Flames of Compassion: A Writer Chronicles Lives of India's Corpse-Burning Community

Radhika Iyengar, an award-winning journalist based in Mumbai, writes on arts and culture, marginalized communities, history, and gender. A graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, her contributions span reputable platforms such as Al Jazeera, Christian Science Monitor, Vogue (India), and more. Recently released, her debut non-fiction book, 'Fire on the Ganges: Life Among the Dead in Banaras,' sheds light on the lives of the Doms in Banaras, gaining recognition for its compelling narrative. In conversation with Abdullah Khan, Radhika discusses her book and the transformative journey she undertook while writing it.

As a participant in the inaugural batch of the University of East Anglia International Fiction Writing workshop under the guidance of Amit Chaudhuri and Romesh Gunesekera, what motivated your decision to explore non-fiction instead of fiction?

I have always enjoyed reading fiction. When I attended the workshop, it was motivated by a keen desire to learn the craft of storytelling. The workshop taught me how to build a narrative structure; about timelines and character development; about plot devices such as a cliffhanger. These are great tools for storytelling.

Professionally, I have been a journalist for over a decade, which has enabled me to polish my ability to interview people, to learn about their lives, ask pertinent questions and tease out relevant details that are significant for reporting on a story. Non-fiction is a genre I thrive in.

Having said that, when one is writing narrative non-fiction, while one needs to have facts and rigorously reported material to work with, there must also be a strong narrative structure in place. The evolution or trajectory of each individual who is profiled over a certain number of years needs to be clearly mapped; and certain plot devices should craftily be placed in the text to enhance the pace of the storytelling, while keeping the reader engaged. In this regard, the tools I had learned while attending creative-writing workshops such as the one where I was mentored by Amit Chaudhuri and Romesh Gunesekera, proved to be quite beneficial during the time I was writing the book.

What motivated you to plan a book focusing on a marginalised caste like the Doms? Can you share the inspiration behind choosing this specific community as the subject of your work?

I would like to believe it was serendipitous. I had to work on a thesis project while I was doing my Masters in Journalism at Columbia University, New York. There were a few subjects I wanted to pursue, however, when I came across an article about the Dom community, I was keen to learn more about them. Here was a community that specialized in cremating the dead, yet not much had been written about them at the time. Whatever information existed about the community was limited to its crematory work at the cremation ground.

I was curious. I wanted to understand how the internet was influencing and shaping the minds of the youth in the community, and whether they had alternative professions they could pursue. I wanted to understand how many children were going to school, and if they were, was it helping them become capable individuals? I was curious about the adults in the community as well.

How did cremating corpses each day, for a pitiable income, psychologically impact the Dom men? And whether the women in the community had the opportunity to step out of their homes and earn a living?

These were the questions I kept gravitating towards, and I ended up writing my thesis on the community with a very specific focus. However, the thesis was only a small portion of the information I had gathered while reporting. I kept returning to the community and eventually I realized that I should consolidate all my reporting in some way. I felt that the everyday realities of these lives required a larger audience. The idea of writing a book was born from that, though it came about much later.

How do you anticipate your book shaping public awareness and perception, and contributing to a broader understanding of the Dom community?

The intent is to broaden a unidimensional, uninformed and narrow perception about the Doms. Even though the Doms perform a crucial role in Hindu last rites and even though they cremate the dead, they are not given the respect and dignity they deserve as individuals. There isn’t much awareness about the community either. In fact, while I was reporting and working on the book, many people with whom I discussed my book, weren’t aware that there exists a community designated by religion and tradition to handle the dead and cremate them. It’s an inherited profession that is perpetuated by the caste system. It’s a debilitating profession that nobody wants to do, and yet, the Doms are doing it. So, the hope is that the readers gain a wider understanding about the community and can empathise with them on a deeper level.

Were you aware of your own privileged caste identity while writing the book, and did it influence how you approached the narrative?

I am deeply aware of my background as someone from a privileged caste. However, it is important to underscore that when I visited Chand Ghat (name changed), the basti where the Doms stay, I went there in the capacity of a reporter. I was interested in documenting their lives – not only their work at the cremation ground, but also other important and relevant aspects of their lives.

When it came to writing the book, initially, I was wary about including the authorial voice into the narrative. In journalism school, we are taught to delete the ‘I’ from storytelling. To a great degree, I did not want to include my voice. The intention had always been to keep the voice of the individuals from the community at the forefront, and I think I have managed to do that. However, the more I reported, I realised that my own experiences as a reporter from a privilege background could throw light on how caste plays out in the everyday – how it impacts everyone.

For instance, the first time I visited the Dom basti, I met an elderly couple. They joined their palms together and I watched as they pulled their shoulders inwards to not take up too much space in my presence. The couple had been carrying with them decades of learning – of bowing before a dominant caste individual, even if the latter was young enough to be their granddaughter. It was important for me to write this experience in the book to underline how deeply caste was ingrained in their psyche. This interaction between the couple and I became more relevant than ever before, when I recently read how an elderly Dalit man was tied up and assaulted by two dominant caste men for three hours because the former had not greeted them with folded hands.

Given your current work and interests, what can we expect to be your next project?

There are about half a page of ideas that I wish to pursue. However, it is too early to speak about them.

The interview was done by Abdullah Khan, author of two novels, Patna Blues (2018) and A Man from Motihari (2023).