Mlzsgondia: Adding basic entry first draft

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Adding basic entry first draft

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{{Short description|Memoir}}
{{AI-generated|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Land, Guns, Caste, Woman: The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary
| image = File:Land, Guns, Caste, Woman book cover.jpg
| caption =
| author = [[Gita Ramaswamy]]
| country = India
| language = English
| series =
| release_number =
| subject = Activism, caste, gender, Naxalism
| genre = Memoir
| set_in =
| publisher = [[Navayana (publishing house)|Navayana]]
| published = 2022
| media_type = Print (hardcover)
| pages = 427
| isbn = 978-81-948654-1-4
| isbn_note =
| oclc =
| dewey =
| congress =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| notes =
| exclude_cover =
}}

'''''Land, Guns, Caste, Woman: The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary''''' is a memoir by Indian activist and publisher [[Gita Ramaswamy]], published in 2022 by [[Navayana (publishing house)|Navayana]].<ref name="Kandasamy2022">{{Cite news |last=Kandasamy |first=Meena |date=17 June 2022 |title=Gita Ramaswamy's Land Guns Caste Woman review: The voice of a revolutionary |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/gita-ramaswamy-land-guns-caste-woman-book-review-meena-kandasamy/article65522968.ece |access-date=29 April 2025 |archive-date=22 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122080806/https://www.thehindu.com/books/books-reviews/gita-ramaswamy-land-guns-caste-woman-book-review-meena-kandasamy/article65522968.ece |url-status=live }}</ref> It chronicles Ramaswamy's journey from her involvement in the Naxalite movement during India's Emergency (1975–1977) to her grassroots activism with landless Dalits in Ibrahimpatnam, Telangana, in the 1980s.<ref name="Ramachandran2022" /> The memoir, written in a reflective first-person narrative, explores themes of caste, gender, class, and critiques of the Indian Left and judicial system.<ref name="Frontline2022" /> It has been praised for its candid storytelling and historical insights but critiqued for limited exploration of personal relationships.<ref name="Kandasamy2022" />

== Summary ==
''Land, Guns, Caste, Woman'' details Gita Ramaswamy's life as a Tamil Brahmin woman who rejected her orthodox upbringing to pursue activism.<ref name="Ramachandran2022">{{Cite web |last=Loomba |first=Ania |date=26 April 2022 |title=Gita Ramaswamy's 'memoir of a lapsed revolutionary' is a throwback to a remarkable life |url=https://scroll.in/article/1024407/this-memoir-is-a-rich-meditation-on-the-problems-and-possibilities-of-political-and-social-change |access-date=29 April 2025 |website=[[Scroll.in]] |archive-date=6 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206052255/https://scroll.in/article/1024407/this-memoir-is-a-rich-meditation-on-the-problems-and-possibilities-of-political-and-social-change |url-status=live }}</ref> As a teenager, she resisted her family's attempts to suppress her Naxalist sympathies through shock treatment and sedation.<ref name="Kandasamy2022" /> During India's Emergency (1975–1977), she went underground with her husband, Cyril Reddy, and taught English in a Dalit basti in Ghaziabad.<ref name="Frontline2022">{{Cite news |date=27 August 2022 |title='Land, Guns, Caste, Woman' by Gita Ramaswamy showcases a fearless activist |work=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/books/book-review-land-guns-caste-woman-by-gita-ramaswamy-showcases-a-fearless-activist/article65771737.ece |access-date=29 April 2025}}</ref> Disillusioned by the hierarchical structure of the Marxist–Leninist movement, she distanced herself from it.<ref name="Sengupta2022" /> In the 1980s, Ramaswamy worked with the Ibrahimpatnam Taluk Vyavasaya Karmika Sangam (ITVCS) in Telangana, aiding landless Dalits in reclaiming 14,000 acres of land and securing fair wages and freedom from bonded labour.<ref name="Ramachandran2022" /> She also founded the Hyderabad Book Trust in 1980, which published over 400 affordable Telugu books.<ref name="Frontline2022" /> The memoir reflects on her Savarna privilege, mental health struggles, and critiques of the Indian Left and judiciary.<ref name="Kandasamy2022" />

== Development and release ==
Ramaswamy wrote the memoir to document her experiences and the collective struggles of the ITVCS, collaborating with Sangam colleagues to reconstruct the movement's history.<ref name="Sengupta2022">{{Cite news |last=Sriram |first=M. S|date=26 May 2022 |title=Activism outside a straitjacket |work=[[Business Standard]] |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/activism-outside-a-straitjacket-122052601719_1.html |access-date=29 April 2025}}</ref> Published by Navayana, a publisher focused on Dalit literature, the book aligns with its mission to amplify marginalized voices.<ref name="Frontline2022" /> The title reflects the themes of land struggles, violence, caste oppression, and gender dynamics.<ref name="Kandasamy2022" /> The hardcover edition, spanning 427 pages, was released in 2022 and endorsed by figures such as [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd]], and former Chief Justice of India [[N. V. Ramana]].<ref name="Ramachandran2022" />

== Critical reception ==
The memoir received praise for its engaging and honest narrative. Meena Kandasamy, writing in ''[[The Hindu]]'', described it as a "fierce critique" of the Indian Left and judiciary, commending its emotional depth and focus on grassroots struggles.<ref name="Kandasamy2022" /> ''[[Hindustan Times]]'' praised Ramaswamy as an "engaging raconteur" whose self-reflexivity highlighted her privileges and failings, making it a compelling account of social movements.<ref name="HindustanTimes2022">{{Cite news |date=16 September 2022 |title=Review: Land, Guns, Caste, Woman; The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary by Gita Ramaswamy |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/review-land-guns-caste-woman-the-memoir-of-a-lapsed-revolutionary-by-gita-ramaswamy-101663329606731.html |access-date=29 April 2025}}</ref> ''[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]]'' noted its relevance for contemporary activists, emphasizing Ramaswamy's critique of revolutionary violence and her use of privilege to challenge exploitation.<ref name="Frontline2022" /> [[Scroll.in]] called it a "rich meditation on the problems and possibilities of political and social change".<ref name="Ramachandran2022" /> ''[[Business Standard]]'' appreciated its honesty but felt the political critique sometimes overshadowed personal introspection.<ref name="Sengupta2022" /> ''[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]]'' praised its discussion of mental health among activists but suggested deeper exploration was needed.<ref name="Menon2022">{{Cite news |last=Hensman |first=Rohini |date=2022 |title=A Life Dedicated to Land, Labour and Dalit Rights |work=[[The Wire (India)|The Wire]] |url=https://m.thewire.in/article/books/gita-ramaswamy-land-guns-caste-woman-memoir-review |access-date=29 April 2025 |archive-date=27 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627233011/https://m.thewire.in/article/books/gita-ramaswamy-land-guns-caste-woman-memoir-review |url-status=live }}</ref>

== References ==

{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Google Books|id=aDI2zwEACAAJ|title=Land, Guns, Caste, Woman: The Memoir of a Lapsed Revolutionary}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:2022 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Indian autobiographies]]
[[Category:Indian non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Books about activists]]
[[Category:Books about the caste system in India]]
[[Category:Books about women in India]]

Land, Guns, Caste, Woman - Revision history

Mlzsgondia: Adding basic entry first draft