India, Jan. 11 -- Their lives from birth to death is an ordeal of indignity, humiliation, insecurity bereft of basic human rights.

PROLOGUE

The frightened father with his wife and three scraggly toddlers soldiered on. Hope was on the horizon. He could see the beacon of safety in a distance. Behind him lay the land of his oppressors, to his right was the Arabian Sea and in front was his promised land or that is what he thought. He heaved a sigh of relief as he crossed the boundary of modern Bharat-at last he and his family were safe. But suddenly a bunch of ugly ogres fell upon the hapless family screaming profanities, some had names just like him and others bore the names of his oppressors; they kicked him, abused him and pushed him ba...