‘The Spice Gate’: A fiercely political fantasy rooted in caste and food-based discrimination

Prashanth Srivatsa’s debut novel The Spice Gate is a fantasy that tells the story of spice trade built upon the backs of the spice carriers. These spice carriers – condescendingly referred to as gatecastes – are deemed untouchables. The author has rooted his novel in caste and food-based discrimination, a reality that still haunts millions of people globally. Another theme that runs through the story is the desire for freedom. Fiercely political in its characters and themes, The Spice Gate underlines the tyranny inflicted upon the generations of gatecastes who do (or are forced to do) sundry menial jobs.

Carrying spice

Amir (pronounced as Ah-mir) is a spice carrier: he carries heavy loads of spice across kingdoms through a mysterious structure called a spice gate. Before I delve into the details, let me clarify how pivotal pain, insult and trauma are to the story. This carrying business produces a three-pronged pain: the exhaustion that comes from lifting heavy sacks. Though tiring, it’s nothing compared to the excruciating pain that a carrier feels when they pass through a spice gate. To add insult to injury, the sentries who man the gates beat the carriers on the slightest of provocations, and sometimes, just to let off steam. This pain, physical...

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