b' About the Book: Harijan \n\nFirst published in the Odia in 1948, and translated for the first time here into\nEnglish by Bikram Das, Gopinath Mohantys Harijan is one of the most original and\nradical Indian novels of the twentieth century. It brings to vivid life the\nstory of a group of Mehentars living in a slum. Cleaning latrines with their\nbare hands is the only work that they can hope to find as their caste excludes\nthem from every other occupation. The leader of this group is the middle-aged\nand foul-mouthed Jema who starts her day by gulping down a potful of liquor and\nsmoking pinkas '