Sanjaya Kumar Bag

 

Sanjaya Kumar Bag is a promising figure in field of Odia Dalit Literature whose fictional heroes represent myriad caste discriminations and sufferings in Odisha, particularly in Western Odisha. Panchanan Dalai, Dept. of English, Banaras Hindu University, speaks to Sanjay Bagh to unravel the young writer’s literary activism, contributions and responsibilities.

Panchanan Dalai (PD): Could you please tell us why and when you took to pen?

Sanjaya Kumar Bag (SK): In my school days, when I was in ninth standard, I started writing; some of my poems got published in a few children’s magazines, though I can’t exactly recall their names now. My short stories were also published in reputed Odia magazines like Jhankar and Katha when I was in my graduation. I have no copies of these, and I can’t even recollect their titles now. When I went to Delhi University for the doctoral research, all the magazines and newspapers, which contained my stories and were stored in a wooden trunk in my village house, were eaten away by white ants. These were my pieces of preliminary practices on how to write.

PD: What should we perceive as your first love: Teaching or Writing?

SK: I love both writing as well as teaching; I believe writing is not restricted to creative text only. I think ‘writing’ is a kind of teaching-in-absentia and ‘teaching’ is a kind of writing-in-oral form.

PD: You must have read many Dalit literatures and criticism. What have you learnt about Dalit literature?

SK: We are narrating the sufferings and pains of our community and neighbors, which have been ignored by other creative writers. I believe, everyone has right to express his pains and sufferings. The narratives of ignored communities are marked as ‘Dalit Literature’ by critics only; otherwise, it is not a different one from the mainstream literature as far as creativity and literary sensibility are concerned. 

PD: In your first anthology of stories Barnabodha O Madhbabunka Katha (2009), you have raised the issue of untouchability in school education. What made you start with this? Does it have any autobiographical connotation?

SK: Yes, it is more or less autobiographical. Even now-a-days, in many parts of India you may see similar situations. I wrote the story “Barnabodha O Madhubabunka Katha” during my post-graduation. One day, I experienced something bitter which reminded me of my school days. In the meantime, I came across an article “Hero by Name and Deed” by P Sainath in The Hindu daily (January 21, 2001). After reading that article, I thought, I should write something else, NOT the Bollywood love or shas-bohu kind of story. And, after a couple of months, I wrote the story ‘Hero’, which is based on Sainath’s article only, though mine has a fictional climax.

PD: Most of your stories are direct allegories of contemporary caste experiences such as globalization, religious conversion, dowry problems, fallacy of Dalit intellectualism, etc. Is it your literary readings of these or your own experiences that made you reckon and represent these issues in your stories?

SK: It is not because of literary readings but because of what I have experienced. Yes, the contextualization, narrations, language skills may be an outcome of my readings and influence of oral traditions of our community. 

PD: Your stories subtly satirize Dalit expectations and social taboos. How did you pick up this art of employing satire as a literary tool?

SK: In the oral tradition of Dalit and Tribal communities, there are many techniques of storytelling, creative self-presentation, and myriad satires which are at yet to be explored and exposed to outside readers… I have just attempted some of these in my narrative styles.

PD: You have directly taken some caste-names such as Dama, Chamara, Ghasi, Hadi, Pana, Sabara, etc. Do you think it is easier for a Dalit writer to take these caste-names than for a non-Dalit writer? Could you have done so in the absence of current Dalit activism and Dalit discourses?

SK: Caste is a social fact in India. I do not think it is difficult to mention when it is required to be depicted in one’s storyline or narrative; but yes, we cannot mention them abusively. It not a question of either Dalit or Non-Dalit writer or the absence or presence of Dalit activism and Dalit discourses. 

PD: In your story ‘Laxmipurana’, you describe how Laxmi visits only the upper caste families of the Brahmin-village-head, the village moneylender, the Marwari, the Chairman, etc., but she deliberately avoids the lower caste families. What do you want to convey here?

SK: The story is juxtaposed with the famous work of our ancient poet Balaram Das’s Laxmipurana, where Laxmi visits all the houses including those of the Dalits. However, in my story it is just the opposite. I have tried to show how a large number of people of different castes and communities are facing economic exploitations by some particular groups and people, and of course the issues of untouchability as well. I am thus juxtaposing Das’s Laxmipurana because it has failed to bring any radical changes amongst the downtrodden in Odisha.

PD: The story ‘Silalekha’ is a wonderful story about a Brahmin professor’s daughter Rachita Rosalin Mishra’s love affair with her tribal classmate Nelson; but unfortunately, it ends up with a casteist slur. Do you think this is part of new kinds of Dalit experiences in university system?

SK: Yes, it is a new arena of experience of caste in urban or elite setup. It is not the same as in a rural area, and you may be shocked when you explore it. You cannot say where, when, and how it will kick you. It is not my experience only; so many people may have experienced the same.

PD: Your story ‘Balada’ is a story on religious conversion in Odisha. You have also hinted at Graham Stein murder story here. How strong are this issue and Dalit predicaments in Odisha?

SK: You may correlate ‘Balada’ with Stein or Kandhamal issue; this is indifferent. But everyone has a right to choose his religious practice, and in the same vein, every religious community is interested to preach or influence others to follow their way, but there should not be any animosity. After all, religion is not above one’s bread and butter, not above one’s life.

PD: Okay, your stories are replete with ideas and experiences of poverty, untouchability and other kinds of existential challenges and complexities. How much of them are your own?

SK: I have experienced all these; I am also aware of the experiences of my community members, the experiences of members of other community who are neighbors to me. We all know that, even after independence, many members of Dalit and Tribal groups are far from formal and modern education; they do not have the minimum facilities of health and employment. Since the British rule and the early days of formal education and research, not only scholars of cultural studies, but also many scholars of sociology, economics, anthropology and linguistics have done a lot of research on these communities. These only expose the irony of our knowledge, our research, our understanding of other co-existed groups, and our contributions in overall progress.

PD: How would you react if we say that your stories are more about your childhood nostalgia than serious Dalit experiences?

SK: It is not nostalgia but a bitter social reality of traditional as well as modern India. Go through everyday news, you can see an ample number of incidents. Apart from these, there are also a number of issues and bad-happenings that are not reported at all. And, you know, our community is not limited to our family and neighbors only. 

PD: How serious and strong is Dalit activism and Dalit literary practices in Odisha?

SK: Since two decades or a little earlier to it, Dalit literary narratives have been coming up in Odisha, but we may notice the presence of Dalit activism quite earlier to this period. I feel that both are not sufficient and satisfactory; we have to do many more things that are not happening because of lack of awareness and lack of a proper sense of social responsibility.

Again, I think, activism and literary practice are complementary to each other. When there are movements, people become aware, conscious; they search for the truth, they search for their identity. And, literature plays a tremendous role all the way. Without activism or movement, literary practice is only a piece of entertainment; in the same way, without literary practice, we cannot carry forward our movement. So, we should take both seriously.

PD: Do you think Odia Dalit writers lack the strong passion and fiery spirit that we usually notice in Marathi or southern Dalit writers?

SK: Yes, one can see the lack of strong passion and fiery spirit in Odia Dalit narratives and I think there are reasons. First, the contemporary socio-cultural situation of Odisha is different from Maharashtra and southern States. Second most, we Odia Dalit writers belong to younger generation, we have not experienced what our father and grandfather had experienced. Third, as Odia Dalit writers are less in number we do not have wide representations of Dalit issues from across Odisha. We have also no Dalit literary movement.

PD: How do you evaluate other Dalit writers such as Basudev Sunani, Gopinath Bag,  and Akhila Naik?

SK: Basudev Sunani, Gopinath Bag, and Akhil Naik are well known to me. Their writings on issues are quite thought provoking and powerful. They have made Dalit literature more grounded on the lived experiences of Dalits, and in doing so, they have succeeded in de-brahminising the Odia Literature. For instance, Asprushya (2001),  Dalit Sanskrutira Itihasa (2009),  Kaaliaa Ubaacha (2009), etc. by Basudev Sunani; Dam Sanskruti (2009) by Gopinath Bag; and Bheda (2010) by Akhil Naik have made a sure dent in the so called mainstream Odia literature.

PD: Do you find any difference in the Dalit writings coming from coastal Odisha and from western Odisha?

SK: The authors mentioned above are all from western Odisha, but there are also writers form coastal areas who are writing on Dalit issues; though their number is limited. I am not interested to see the difference, though the western and coastal part of Odisha have some socio-cultural differences. But, I hope, in near future, Dalit literary practice in Odisha will gain its momentum.

PD: What are your ideas about Indian vernaculars and English translations in India?

SK: India has not only numerous numbers of castes and tribes but also several languages; and every language has its rich oral and literary traditions. English is an international medium for sharing our thoughts and knowledge. Translation of written or oral tradition is definitely an exposure to each other. It creates linguistic as well as social harmony and corrects us of our prejudices.

PD: Would you agree with the idea that ‘English’ and English Translators are better mediums of Dalit literature? Do you think there is something more to Dalit Literature than just the need of a medium?

SK: English translation is undoubtedly a better medium as it creates wider readers. Readers of other Indian languages are also better accessed through English. Dalit literature is not just for art’s sake, it is for socio-cultural awareness of the concerned community. But, at the same time, you would also agree that translation is never a prime issue for any literature. Yes, again, we need a literary movement rather than any medium as far as Odia Dalit literature is concerned.

PD: What are your future creative plans?

SK: No plan exactly, but I always wish to narrate our and our neighbor-communities’ pains, problems, socio-political positions, exploitations, cultural attitudes, and other worldviews.

PD: How do you want to be known: as a Dalit writer or simply a writer without any prefix? 

SK: It depends on how you posit the term. If you are thinking Dalit writing is a compartmental writing or community-centered writing, it is certainly NOT. I don’t think that Dalit narrative is less than the mainstream narrative in terms of its literariness and aesthetics.