What does the life of an ordinary working-class Indian look and feel like?

Join us for a panel discussion discussing this and more with the author of The Many Lives of Syeda X Neha Dixit and commentator and editor Priya Ramani.

In her book The Many Lives of Syeda X journalist Neha Dixit traces the story of one such faceless Indian woman, Syeda X, from the early 1990s to the present day. What emerges is a picture of a life lived under constant corrosive tension.

Researched for close to a decade, in this book, we meet an unforgettable cast of characters for whom displacement, tragedy and hardships are the things they are used to. Written with empathy and deep insight, this book is a portal to a harsh world hidden away from elite Indians. It is the story of untold millions and a searing account of urban life in New India.

This is an excerpt from a conversation that took place in the BIC premises in September 2024.

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