The Donkey Rider by Rai begins with a man exiled with a community’s sins on his back—until memory turns flesh into legend. In the gleaming metropolis of Pulse, life runs on dreams and mutual funds; just beyond it, in rundown Rukawa, survival revolves around the Big Well, a vast prison that looms over the town.
About The Donkey Rider
Huma, a young lawyer from Pulse, defends prisoners on death row. Ghurbat, raised in Rukawa, has spent his life navigating poverty and moral compromise. Their paths meet inside the Well, where Ghurbat awaits execution. As they confront the machinery of the death penalty and the stories we tell about the condemned, the book asks how guilt is made and who gets to bear it.
Based on groundbreaking research by Project 39A (now The Square Circle), The Donkey Rider is a graphic novel brought to life through Rai’s artwork, blending magic realism and memory into a portrait of India’s justice system. Published by India Penguin (Penguin Random House India), this 224-page edition is scheduled for October 2026 with an India MRP of ₹699.
