We walk to your home
on a clear night
settling
We don’t think about being Aboriginal
You retell
a non-racist joke you overheard
while waiting for the ferry
I’m sure people think it’s funny
That you’re white
yet
blacker than me
I don’t think about it
As we pass the Thai place
the aroma is sweet
it overcomes
Ajay Navaria is the author of two collections of short stories, Yes, Sir (2012) and
Pathkathaauranyakahaniyan (2006) and one novel,
Udhar ke log. A collection of his short stories, translated by Laura Brueck into English and published as
Unclaimed Terrain (2013), has won critical acclaim: it was listed among the best books from India in 2013 in a feature in
The Guardian. Ajay works as Assistant Professor in the Department of Hindi, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Delhi. He has played a key role in debates around not just the aesthetics and politics of Dalit Literature in Hindi but has been an important player in Hindi literature as such. Navaria has won several literary prizes and awards, has delivered lectures at national and international conferences, and was invited to the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2010 and 2013.
