Book Review: Fatal Accidents of Birth

Harsh Mander’s writing never fails to leave an impact. So far, I had heard his lectures and read some articles, but this is the first book by him that I picked up. It is a book that will leave you filled with emotions. It is disappointing to read about so many stories of organised oppression, depressing to read about stories that make you feel helpless, and inspiring to read voices of resilience. There are voices of oppression by people in positions of power, gendered narratives, (dis)ability, and of circumstances that create life stories that seem to flow naturally. Sometimes, raising a voice against the oppressor can lead to greater oppression.
The book is also informative. There were many details of the juvenile in the Nirbhaya case that I was not aware of, or about Rohith Vemula, and other stories that I was completely unaware of. In that the book has also been a trigger point for me to read more. The narratives are powerful and you feel totally engrossed in the lives of others.
Many of the stories range around religion and caste. And I am forced to reflect on the role that education plays or has failed to play in convincing young minds to look beyond these in understanding people. How religion becomes a force so powerful as to become socially divisive, why caste needs to be understood even today, even in urban spaces, in university spaces, and it isn’t enough to say that it doesn’t concern us right now, since there is no communal violence around us now. Teachers have shied away from raising debates in the class, avoiding topics that would be confrontational. At the same time, I am wondering if teachers are comfortable in accepting ideologies that are different from their own. And while it is important to teach subject based content knowledge, I am urging all teachers to read this book in the hope that they would understand the need for teaching tolerance and humility.