Conlang Society
The Neighbourhood That Adopted Itself
A RWA Story
When the state didn't show up, the community did.
Format
Trade Paperback
Pages
264
Language
English
Release
2026
Editorial Note
The first book-length reckoning with the Resident Welfare Association — the quiet parallel republic that Indian urban India is already governed by.
§ Synopsis
Inside the book.
Somewhere between the municipal corporation and the front door lies India's most under-studied civic layer: the RWA. Tens of thousands of them. Volunteer-run, unelected, deeply consequential — deciding water, waste, security, parking, and often much more.
The Neighbourhood That Adopted Itself is a full-length portrait of urban India through the RWA lens. Reported across Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai, with 220 RWA-office interviews and colony-by-colony case-studies, it argues that when the Indian state has been slow to arrive, the community has quietly adopted itself — for better, and sometimes for complicated.
§ Table of Contents
Chapters.
- 01Prelude — The Parallel Republic Next Door
- 02Book I — The RWA, Explained
- 03Book II — Five Cities, Five Case-Studies
- 04Book III — Water, Waste, Security, Parking
- 05Book IV — The RWA and The State
- 06Book V — What Urban India Governs Itself With
- 07Coda — The Neighbourhood, Adopted
§ IP Surface
More than a book.
Every CBH title is tracked across twelve revenue surfaces. This grid shows what’s already out, what’s in production, and what’s still available for licensing.
Book
Available
Ebook
Available
Audiobook
In Production
Comic
Not Yet Licensed
Course
In Production
Film
Not Yet Licensed
Series
In Production
Translation
In Production
Merchandise
Not Yet Licensed
Podcast
Available
Live Event
Available
Study Guide
Available
§ Press & Reviews
The critics say.
“The RWA book urban India has been waiting to read about itself.”
— The Print — Urban
“Sharp, respectful, and quietly revelatory.”
— Livemint — Cities
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