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'''Manoranjan Byapari''' ({{lang-bn|মনোরঞ্জন ব্যাপারী}})<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/k8RVeYN6NcmgAU7GItNPXJ/The-dissent-of-Manoranjan-Byapari.html|title=The dissent of Manoranjan Byapari|newspaper=[[Mint (newspaper)|LiveMint]]}}</ref> is an Indian [[Bengalis|Bengali]] writer, socio-political activist and a politician.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.monash.edu/arts/monash-indigenous-studies/literary-commons/literary-commons-participants/kalyani-thakur-charal|title = Kalyani Thakur Charal}}</ref> He is among the early writers of [[Dalit literature]] in [[Bengali language|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/manoranjan-byapari-from-fetters-to-letters/article5606992.ece|title=Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/rickshaw-puller-from-kolkata-steals-show-at-11th-jaipur-literature-festival/1032833/|title=Rickshaw puller from Kolkata steals show at 11th Jaipur Literature Festival|newspaper=[[The Financial Express (India)]]}}</ref> He was elected as an MLA, from the [[Balagarh (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]] in [[2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]].
'''Manoranjan Byapari''' ({{lang-bn|মনোরঞ্জন ব্যাপারী}})<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/k8RVeYN6NcmgAU7GItNPXJ/The-dissent-of-Manoranjan-Byapari.html|title=The dissent of Manoranjan Byapari|newspaper=[[Mint (newspaper)|LiveMint]]}}</ref> is an Indian [[Bengalis|Bengali]] writer, socio-political activist and a politician.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.monash.edu/arts/monash-indigenous-studies/literary-commons/literary-commons-participants/kalyani-thakur-charal|title = Kalyani Thakur Charal}}</ref> He is among the early writers of [[Dalit literature]] in [[Bengali language|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/books-authors/manoranjan-byapari-from-fetters-to-letters/article5606992.ece|title=Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/rickshaw-puller-from-kolkata-steals-show-at-11th-jaipur-literature-festival/1032833/|title=Rickshaw puller from Kolkata steals show at 11th Jaipur Literature Festival|newspaper=[[The Financial Express (India)]]}}</ref> He was elected as an MLA, from the [[Balagarh (Vidhan Sabha constituency)]] in [[2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election]]. He won the [[Shakti Bhatt Prize|2022 Shakti Bhatt Book Prize]].<ref name="shakti-bhatt-2022">{{cite news |last1=Staff |first1=Scroll |title=Bengali author Manoranjan Byapari is the winner of 2022 Shakti Bhatt Book Prize |url=https://scroll.in/article/1032454/bengali-author-manoranjan-byapari-is-the-winner-of-2022-shakti-bhatt-book-prize |access-date=2022-09-15 |work=[[Scroll.in]] |date=2022-09-15}}</ref>


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Byapari was born into [[Namasudra]] caste at [[Barisal]] in [[Bangladesh]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Dalit writer's journey: Of multiple identities and struggles|url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/reviews-recommendations/a-dalit-writers-journey-of-multiple-identities-and-struggles|access-date=2020-06-15|website=National Herald|date=8 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> 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 [[Ghutiari Sharif railway station|Ghutiyari Sharif]], Gholadoltala Refugee Camp, [[South 24 Parganas|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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sarangi|first=Jaydeep|date=2012|title=From Wheels to Stalls : Jaydeep Sarangi in Conversation with Manoranjan Byapari|url=http://pintersociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Jaydeep-Sarangi.pdf|journal=Lapis Lazuli –An International Literary Journal|volume=2|issue=1}}</ref> He had a brief stint with the [[Naxalite|Naxals]] in central India.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/will-to-power-2/|title=Will To Power|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref> It was during his prison term, he educated himself to read. He was closely associated with the famous labour activist [[Shankar Guha Niyogi]].
Byapari was born into [[Namasudra]] caste at [[Barisal]] in [[Bangladesh]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Dalit writer's journey: Of multiple identities and struggles|url=https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/reviews-recommendations/a-dalit-writers-journey-of-multiple-identities-and-struggles|access-date=2020-06-15|website=National Herald|date=8 April 2018|language=en}}</ref> 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 [[Ghutiari Sharif railway station|Ghutiyari Sharif]], Gholadoltala Refugee Camp, [[South 24 Parganas|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.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sarangi|first=Jaydeep|date=2012|title=From Wheels to Stalls : Jaydeep Sarangi in Conversation with Manoranjan Byapari|url=http://pintersociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Jaydeep-Sarangi.pdf|journal=Lapis Lazuli –An International Literary Journal|volume=2|issue=1}}</ref> He had a brief stint with the [[Naxalite|Naxals]] in central India.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/will-to-power-2/|title=Will To Power|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]}}</ref> It was during his prison term, he educated himself to read. He was closely associated with the famous labour activist [[Shankar Guha Niyogi]].


== Political career ==
== Political career ==
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He has pointed out that 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article4116.html|title=Memoirs of Chandal Jeevan: An Underdog's Story - Mainstream Weekly|website=www.mainstreamweekly.net|access-date=2016-08-04}}</ref>
He has pointed out that 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article4116.html|title=Memoirs of Chandal Jeevan: An Underdog's Story - Mainstream Weekly|website=www.mainstreamweekly.net|access-date=2016-08-04}}</ref>


[[Rajya Sabha TV]] has made a documentary on his life.<ref>{{Citation|last=Rajya Sabha TV|title=RSTV Documentary - Writer|date=2014-08-14|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ3yw9Mhq9c|access-date=2016-08-04}}</ref>
[[Rajya Sabha TV]] has made a documentary on his life.<ref>{{Citation|last=Rajya Sabha TV|title=RSTV Documentary - Writer|date=2014-08-14|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ3yw9Mhq9c|access-date=2016-08-04}}</ref>

In 2022, he won the [[Shakti Bhatt Prize]].<ref name="shakti-bhatt-2022" />


=== Books ===
=== Books ===

Revision as of 07:54, 15 September 2022

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

Manoranjan Byapari (Template:Lang-bn)[1] is an Indian Bengali writer, socio-political activist and a politician.[2] 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.[3][4] He was elected as an MLA, from the Balagarh (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election. He won the 2022 Shakti Bhatt Book Prize.[5]

Early life

Byapari was born into Namasudra caste at Barisal in Bangladesh.[6] 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.[7] He had a brief stint with the Naxals in central India.[8] It was during his prison term, he educated himself to read. He was closely associated with the famous labour activist Shankar Guha Niyogi.

Political career

He has been elected as an M.L.A. from Balagarh Assembly Constituency representing the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections 2021.[9]

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.[10]

He has pointed out that 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.[11]

Rajya Sabha TV has made a documentary on his life.[12]

In 2022, he won the Shakti Bhatt Prize.[5]

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) [1] which won The Hindu Prize.[13] The book records the experiences of oppression and marginalisation that Dalits face in Bengal which is otherwise known as a 'casteless society',[14] 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.[15] He received the Sharmila Ghosh Smriti Literary prize in 2015.[citation needed] The translation of his autobiography Interrogating My Chandal Life won the 2019 The Hindu Literary Prize in non-fiction.[16]

References

  1. ^ "The dissent of Manoranjan Byapari". LiveMint.
  2. ^ "Kalyani Thakur Charal".
  3. ^ "Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters". The Hindu.
  4. ^ "Rickshaw puller from Kolkata steals show at 11th Jaipur Literature Festival". The Financial Express (India).
  5. ^ a b Staff, Scroll (15 September 2022). "Bengali author Manoranjan Byapari is the winner of 2022 Shakti Bhatt Book Prize". Scroll.in. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  6. ^ "A Dalit writer's journey: Of multiple identities and struggles". National Herald. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  7. ^ Sarangi, Jaydeep (2012). "From Wheels to Stalls : Jaydeep Sarangi in Conversation with Manoranjan Byapari" (PDF). Lapis Lazuli –An International Literary Journal. 2 (1).
  8. ^ "Will To Power". The Indian Express.
  9. ^ "West Bengal elections 2021: Manoranjan Byapari, a rickshaw puller, cook to an iconic writer in the fray". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  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. ^ Tatke, Sukhada (23 January 2014). "Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  16. ^ "The Hindu Prize – The Hindu LFL". www.thehindulfl.com.
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