Bengali writer and former naxalite
Manoranjan Byapari, who has been a rickshaw-puller in the past, gave an insight into what urges him to write at a session titled ‘The Voice of a Chandal’ at the Times Litfest on Sunday. “The secret is my anger. I channelise it to write,” said Byapari.
He also shared that he cannot call himself a proud Hindu, and why. “Vivekananda had said that we should pronounce it loudly that we are Hindus. But I won’t. Because when I step into a temple, the idol is ‘purified’ with water from the Ganges and cow urine. What is the merit of such religion which segregates humans,” he asked.
On being asked why he feels Dalits need to write for Dalits, he said, "It is not possible for a writer of non-Dalit background to understand the difficulties, discrimination faced by the community. It is like writing about a rickshaw-puller while enjoying the weather from your balcony. One can see the sweaty back of the man from above but can they feel the hungry stomach of the rickshaw puller?”
Highlighting the crude divisions in the society, he says, “People can cuddle with dogs on bed but when they touch me, they have to take a shower. If I have no respect as an individual in the eyes of my fellow human beings how is it possible for me to be a part of this society?”
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