Unmasking India's Covid response

This is a tough book to process, especially if getting through the day is hard enough and leaves you with little energy to learn about how others have suffered and continue to suffer

When the Mask Came Off

Authors: Harsh Mander, Natasha Badhwar and Anirban Bhattacharya

Publisher: Yoda Press

Pages: 264

Price: Rs 550

Harsh Mander, Natasha Badhwar and Anirban Bhattacharya’s edited volume will remind you of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic if you have forgotten. It documents the humanitarian crises that unfolded due to the Indian state’s “sudden, comprehensive and punishing lockdown” imposed on March 24, 2020. These are painful narratives of joblessness, mass hunger, forced migration, and the loss of dignity.

This book appears to target readers who are already suspicious or critical of the story being told about India’s successful handling of the public