‘I haven’t written my best story’

On the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Fest, MANORANJAN BYAPARI tells SUCHETA DASGUPTA all about what informs his craft, why he would appreciate a break from the school kitchen and what it takes to become a writer of award-winning stories.

You are a working class hero and a man of many adventures. To inform our readers, could you tell us the different places you have lived in? What are the many jobs that you did for a living?

My jobs? I have been a goatherd, a tea shop help, a porter, a rickshaw driver, a night guard, a sweeper, a crematorium guard, a cook and so many other things. I was born in Barisal, Bangladesh. I have lived in the Bankura Shiromanipur camp, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Lucknow, Bastar, Kolkata and one or two other places as well. I have lived many lives in one, and I drew on them all to write my novel, Chhera Chhera Jeebon (Life in Slices).

When did you go to prison and for what reason? How many months did you spend behind bars? When and how did you secure your release?

It was the end of 1974 or perhaps the early part of 1975. A case of rioting and attempt to murder was lodged under sectors 147, 148 and 307 of the IPC. I spent 26 months in jail. The hearings went on for some more time until I was exonerated.

When and how did you meet Shankar Guha Niyogi and what was the nature of your interaction with him?

I used to be part of a rickshaw drivers’ trade union and I came into conflict with Citu [Centre of Indian Trade Unions]. They wanted us to join them but we had seen that they would take subscription

I waited long to write. One was Matua Ek Muktisena. The other was Maron Sagor Pare (Beyond Death’s Shore).

What is the connect between reading and writing? Do you find time to read?

The person who does not want to read cannot write. If you don’t read a hundred books, you cannot write one of your own. It’s not just about the information – how else will you know about switching perspective and about different styles of writing?

Who is your favourite writer and why?

I have four favourite writers – Mahasweta Devi, Samaresh Basu, Shrilal Shukla and Jajabar (Binoy Mukhopadhyay). Let me tell you about Shrilal Shukla’s Raag Darbari. It is set in Bihar where homes are built so close to one another that they don’t paint the outer walls. A motherless girl is told by her father – do not go out the door. There are men outside waiting to do evil things to you. The girl is a faithful daughter. She doesn’t disobey her dad. So she has never stepped outside the door. Whenever she needs anything, she jumps from terrace to terrace to go wherever she wants to go. As I said, it is all about perspective.

You call yourself a chandal both by caste and by temperament. What is your comment on Kamalkumar Mazumdar’s Antarjali Yatra which revolves around just such a character? Kamalbabu should have made the girl live and elope with the chandal.

Describe your wife. How did you meet her?

My wife is a very good girl. It is because she has stood by me through thick and thin that I can write my stories. I met her when I had fought off some people trying to abduct her. Later on, we became friends. I went to the orphanage where she lived and they arranged our marriage.

What is your next project?

I had lived with adivasis and observed them closely while I was working with Shankar Guha Niyogi. Their society, culture, and even sexual mores are very different from others. Have you heard of ghotul? Besides that, they barter their produce and there is relative prosperity. There is no feudalism. I had written a novella, Onyo Bhuban (A Different World), on their lives. Now they will republish it, so I am adding a few pages.

Does casteism exist in Bengal? How does it play out in Bengali society today?

Casteism doesn’t exist in West Bengal the way it does in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. There is no untouchability. Low caste people cook in dominant caste homes and they eat the food. The trouble begins when a lower caste person acquires education or relative power and prosperity. When they see them as a rival, the upper caste people will plot to stop his progress. Manoranjan Byapari has won a Sahitya Akademi award, the 24 Ghanta award, the Gateway Litfest Writer of the Year, the Hindu prize. He got shortlisted for the JCB Prize and the DSC Prize. He is a writer, no doubt, but he must still cook for a living. For five years, he has been requesting the state government of West Bengal for lighter work because his knees have been operated upon, so he cannot stand for too long, but no. The man has published 18-20 books, what more does he want to write? This is how casteism works; it decides on your behalf, it clips your wings, it curtails you.