His Father’s Disease is a work of fine literary sleight of hand, weaving tales that immerse you deep in Assamese realities only to pull you up – inexorably – into the stiff wind of global India. Through ten extended stories, Aruni unveils the world’s second most populous country as you’ve rarely seen it: its natural magic on display alongside the tragic abuses and erasures that power the posters of technological progress that scream from its super-populated cities. Each story, by degrees, adds to a question that haunts the entire collection: what do we lose when we try to distill an entire universe into a convenient stereotype? As characters from folklore shed leaves on the pages, ethnic and religious prejudice are laid bare, underpinned with wry humour. His Father’s Disease deals with pivotal questions about the environment and territorial sovereignty, giving urgent insights into the experiences of an often-silenced and marginalised culture.