`Black ants and white pigeons' a novel by Ratan K Samadder. The title of the novel has been taken from a communal saying popular particularly to the Muslim children. ‘Black ants are Muslim ants because they do not bite, and red ants are Hindu ants because they bite.’ It’s not clear how the saying has developed, but the very fact is, every Hindu child hears it from their Muslim friends at schools and kindergartens. It is one of the first communal lessons they get at a very early age, and it makes them realize that they are not the same.