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Navayana (publishing house)

Overview

Navayana is an independent Indian publishing house based in New Delhi that specialises in books on caste, with a particular focus on anti-caste thought. Its name, derived from the Pali term meaning "new vehicle", signals its alignment with the anti-caste intellectual tradition associated with B. R. Ambedkar, who used the same term to describe his interpretation of Buddhism.

Key facts

Type Independent publishing house
Focus Anti-caste literature, social justice, politics, fiction, poetry
Headquarters New Delhi, India
Language Primarily English
Founders S. Anand and Ravikumar

Background

Navayana was established as a publishing initiative dedicated to caste as a central category of analysis in Indian and global thought. The press positions itself within a tradition of Dalit and anti-caste publishing, and aims to bring writings on caste into mainstream English-language discourse alongside literature, poetry, graphic narratives, and translations.

The house was co-founded by the writer and editor S. Anand together with Ravikumar, a Tamil writer and political activist. It began its operations in southern India before becoming based out of New Delhi.

Publishing programme

Navayana's catalogue spans non-fiction, fiction, translations, poetry, and illustrated books. Recurring themes include caste, untouchability, Dalit history, Ambedkarite thought, religion, and contemporary Indian politics. The press has published works by, on, and around figures such as B. R. Ambedkar, alongside contemporary scholars, journalists, poets, and activists.

One of its widely discussed projects is an annotated critical edition of Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste, edited and introduced for a contemporary readership. Navayana has also issued translations of Dalit writing from Indian languages including Tamil, Marathi, and Malayalam, helping bring regional anti-caste literatures to English-language audiences.

Significance

As one of the few Indian English-language publishers to make caste its defining editorial concern, Navayana has played a role in widening academic, literary, and public engagement with anti-caste politics in India. Its list is frequently cited in scholarship on Dalit studies, modern Indian history, and contemporary social movements, and its books are used as teaching texts in universities in India and abroad.

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