About the Book A SEARING NOVEL ABOUT HOW SMALL-TOWN INDIA GOT POLARISED BY ADVANI’S RATH YATRA AND HOW THE SEEDS OF A MILITANT HINDU NATIONALISM WERE SOWN. Mohalla Aramganj is abuzz with wild conjectures about the impending arrival of L.K. Advani’s Ram Rath. Folk who could barely rouse themselves for the anti-Mandal agitation are now astir—what does their love of Ram call them to do? Conversations change, relationships are strained, new animosities crop up. How does all this ferment affect the swashbuckling ‘Mohammadiya Hindu’ Ashiq Miyan, renowned Rambhakt and proprietor of the Two-in-One Tailoring shop? In this astutely crafted novel, Rakesh Kayasth deploys a Greek chorus of people’s fears, arguments and judgements to portray the social conundrum of India’s heartland. A microcosm of India, Aramganj’s cast of small-town characters embodies caste pride, religious superstition and patriarchy, all of which have a hand in the grisly climax of this story. 1990, Aramganj is set in a watershed moment in Indian history, one that led to a rapid seeding of Hindu consciousness. A blistering novel by one of Hindi’s most inventive writers. About the author RAKESH KAYASTH has worked in various senior roles in print journalism and with news television channels like Aaj Tak, Zee News, Tez and News 24. For the past sixteen years, he has been working as a screenwriter, showrunner and producer. One of his highly rated early shows as a screenwriter was Movers & Shakers. He currently heads the non-live programming team at Star Sports. Besides the bestselling Hindi novel Rambhakt Rangbaz, which featured on the Hindustan Times list of Best Indian Books across languages in 2022, Kayasth is also the author of two critically acclaimed political satires, Kos-kos Shabdkosh and Prajatantra ke Pakaude. He is also the author-creator of two popular audiobooks, Dil Local (stories set in Mumbai local trains) and Tuktuk ki Kahaniyan. About the Translator VARSHA TIWARY translates between Hindi and English. This is her first full-length work of translation.
