LAUSR

citizens’ (p. 298). In addition to these chapters, the book also has two detailed appendices. The book covers the diverse literary references, emotions, campaigns and events that resonate through the revolutionary voices of communism during the nationalist movement. In that sense, it is not just an outcome of Loomba’s scholarship but also owes to the communism which she inherited from both of her parents and which she acknowledges in her introduction. Revolutionary Desires is beautifully illustrated with photographs that invigorate thoughtful responses, simple yet layered, and filled with protofeminist fervour that finds the place of gender in the space of communism. Revolutionary Desires is not just another confrontation with a traditional patriarchal mindset but a mellifluous treat layered with analysis to transform the conventional reading of historical feminism with an expansive insight into humanist paradigm. Loomba’s attempt to recreate a radical alternative his/herstory only asserts that mainstream political and historical feminism in India ought to be interpreted and legitimised within and beyond the different intersections of an individual’s existence.