Manoranjan Byapari
Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
Assumed office
02 May 2021
Preceded byAshim Kumar Majhi
ConstituencyBalagarh
Chairperson of West Bengal Dalit Sahitya Academy
Assumed office
14 Sep 2020

Manoranjan Byapari is an Indian Bengali writer, socio-political activist, and a politician.[1] He stands as one of the pioneering authors in the realm of Dalit literature in Bengali, hailing from the Indian state of West Bengal. Hindered by financial constraints, he was precluded from availing formal education, thereby distinguishing himself as a unique exemplar—a former convict turned rickshaw puller—having authored a substantial corpus comprising twelve novels, in addition to over a hundred short stories and non-fiction essays.[2][3]

Early life

Byapari was born into a Namasudra family in Pirozpur, Barisal, Bangladesh.[4] His family relocated to West Bengal when he was three years old, initially settling in the Shiromanipur Refugee camp in Bankura. Subsequently, they were compelled to relocate to various locations, including Ghutiyari Sharif, Gholadoltala Refugee Camp in South 24 Paraganas, where they resided until 1969. However, at the age of fourteen, Byapari departed from his familial abode, engaging in a series of economically modest positions within the informal sector across diverse cities such as Assam, Lucknow, Delhi, and Allahabad. Following a two-year stint in Dandakaranya, he resettled in Kolkata in 1973.[5] Notably, he briefly affiliated with the Naxals in central India.[6] It was during his period of incarceration that he embarked on a self-directed educational pursuit, acquiring literacy. His close association with the labor activist Shankar Guha Niyogi is also noteworthy.[7]

Political career

He secured election as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.) from the Balagarh Assembly Constituency, representing the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections of 2021.[8]

Life as an author

He gained prominence following the publication of his influential essay titled "Is there a Dalit writing in Bangla?" which was translated by Meenakshi Mukherjee and featured in the Economic and Political Weekly.[9] Concurrently employed as a rickshaw puller, he encountered Mahasweta Devi fortuitously, and she subsequently invited him to contribute to her journal, 'Bartika.'[10] Within his scholarly contributions, he posits the contention that upper-caste refugees from East Bengal were accorded preferential treatment during their resettlement in Kolkata.[11] Furthermore, a documentary chronicling his life has been produced by Rajya Sabha TV.[12]

Books

He authored a memoir titled "ইতিবৃত্তে চণ্ডাল জীবন" in Bengali, which was subsequently translated into English by Sipra Mukherjee under the title "Interrogating my Chandal life: An Autobiography of a Dalit" (Sage-Samya), and it received The Hindu Prize.[13] This literary work documents the myriad experiences of oppression and marginalization faced by Dalits in Bengal, a region often characterized as a 'casteless society' by the prevailing bhadralok narrative.[14] His identity as a Dalit is integral to his literary expression, wherein he emphasizes, "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 grounded in Dalit life. Some of my writings delve into Dalit life, deserving impartial evaluation devoid of preconceived judgments." He articulates his dual identification as a chandal, both by birth and through a manifestation of indignation (krodha chandal).[15]

Award

References

  1. ↑ Ahluwalia, Mallika (2018). "Jijibisha: The Will to Survive: Manoranjan Byapari". Divided by Partition: United by Resilience: 21 Inspirational Stories from 1947. New Delhi: Rupa Publications. pp. 60–66.
  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. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  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. ↑ Byapari, Manoranjan (2018). Interrogating My Chandal Life: An Autobiography Of A Dalit. Translated by Mukherjee, Sipra. New Delhi: SAGE Publications. pp. 280–308.
  8. ↑ "West Bengal elections 2021: Manoranjan Byapari, a rickshaw puller, cook to an iconic writer in the fray". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "Is There Dalit Writing in Bangla?". 13 October 2007. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. ↑ "Delhi: A rickshaw puller's journey from prison to books". NDTV.
  11. ↑ "Memoirs of Chandal Jeevan: An Underdog's Story - Mainstream Weekly". www.mainstreamweekly.net. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  12. ↑ Rajya Sabha TV (14 August 2014), RSTV Documentary - Writer, retrieved 4 August 2016
  13. ↑ Griffin, Peter (19 January 2019). "Names, audiences, trolls: The Hindu Lit for Life 2019 had it all". The Hindu.
  14. ↑ Chandra, Uday; Heierstad, Geir; Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (25 September 2015). The Politics of Caste in West Bengal. Routledge. ISBN 9781317414773.
  15. ↑ "A migrant from East Bengal, Manoranjan Byapari "interrogated" his life as chandal". 25 November 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  16. ↑ Tatke, Sukhada (23 January 2014). "Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  17. ↑ "Bengali writer Manoranjan Byapari wins the 2022 Shakti Bhatt Prize". The Indian Express. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  18. ↑ "The Hindu Prize – The Hindu LFL". www.thehindulfl.com.
  19. ↑ Scroll Staff (15 September 2022). "Bengali author Manoranjan Byapari is the winner of 2022 Shakti Bhatt Book Prize". Scroll.in. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
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