Love in the Time of Caste: A Dalit-Feminist Anthology of Love Stories

by Nikhil Pandhi (Editor)

In a world governed by caste and patriarchy, Shaili, an ambitious Dalit journalist, grapples with heartbreak, disquiet, and the pernicious constraints imposed upon her desires and agency. Apurva, in love with a Dalit man from a rival sub-caste, is forcibly married to a Marxist from her own community, unleashing turmoil that reshapes her life. Pragya and Samar, a Dalit couple united by a shared passion for political activism, find their marriage strained as the fires of the street no longer ignite intimacy at home. Ambar, a rising star in the corporate world, feels doubly alienated—from both her Dalit mother’s village and her own amorous desires in the city. Meanwhile, tormented and brutalized by upper-caste oppressors, Jamna seizes justice on her own terms—transforming revenge into fierce rebellion against decades of caste terror and humiliation.

The unforgettable characters in these remarkable stories are ordinary Dalit women and men navigating passion, pleasure, power, and pain in the crucible of caste, gender, and sexuality in contemporary India. Radiantly and elegantly translated into English, and ethnographically assembled for the first time, Love in the Time of Caste is a groundbreaking anthology of Dalit-feminist creativity and repair that portrays love as a radical, anti-caste force, offering an unflinching portrait of modern India—as imagined and remade by Dalit-Bahujans—while boldly envisioning caste-annihilated futures.

Genres: Fiction

373 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 9, 2026

Reviews

[Akankshya]

A brilliant anthology of stories. I believe this is also a great work of translation because reading a few of the stories instantly sparked my curiosity for the original and that rarely happens. These are stories of resilience, love, anguish and the gaping historical wound of the Indian experience - caste. There's a range and depth to the voices in this anthology that leaves one spellbound. I highly recommend Blue Mountain, Red Sun by Anita Bharti, Raga's Beloved Ragini by Hemlata Mahishwar, Masculinity by Raj Valmiki, Feasting on the Moon by Rajni Tilak and Surrounding the Sun by Sushila Takbhaure (this last one has to be one of the most lyrically alive short stories I have read in a long time).

[Akhil Kang]

Agitating, lovely, sad, hopeful stories.