Mumbai, Aug. 25 -- Anti-caste publishing house Panther's Paw, which began its journey in a hostel room in Mumbai around 10 years ago, is struggling for survival despite having published 27 books including titles that have sold over 800 copies. In April, the indie publishing house was asked to vacate the space in Nagpur that served as its warehouse, office and library, and efforts to mop up funds by selling books in bulk have not gained the required momentum. Yet, 40-year-old Yogesh Maitreya, who started the publication in 2016 while he was pursuing his doctorate, is unwilling to give up. "When people don't invest in their intellectual life, it creates ground for social violence," he said, stressing that Panther's Paw would lumber on, especially in areas where anti-caste work was much needed, like his hometown Nagpur. The name, Panther's Paw, was inspired from the Dalit Panthers - a militant organisation founded in the 1970s by firebrand authors like Namdeo Dhasal, Raja Dhale and JV Pawar, which sought to put an end to caste- and class-based exploitation and oppression. While the Panthers splintered in the 1980s, mirroring developments in the larger Ambedkarite movement, Panthers' Paw began its journey in 2016 with the book 'Ambedkarite Movement After Ambedkar' by Pawar. Maitreya had just completed his Masters in Philosophy then and was keen that Pawar's book, originally published in Marathi, be translated into English. But he was unable to find a publisher who would put out work on Dalits "not from the lens of victimisation, but from the point of view of Dalits fighting back and having other aspirations." The book was published with "a lot of help from friends" and funds raised via prebookings, which soon became a key feature of Panthers' Paw titles. "Prebookings have been our fuel, helping us pay advances to printers and bring out books that may not have otherwise seen the light of day," said Maitreya, himself a prolific writer. "But even when prebookings are scarce, I go ahead and print books as I believe in their value." Gradually, Panther's Paw forayed into publishing poetry, short stories, essays and fiction, the books often defying traditional genres. By 2020, it had published nine books when the pandemic posed the first major hurdle. Panther's Paw lost its space in Mumbai and Maitreya sought refuge in his hometown, Nagpur. "I thought then that my labour of love, which was part of the larger Dalit literary movement and history, would take care of my survival," he said. Things took a turn for the better in 2021, when Maitreya managed to raise Rs.18 lakh via crowdfunding to continue publishing books for a good three years. That same year, a welfare trust in Nagpur offered the publishing house some space, which became its sole warehouse, office and bookstore. In 2024, the space was christened 'Library of Emancipation' - it included a library of nearly 1,500 books and hosted regular discussions, film screenings and talks around books. The publication of new books continued apace, and though the titles were varied, they offered fresh perspectives on the lived experience of Dalits. AMong them was 'Affairs of Caste: A Young Diary', was an autobiographical account of rapper Sumeet Samos. "Before I started writing, I had in mind a few personal essays about growing up in Odisha alongside academically-inclined commentary. But I didn't know how to fit the two together," Samos told HT. "Yogesh told me not to worry and just get to writing, which is what I did from 2020 to 2022." In April this year, the welfare trust in Nagpur asked Maitreya to vacate the space that served as its office, library and warehouse. "We were asked to move out within two weeks, and I had no option but to store all the books and even some furniture in my and my friends' homes. Our unsold inventory has almost become a liability," he said. In August, Maitreya began a fundraising campaign by offering four of its titles (including two forthcoming) for a little over Rs.2,000, hoping it would help raise funds for the next five years. As per Maitreya's calculation, a corpus of Rs.50,000 per month would allow him to keep publishing anti-caste books without worrying too much about the budget. Yet, support has been slow to come by - till Saturday, Panther's Paw had clocked only 85 orders out of a target of 1,200. "When I see books on caste published by Savarna publications selling like hot cakes, I feel that caste is the biggest hurdle in my journey," said Maitreya. "We, Dalits, have to work many times harder for results."...