A savage indictment of religious extremism and man’s inhumanity to man, Lajja wasbanned in Bangladesh, but became a bestseller in the rest of the world.The Duttas—Sudhamoy and Kironmoyee, and their children, Suranjan and Maya—have lived in Bangladesh all their lives. Despite being members of a small, vulnerableHindu community, they refuse to leave their country, unlike most of their friendsand relatives. Sudhamoy believes with a naive mix of optimism and idealism that hismotherland will not let him down. And then, on 6 December 1992, the Babri Masjidis demolished. The world condemns the incident, but its immediate fallout is felt mostacutely in Bangladesh, where Muslim mobs begin to seek out and attack Hindus. Thenightmare inevitably arrives at the Duttas’ doorstep, and their world begins to fall apart.