In 2017, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar found himself at the centre of a storm when his book, The Adivasi Will Not Dance, was published. His own Santhal community demanded that the
book be banned because of its depiction of Adivasi women.
The short story in question, “November is the Month of Migrations”, described an impoverished Santhal family travelling from Jharkhand to West Bengal as part of its seasonal migration for work. While. . .