The social realities of an Indian prison

In literary tradition, prison diaries have a special place.

- CHITTAJIT MITRA

They are written not for self-praise but instead as a witness to what is being levied upon a person who has been condemned behind bars. Those who have been unjustly imprisoned tend to reveal the dark reality of their times and inspire people to always remember, never again.

Unsilenced by Seema Azad, translated from Hindi by academic Shailza Sharma, adds to this rich tradition and follows her journey from being framed under dubious charges to finally coming out of the jail and her life in between.

Seema Azad has been a known name in the human rights circle for a long time. Being an independent journalist and the editor of a bimonthly Hindi magazine focusing on sociopolitical issues, she is known to write about national and international issues in a forthright and unapologetically independent manner. But things turned quickly for her and her partner, Vishwa Vijai, on February 6, 2010 as they were picked up by a Special Task Force when both of them returned from a planned trip to the Delhi Book Fair. Their supposed crime? "Waging a war against the state."