Gulabiya - Dr. Abha Purbey

On the hot floodplains of the Kosi River, a young farmhand named Gulabiya falls in love with Balesar, a fieldhand-turned-farm-manager who dares to imagine tilling land of his own. Their ambitions are modest by any standard, but modest is still too much for a landlord determined to keep them in their place. When Gulabiya is betrayed by her own family and the village's wealthy power brokers move to crush Balesar's small success, the two of them are forced into a fight that becomes as much about dignity and freedom as it is about love. First published in Angika in 2008 - a language still awaiting recognition in India's Eighth Schedule despite being spoken by millions across Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of Nepal - Gulabiya was scandalous and quietly radical on release, and remains just as sharp in its portrait of caste, class and rural power today. This is the first full-length work of Angika fiction ever translated into English, brought over by Tejaswi Rawal and Shivangi. Readers of Indian literary fiction, rural social drama, and regional-language translations that finally reach a wider audience will find this a bold, moving and important addition to their shelf - a genuine discovery for anyone interested in India's lesser-known literary traditions.