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Harsh Mander, who describes himself rather humbly as “a peace and justice worker” despite the breadth of his social interventions and accomplishments, has a marvellous ability to remind you of how deeply ensconced you are in your privileged bubble, and how rarely you bear witness to the suffering of fellow Indians who have been let down both by the state and by society at large.

His new book Under Grey Smoggy Skies: Living Homeless on the Streets of India’s Cities (Yoda Press, February 2026) is a shocking punch in the gut. A collection of 20 essays, published by Yoda Press, it draws from 25 years of his work with “unhoused people living rough on harsh city streets”. Distilling insights from conversations with street-dwellers in Delhi, Chennai, Patna, Madurai, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Kolkata, it builds a rich, complex and wholesome portrait of their lives.

Interestingly, the author refers to them not as subjects, informants or beneficiaries but as “sisters, brothers and children”. This is not to be mistaken for a patronising attitude. His choice of words reveals a relationship of familiarity, care and even intimacy. He is acutely aware of the daily indignities that the homeless have to endure but he does not reduce them to victims. Throughout the book, you cannot help but notice how sincere and heartfelt his engagement is. He makes sure that you get to see them as people with self-respect doing their best to survive against all odds.

Under Grey Smoggy Skies: Living Homeless on the Streets of India’s Cities by Harsh Mander, Yoda Press, February 2026: Photo: Yoda Press

For starters, Mander challenges the pernicious assumption that homeless people are wastrels and freeloaders. He points out that they work as rag pickers, barbers, car cleaners, rickshaw pullers, mechanics in garages, and vendors at tea stalls, or earn a living by polishing shoes, reserving seats on long-distance trains, assisting caterers during the wedding season, and through sex work.

In emphasising their willingness to work, the author ends up rubbishing the stereotype that homeless........

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