahato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Journalist Kota Neelima has delivered a powerful political novel in the form of 'Shoes of the Dead'. It is a chilling parable of modern day India, featuring characters that readers don't encounter too often - greedy money lenders, farmers burdened by debt, unscrupulous middle men, corrupt doctors and district collectors struggling to work. Also we encounter the big city journalists, the well heeled academics and the smooth-talking politicians.

The story begins with the death of Sudhakar Bhadra who kills himself over-burdened by debt due to successive crop failures. The powerful district suicide comittee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow. Gangiri Bhadra, his well educated brother, makes it his life's mission to bring justice to the dead by influencing the committee to validate similar farmer suicides. His own personal life is full of crisis where he is barely able to feed Padma, his brother's widow, and her two children two square meals a day. Fully determined he comes up with a plan and soon commitee members turn to vote for suicide due to debt. While he treads on this path, the readers come across some harsh realities of rural India like poor healthcare. Dr. Hemant Rao who has his own dark side where he cheats the hospital by stealing medicines and faking innovices in order to treat the poor farmers for free.

Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic Party is the MP from Mityala and son of Vaishnav Kashinath, a veteran politician. He never visits his constituency and inherits his father's power in Delhi politics. He believes that owing to his lineage it is his divine right to rule and forgets the people's right to rule. He faces his first crisis when every suicide in his constituency certified by the committee as debt-related turns out to be a blot on the party's image and his competence. Meanwhile Nazar Prabhakar, a journalist, comes up with his article "Mityala MP should quit if farmer suicides continue: Demand Voters, seek relief measures" which forces Keyur to visit his constituency.

The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of dispair, the arrogant politician fights to keep his inheritance of power. The two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality, from where there is no turning back. And in the end, there can be only one winner.

This well researched novel surely gives readers a deeper understanding of the complexities at the heart of this nation and brings up the issue very well.
A must read!

[Deepak Nare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shoes of the Dead by Kota Neelima not only have a catching title but also captivating content.
Gangri, whose brother committed suicide owing to all the debts his farming cursed on him, is fighting for a dead man’s rights. On the other hand, a young politician Keyur Kashinath, bestowed by political powers transcended due to his father’s legacy is looking forward to embark his mark in the dirty politics. When their world collides, what the reader gets is a story filled with farmer’s plight, dark face of government politics and image of a shattering society caged with false anticipations.

One would say there is nothing left to say when it comes to such a concept this book is based upon. And they might be right. Shouldn’t one read Premchand instead? And one might be wrong. People like us, belonging to a foremost middle class group either believes that things are getting better – ‘Hey there is a new chain of XYZ brand in the city.’ or ‘It rained good this year.’ Or, we believe things are getting worse – ‘What petrol prices hiked again!’ or ‘Are you kidding me, no subsidy on LPG?’ But the fact is things have always been the same for the farmers of this nation. Government, politicians, society and corrupted professionals, everyone constitute for it. And maybe they will be this bad for a long time, unless a struggle begins, one such portrayed in this novel.
But that’s not all what the author has to offer. She has also taken into account of politician’s thinking. Something, I don’t remember I witnessed anywhere else; and hence an applauding effort.

Writing is refreshing and next to perfect. It feels good to learn that you are investing your time in such a book whose author has done a tremendous research. The confidence, anger and urges are conveniently conveyed with moderate flow, quite appropriate for such a story. No, it’s not a drag.
The only bad part I came across is that many-a-times I felt the dialogue between characters as superficial. Reminds you of something you may have heard somewhere. Also, it makes the characters to lose a bit of credibility.

Overall, this is a fresh read which you begin with a sigh of relief that it’s not going to be in the junk shelf of your library and complete with lots of thoughts and emotions storming through your brain. Recommended for every reader who need food for thoughts, particularly those who can’t miss a day’s newspaper. Read More..

[Sukumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book affected me so much that I wanted to shout through a microphone about how worn out and dangerous the Shoes of the Indian farmers are. Their fate hasn't changed much even after 6 years of the book's publishing.

I wanted a stage just to talk about this to people. But I didn't want to be a shouter at a microphone either. I didn't want to reach people's ears as a cry of a mad guy. I wanted to be sensible and I wanted people around me to talk about this very seriously.

Hence I found this way.
A VLog which analyses and discusses the book on how it can reach thousands of people, and how to make people who don't read books read this. A connection through Cinema. I wanted to see this book as a movie. It's a way the book can reach more people easily.

Listen to my analysis of the book here:
https://bit.ly/storiesonboard-shoesof...