Manoranjan Byapari: Difference between revisions
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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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/delhi-a-rickshaw-pullers-journey-from-prison-to-books-540211|title=Delhi: A rickshaw puller's journey from prison to books|publisher=[[NDTV]]}}</ref> |
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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/delhi-a-rickshaw-pullers-journey-from-prison-to-books-540211|title=Delhi: A rickshaw puller's journey from prison to books|publisher=[[NDTV]]}}</ref> |
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He has |
He has argued that the upper-caste refugees from East Bengal were given preferential treatment while being resettled in Kolkata.<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> |
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[[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> |
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Revision as of 21:40, 25 October 2023
Manoranjan Byapari | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly | |
| Assumed office 02 May 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Ashim Kumar Majhi |
| Constituency | Balagarh (Vidhan Sabha constituency) |
| 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 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] He was elected as an MLA, from the Balagarh (Vidhan Sabha constituency) in 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election.
Early life
Byapari was born into Namasudra family at Pirozpur, Barisal in Bangladesh.[4] His family migrated to West Bengal when he was three years old. The family was first settled in Shiromanipur Refugee camp in Bankura. 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 labour activist Shankar Guha Niyogi.[citation needed]
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.[7]
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.[8]
He has argued that the upper-caste refugees from East Bengal were given preferential treatment while being resettled in Kolkata.[9]
Rajya Sabha TV has made a documentary on his life.[10]
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.[11] The book records the experiences of oppression and marginalisation that Dalits face in Bengal which is otherwise known as a 'casteless society',[12] 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).[13]
Award
- Suprabha Majumdar prize awarded by Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi in 2014.[14]
- Sharmila Ghosh Smriti Literary prize in 2015.[15]
- The Hindu Literary Prize in non-fiction in 2019.[16]
- Shakti Bhatt Prize in 2022.[17]
References
- ^ "Kalyani Thakur Charal".
- ^ "Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters". The Hindu.
- ^ "Rickshaw puller from Kolkata steals show at 11th Jaipur Literature Festival". The Financial Express (India).
- ^ "A Dalit writer's journey: Of multiple identities and struggles". National Herald. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
- ^ Sarangi, Jaydeep (2012). "From Wheels to Stalls : Jaydeep Sarangi in Conversation with Manoranjan Byapari" (PDF). Lapis Lazuli –An International Literary Journal. 2 (1).
- ^ "Will To Power". The Indian Express.
- ^ "West Bengal elections 2021: Manoranjan Byapari, a rickshaw puller, cook to an iconic writer in the fray". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
- ^ "Delhi: A rickshaw puller's journey from prison to books". NDTV.
- ^ "Memoirs of Chandal Jeevan: An Underdog's Story - Mainstream Weekly". www.mainstreamweekly.net. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ Rajya Sabha TV (14 August 2014), RSTV Documentary - Writer, retrieved 4 August 2016
- ^ Griffin, Peter (19 January 2019). "Names, audiences, trolls: The Hindu Lit for Life 2019 had it all". The Hindu.
- ^ Chandra, Uday; Heierstad, Geir; Nielsen, Kenneth Bo (25 September 2015). The Politics of Caste in West Bengal. Routledge. ISBN 9781317414773.
- ^ "A migrant from East Bengal, Manoranjan Byapari "interrogated" his life as chandal". 25 November 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Tatke, Sukhada (23 January 2014). "Manoranjan Byapari: from fetters to letters". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- ^ "Bengali writer Manoranjan Byapari wins the 2022 Shakti Bhatt Prize". The Indian Express. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "The Hindu Prize – The Hindu LFL". www.thehindulfl.com.
- ^ 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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