Author name: Ankita Layek

Her literary career began in the 1950s. She consistently focused on the state of affairs of communities such as tribals, dalits, landless labourers, and those pushed to the margins of society. Importantly, her engagement wasn’t that of a distant observer. She travelled extensively, lived among these communities, listened to their histories, and allowed those experiences […]

During her visits to the coal mines of the Jharia region, Renuka Ray personally observed the harsh and often dangerous conditions in which women labourers worked, many of them spending long hours in unhealthy surroundings with little protection or security. The experience left a lasting impression on her. When the Constitution of India was being