Fatima was hiding inside a mixer machine with her children. The police officer pulled her out and said, "You're sitting inside this thing. Are you human or an animal?"
Did Ramsharan really not notice when Motiya silently got up and walked away? Sabu Jarang never thought a living, breathing person could just disappear from a list—his parents' names were there, but not his.
Katakuti Khela (Noughts & Crosses) is a collection of stories about countless people like Sabu, Ritu, Chayan, Fatima, Sabitri, Ramsharan, and Shiuram. They are people who fight desperately against poverty and the pandemic, who want to survive even after being guillotined by global layoffs, and who refuse to give up even after being erased by the whims of rulers.
This is a book for adults—a story of life, a story of our times, and a story of survival.
