Ouroboros (India)

By Swati Simha

Mass sterilisation of women was previously a practice in poor rural areas of India. Women were offered incentives and doctors were under pressure to reach targets, often working in unhygienic conditions. Following the deaths of a number of women, commitments have been made to end this practice and encourage other options of birth control for women.

Ferocious young writer Swati Simha evokes a rich mystical world in this story of a doctor haunted by her role in India’s population control effort. She explores the themes of mass sterilization, poor quality of surgical care and the impact of unhygienic practices.

“Doctors have a protocol to obey. They never have to tax their soul to make a decision. It must be so easy.”