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by Anjali Deshpande (Author)
The day after Holi. Former SHO Adhirath Jatav, recently dismissed from
the Delhi Police, happens upon a murder-the body of a young woman, her
insides split open, is found inside a farmhouse on the outskirts of New Delhi.
A chance encounter with the woman's mother clears some mystery-she was
from a neighbouring village, a beautician and a presumed prostitute, with a
string of fake names. Her poverty and social status had made her an outcast-
her death is considered not a tragedy but an inconvenience.
While the police investigate half-heartedly, Adhirath finds himself drawn to
the case. He feels a connection with this woman who, much like him and his
'untouchable' wife, had had to claw her way through life to secure a place for
herself in society. Over time, Adhirath grows protective of the dead woman-
her reputation and her dignity-and determined to find her killer.
Translated from the Hindi original-Hatya-Nobody Lights a Candle is a precise
and nuanced meditation on the persistence of age-old biases and structural
violence in a deeply unequal country. As sensitive, even tender, as it is hardhitting,
this is a gripping read-crime fiction with heart and purpose.
