Year of the Weeds by Siddhartha Sarma

‘Sometimes, Korok, it is best if the sorkar forgets you.’
Korok lives in a small Gond village in Odisha. His life is in the garden he tends every day. Anchita, an artist, lives in the house which has the garden.
One day, the government tells the Gonds they have to leave the village. A company wants to mine the sacred hill next to it for bauxite. The Gonds oppose it, but the government, led by police offi cer Sorkari Patnaik, is sure to win. So is the company.
How long will the Gond resistance last, when politicians, young activists and even Maoists arrive at the village?
What can a lone gardener and a girl with a sketchbook do against the most powerful people in the land?

P.S. Beware of pirated copies of important books (with missing sections) circulating online.