Pigeons of the Domes- Stories on Communalism

While much work has been done on exploring the communal tensions of the Independence era and the lode of 'partition stories' has been sufficiently mined, the more recent past has not been examined in any systematic way. In this collection of nineteen stories, edited and introduced by the well-known writer and translator Rakhshanda Jalil, we get a glimpse of the different hues and shades of communalism as well as different ways of accepting and interpreting this grim reality of recent times.

My concern in putting together this volume is primarily in tracing the secular thread in the fabric of modern India, a thread that goes back to many centuries. When I set myself the task of putting together an anthology of short stories that deal with the issue of secularism, it seemed a good idea to first go looking for those stories that seem to be about its dark twin, communalism. For, I do believe, secularism cannot be understood without understanding communalism, and vice versa, especially in India where secularism does not mean the absence of religion; rather, it means accepting the 'other' and according it acknowledgement and space in most cases, if not respect and tolerance.

**Contents and Sample Pages**