Lakshmi’s Secret Diary

"The novel straddles multiple genres and modes of writing, including novel, diary, fantasy, surrealism, mythology, historical writing, and philosophy. It is primarily set in Pondicherry, the former capital of the French Empire in India, and is narrated through an anthropomorphic perspective, from the point of view of a temple elephant, Lakshmi, and a three-legged stray dog named Tripod Dog Baba. The various animals of the novel embody human experiences and provide insight into the Indian caste system and its oppression. The novel constitutes a powerful and moving philosophical narrative with moments of both tragedy and comedy, revealing vivid human and animal interactions and their psychology. Interwoven into the fabric of the narrative are also Dalit (oppressed caste) reinterpretations of the ancient Sanskrit epic The Mahabaratha; the work casts light on the suffering of oppressed castes in India, but additionally asserts and liberates their culture"--