Manoranjan Byapari

Manoranjan Byapari (Bengali: মনোরঞ্জন ব্যাপারী)[1] is an Indian Bengali writer and socio-political activist. He was born in 1950. Along with Manohar Mouli Biswas, Gobinda Das Sounda, Sunil Das, Mahitosh Biswas, Sukriti Ranjan Biswas, Achintya Biswas, Bimalendu Haldar, Jatin Bala, Kapil Krishna Thakur, Lily Haldar, Kalyani Thakur Charal ] , Manju Bala, Bina Das, Anil Ranjan Biswas, he is among the early writers of Dalit literature in Bengali from the Indian state of West Bengal. He could not afford any formal education and is perhaps the only convict-turned-Rickshaw puller who has penned a dozen novels and over a hundred short stories, apart from non-fiction essays.[2][3]

Early life

Byapari was born into Namasudra caste at Barisal in Bangladesh.[4] His family migrated to West Bengal when he was three years old. The family was first resettled in Bankura, Shiromanipur Refugee camp. Later they were forced to move to Ghutiyari Sharif, Gholadoltala Refugee Camp, South 24 Paraganas and they lived there until 1969. However, the young Byapari had left his home at the age of fourteen and undertook a number of low-paid informal sector jobs in various cities in Assam, Lucknow, Delhi and Allahabad. After spending two years in Dandakaranya, he shifted to Kolkata in 1973.[5] He had a brief stint with the Naxals in central India.[6] It was during his prison term, he educated himself to read. He was closely associated with the famous labour activist Shankar Guha Niyogi.

Life as an author

He came to prominence with the publication of his influential essay Is there a Dalit writing in Bangla?, translated by Meenakshi Mukherjee, in the journal Economic and Political Weekly. While working as a rickshaw puller, he had a chance meeting with Mahasweta Devi, and she asked him to write for her 'Bartika' journal[7]

He has pointed out that how the upper Caste refugees from East Bengal are given preferential treatment while being resettled in Kolkata, as favoured by the Upper Caste officials in the West Bengal.[8]

Rajya Sabha TV has made a documentary on his life.[9]

Books

He wrote a memoir ইতিবৃত্তে চণ্ডাল জীবন in Bengali, translated into English by Sipra Mukherjee as Interrogating my Chandal life: An Autobiography of a Dalit (Sage-Samya) which won The Hindu Prize.[10] The book records the experiences of oppression and marginalisation that Dalits face in Bengal which is otherwise known as a 'casteless society',[11] as claimed by many a bhadralok. Being a Dalit is central to his writing. As he says, "I’m a Dalit by birth. Only a dalit, oppressed by social forces can experience true dalan (oppression) in life. There should be that dalan as a dalit in Dalit writing. Dalit literature should be based on dalit life. Some of my writings deal with dalit life; some to be judged neutrally, without any preconceived estimation". He says he is a chandal in two ways, by birth and by rage (krodha chandal).

Award

In 2014 he was honoured with Suprabha Majumdar prize awarded by Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi.[12] He received the Sharmila Ghosh Smriti Literary prize in 2015. The translation of his autobiography Interrogating My Chandal Life won the 2019 The Hindu Literary Prize in non-fiction.[13]

References
  1. "The dissent of Manoranjan Byapari". LiveMint.
  2. "Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters". The Hindu.
  3. "Rickshaw puller from Kolkata steals show at 11th Jaipur Literature Festival". The Financial Express (India).
  4. "A Dalit writer's journey: Of multiple identities and struggles". National Herald. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  5. Sarangi, Jaydeep (2012). "From Wheels to Stalls : Jaydeep Sarangi in Conversation with Manoranjan Byapari" (PDF). Lapis Lazuli –An International Literary Journal. 2 (1).
  6. "Will To Power". The Indian Express.
  7. "Delhi: A rickshaw puller's journey from prison to books". NDTV.
  8. "Memoirs of Chandal Jeevan: An Underdog's Story - Mainstream Weekly". www.mainstreamweekly.net. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  9. Rajya Sabha TV (2014-08-14), RSTV Documentary - Writer, retrieved 2016-08-04
  10. https://www.thehindu.com/lit-for-life/names-audiences-trolls-the-hindu-lit-for-life-2019-had-it-all/article26048649.ece/photo/1/
  11. Chandra, Uday; Heierstad, Geir; Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (2015-09-25). The Politics of Caste in West Bengal. Routledge. ISBN 9781317414773.
  12. "Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters". thehindu.com. January 23, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  13. https://www.thehindulfl.com/the-hindu-prize/
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