A series of events, including a chance meeting with Sudhanva Deshpande of Jana Natya Manch, a New Delhi-based amateur theatre company specialising in street theatre, and witnessing Sudharak Olwe’s photo exhibition, In Search Of Dignity and Justice, which documented the lives of manual scavengers, moved him deeply. “Olwe’s pictures stayed with me; it is one thing to be aware of the reality, but it is another to witness it,” recalls Samarth.

Soon after, he approached Milind Ranade, general secretary of the Kachra Vahatuk Shramik Sangh (KVSS), who put him in touch with members of the community. He spent close to two weeks in Mankhurd, observing manual scavengers, as they went about their daily chores. “A lot of lived realities came to the forefront during this period,” adds Samarth, who identifies himself as a caste less upper class person and is well aware of his privilege. “My grandfather was a believer of the Ambedkarite movement and thus, caste was never discussed or highlighted at our home. It was during college when I came in contact with the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, a student organisation, and I was introduced to the reality of the weight I hold and the amount of space that I take up in this world,” shares Samarth. 

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Although it began as a college project, which Samarth couldn’t finish at the time due to time constraints, he went back to it soon after he graduated from college in 2020. This time the characters had created a life of their own in his head and were ready to decide the course of their journey. “The understanding of the story that I had dabbled around for most part of last year of my college life started taking shape two years ago. They were no longer puppets in my hand catering to my narrative, but had feelings and emotions, which in some manner surpassed what I could imagine myself. They took a life of their own and guided me in the process of representing them,” he explains.

Apart from Vikas, the novel features multiple characters, who have different narrative arcs. It is what perhaps clicked with many acclaimed writers, including Meena Kandasamy and Sudhanva Deshpande, who have showered Samarth with appreciation. “It gives me a lot of hope. What I feel most grateful for is the sense of acknowledgement and inclusion, from people who have written on this or similar subjects,” concludes Samarth, adding that he has another novel in the pipeline that revolves around the Malvan coast of Maharashtra.