Kautik on Embers is about life in a village in Umravati district of Vidarbha, infamous for farmer suicides. The novel became a classic when Uddhav J. Shelke first published it as Dhag in 1960. The story seems timeless. In fact, leafing through the book one hardly misses the lack of references to telephones and electricity that are now found in the remotest of villages. Shanta Gokhale’s seamless translation opens up its reach to a wider audience.
Kautik is a woman walking on hot coals. Her husband, Mahadev, suddenly appears disinclined to earn an income. . .
