Of all the true stories I have read, one stands out as the most painful and inspirational of them all. I, Phoolan Devi: the autobiography of India’s bandit queen by Phoolan Devi is perhaps the greatest and most harrowing account ever produced in print. Nobody who reads this can fail to be moved by the experiences of one of the most unfortunate, yet courageous females to have lived. Kevan Thakrar writes from HMP Wakefield.
Phoolan Devi was born into a poor lower caste family in India where she was heavily disadvantaged from the start. Growing up with almost nothing was not easy, and being female did not help. Unable to conform and submit to local custom, her outspoken resistance led to mild childish bullying building up to the most severely brutal treatment imaginable. When she sought help, those with the ability to intervene instead chose to contribute to her torture.
Chance led Phoolan to be recruited into a group of bandits where she was safe from her abusers; this then gave her the power to even the score. A lower caste female bandit administering vigilante justice was unacceptable to all the oppressors so Phoolan became India’s most wanted, hunted by the full weight of the state.
This book will bring strength to all who read it and is a must for every female prisoner and victim of aggression as they will derive the greatest benefit from it. Although the language used may not be as advanced or flowing as other books, the story itself is so deep it comes to life without the need for fancy adjectives. I doubt many will have read a better book and would love to know the name of it if you have!
Anyone who has further reading suggestions for me or would like to discuss Phoolan Devi or any other literature, please contact me either through my website www.justiceforkevan.com or directly at:
Kevan Thakrar A4907AE, Close Supervision Centre, HMP Wakefield, 5 Love Lane, Wakefield WF2 9AG.
[Kevan was wrongfully convicted of triple murder in 2007. He has been detained in solitary confinement in maximum security prisons since defending himself against a racist attack by Frankland prison officers in 2010, for which he was charged with three attempted murders but found not guilty following a criminal trial. Kevan actively campaigns both for his release and for improvements to prison conditions, with the help of a large support group.]
