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There’s Gunpowder in the Air
It’s the early seventies. The Naxalbari Movement is gathering strength in Bengal. Young men and women have left their homes, picked up arms to free land from the clutches of feudal landlords and the state, and return them to oppressed landless farmers. They are being arrested en masse and thrown into high-security jails. In one such jail, five Naxals are meticulously planning a jailbreak. They must free themselves if the revolution is to continue. But petty thief Bhagoban, much too happy to serve frequent terms for free food and shelter, has been planted by Jailor Bireshwar Mukherjee among them as a mole. Only, Bhagoban seems to be warming up to them. There’s Gunpowder in the Air is a searing investigation into what deprivation and isolation can do to human idealism. And Manoranjan Byapari is perhaps the most refreshing voice to emerge from Bengal in recent times.
173 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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December 6, 2019
I first came to know of Manoranjan Byapari when I read about his famous autobiography "Interrogating my Chandal Life" in a newspaper. I was impressed reading about the struggles that he went through to reach where he has today.
Coming from a very humble background, perhaps the most inspiring thing about the author is that he could neither read or write well into his twenties. He was born in Bangladesh and his family migrated to West Bengal, India when he was barely three. He had a brief association with Naxals and during the Naxalite movement of 1970s in West Bengal, he was arrested and sent to jail. It was there that he taught himself to read and write. To earn a living he also took up various low paying jobs. It was when he used to pull a hand driven rickshaw that he had a chance encounter with famous writer Mahasweta Devi. She invited him to write for a journal and then there was no looking back for this writer.
Today, he is a prominent writer of Dalit literature and has written over dozen novels and many short stories as well as essays. He writes in Bengali. His autobiography "Interrogating my Chandal Life" as well as "There's Gunpowder in the Air" have been translated into English. The former won the prestigious Hindu Literary Prize for non-fiction whereas the latter i.e. this book has made it to shortlists for various awards including DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.
The story of this novel seems to be drawn from his own experience as a prisoner in Jail in the 70s. What we have here is a Jail with some Naxal prisoners who plan to escape in order to contribute to the movement to fight against oppression of the state and landlords. But the narrative not only deals with their plot but also with the state of affairs in a Jail during that time, with the treatment of prisoners in general and also of those in dark cells. The reader also gets a peek into the psyche of both prisoners and policemen - how their actions are informed more by deprivation and how fear and anxiety can at times play with their minds. Written in third person using simple present, the narrative immediately catches a reader's attention for its tautness and vivid rendition.
The outcome at the end, is a chilling reminder of the brutality that is sometimes imposed cold heartedly due to an obligation and sometimes, to save one's face.
This book is a must read if you wish to delve closer into the lives of people living on the margins in society.
Coming from a very humble background, perhaps the most inspiring thing about the author is that he could neither read or write well into his twenties. He was born in Bangladesh and his family migrated to West Bengal, India when he was barely three. He had a brief association with Naxals and during the Naxalite movement of 1970s in West Bengal, he was arrested and sent to jail. It was there that he taught himself to read and write. To earn a living he also took up various low paying jobs. It was when he used to pull a hand driven rickshaw that he had a chance encounter with famous writer Mahasweta Devi. She invited him to write for a journal and then there was no looking back for this writer.
Today, he is a prominent writer of Dalit literature and has written over dozen novels and many short stories as well as essays. He writes in Bengali. His autobiography "Interrogating my Chandal Life" as well as "There's Gunpowder in the Air" have been translated into English. The former won the prestigious Hindu Literary Prize for non-fiction whereas the latter i.e. this book has made it to shortlists for various awards including DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.
The story of this novel seems to be drawn from his own experience as a prisoner in Jail in the 70s. What we have here is a Jail with some Naxal prisoners who plan to escape in order to contribute to the movement to fight against oppression of the state and landlords. But the narrative not only deals with their plot but also with the state of affairs in a Jail during that time, with the treatment of prisoners in general and also of those in dark cells. The reader also gets a peek into the psyche of both prisoners and policemen - how their actions are informed more by deprivation and how fear and anxiety can at times play with their minds. Written in third person using simple present, the narrative immediately catches a reader's attention for its tautness and vivid rendition.
The outcome at the end, is a chilling reminder of the brutality that is sometimes imposed cold heartedly due to an obligation and sometimes, to save one's face.
This book is a must read if you wish to delve closer into the lives of people living on the margins in society.
December 21, 2020
Everything about this book recommends itself, drawn from the margins of Indian society and coloured with its angst and observations.
The author, Manoranjan Byapari, is at once one of the finest voices to emerge in contemporary Bengali literature and an outlier in the world much of it revolves around: having immigrated from Bangladesh at the age of 3, he has worked variously as goatherd, a crematorium caretaker, a security guard, a sweeper, a rickshaw-puller, a cook, and now a library-worker. As a rickshaw-wallah in the 1970s, he came in contact with Naxals and was sent to jail, where he first learnt to read and write at the age of 24. It was also while at work pulling rickshaws that he met the writer Mahasweta Devi, who invited him to publish in her literary journal Bartika and kickstarted his career.
Byapari has published extensively since then, his writing often centered around the lives of the marginalised, the working-class, and Dalits like himself. There's Gunpowder in the Air; first published as Batashe Baruder Gandha in 2013 and translated to English by Arunava Sinha; is a fictional tale spun around real-life events that took place in 1970s Calcutta at the height of the Naxal movement and the mass-incarceration of revolutionaries. Here, Byapari traces the atmosphere and goings-on in an unnamed prison where fellow prisoners are appointed spies as five Naxals attempt a jailbreak.
However, it is not the jailbreak itself but the way the author portrays the hunger, disillusionment, beliefs and aspirations of his characters that makes this book such an excellent read. Byapari lays bare with his straightforward and perceptive writing the corruption of the prison and the socio-political system; relaying the fears, anxieties and motivations of prisoners—petty thieves, cheats, murderers, political activists, Naxalites—and guards through conversations and descriptions from their daily lives and exhibiting a keen sensibility regarding deprivation, idealism, and the human condition. With its taut, darkly comic narrative and characters like Haloom the cat and the rumoured ghost of Bandiswalla, There's Gunpowder in the Air is a searing portrait from within the country's best-hidden, most-hated margins.
Despite its brevity and simplicity of style this book has a lot to say, filling in the silences and static created by governments and popular media with clear declamations from the subalterns' own mouths. Arunava Sinha's translation too does justice, following the cadence and rough-hewn structure of the original and retaining the inflections from Bengali speech, the crispness of the third person narrative, and the crescendo it reaches in the final fifty pages.
Overall, There's Gunpowder in the Air is a remarkable book, a must-read for anyone seeking a better understanding of struggle and all that accompanies it.
The author, Manoranjan Byapari, is at once one of the finest voices to emerge in contemporary Bengali literature and an outlier in the world much of it revolves around: having immigrated from Bangladesh at the age of 3, he has worked variously as goatherd, a crematorium caretaker, a security guard, a sweeper, a rickshaw-puller, a cook, and now a library-worker. As a rickshaw-wallah in the 1970s, he came in contact with Naxals and was sent to jail, where he first learnt to read and write at the age of 24. It was also while at work pulling rickshaws that he met the writer Mahasweta Devi, who invited him to publish in her literary journal Bartika and kickstarted his career.
Byapari has published extensively since then, his writing often centered around the lives of the marginalised, the working-class, and Dalits like himself. There's Gunpowder in the Air; first published as Batashe Baruder Gandha in 2013 and translated to English by Arunava Sinha; is a fictional tale spun around real-life events that took place in 1970s Calcutta at the height of the Naxal movement and the mass-incarceration of revolutionaries. Here, Byapari traces the atmosphere and goings-on in an unnamed prison where fellow prisoners are appointed spies as five Naxals attempt a jailbreak.
However, it is not the jailbreak itself but the way the author portrays the hunger, disillusionment, beliefs and aspirations of his characters that makes this book such an excellent read. Byapari lays bare with his straightforward and perceptive writing the corruption of the prison and the socio-political system; relaying the fears, anxieties and motivations of prisoners—petty thieves, cheats, murderers, political activists, Naxalites—and guards through conversations and descriptions from their daily lives and exhibiting a keen sensibility regarding deprivation, idealism, and the human condition. With its taut, darkly comic narrative and characters like Haloom the cat and the rumoured ghost of Bandiswalla, There's Gunpowder in the Air is a searing portrait from within the country's best-hidden, most-hated margins.
Despite its brevity and simplicity of style this book has a lot to say, filling in the silences and static created by governments and popular media with clear declamations from the subalterns' own mouths. Arunava Sinha's translation too does justice, following the cadence and rough-hewn structure of the original and retaining the inflections from Bengali speech, the crispness of the third person narrative, and the crescendo it reaches in the final fifty pages.
Overall, There's Gunpowder in the Air is a remarkable book, a must-read for anyone seeking a better understanding of struggle and all that accompanies it.
January 27, 2022
"...but when the history of these events is written, my role might be considered insignificant, even selfish. Everyone has to die some day, after all. Maybe today, maybe a hundred years later. I don’t want anyone to smear my name with disrepute. So I really want to be in charge of the resistance here."
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If only they knew how wrong they were, they really could change the course of history.
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If only they knew how wrong they were, they really could change the course of history.
September 22, 2019
'There's gunpowder in the air' is set in the early 70's in West Bengal, where the Naxalbari movement is taking shape.
~
I couldn't put this book down once I started reading. I raced through it in a single sitting. It definitely keeps you on your toes and is worth all the attention.
The book is set in an unnamed jail in West Bengal, where five Naxal youths are planning a jailbreak. The jailor is nearing his retirement and the last thing he wants is a jailbreak from the Naxal youths. He hires a petty informer to keep an eye on them.
~
The thrill of the story is not the jailbreak, but the individual character stories of the youths and what led them to become Naxalites. You slowly read about the peeling of the characters mindsets and how they grow on you is the beauty of the narrative and the translation.
The plot neatly highlights the corrupt system (morally and socially), idealistic values and the ever prevalent caste politics. The characters weren't decorated and were kept as raw and real as possible. The honesty in the story and writing shone throughout. Byapari was once a convict in jail and his personal experiences and fight against the system also may have been a major inspiration to this story.
~
I also admired how the spotlight was put on the prisoner's hopes, dreams, aspirations and the fire of revolution which is alive in their hearts. It looked at the prisoner beyond the label and that particular aspect was written in all its plurality. The backstories of the prisoner's also helped in shaping the story, how some committed crimes to cut themselves off from the world outside, how some succumbed to the exploitation of the jail and became meek and how some are looking for an escape to help the revolution, to save people from getting oppressed.
~
This book was unlike something I never read before. The writing was raw and caustic, and here is where the translation by Arunava Sinha wins.
I hope this book makes it to the shortlist. I will be elated if it does.
Minor qualms aside, 3.75-4⭐
~
I couldn't put this book down once I started reading. I raced through it in a single sitting. It definitely keeps you on your toes and is worth all the attention.
The book is set in an unnamed jail in West Bengal, where five Naxal youths are planning a jailbreak. The jailor is nearing his retirement and the last thing he wants is a jailbreak from the Naxal youths. He hires a petty informer to keep an eye on them.
~
The thrill of the story is not the jailbreak, but the individual character stories of the youths and what led them to become Naxalites. You slowly read about the peeling of the characters mindsets and how they grow on you is the beauty of the narrative and the translation.
The plot neatly highlights the corrupt system (morally and socially), idealistic values and the ever prevalent caste politics. The characters weren't decorated and were kept as raw and real as possible. The honesty in the story and writing shone throughout. Byapari was once a convict in jail and his personal experiences and fight against the system also may have been a major inspiration to this story.
~
I also admired how the spotlight was put on the prisoner's hopes, dreams, aspirations and the fire of revolution which is alive in their hearts. It looked at the prisoner beyond the label and that particular aspect was written in all its plurality. The backstories of the prisoner's also helped in shaping the story, how some committed crimes to cut themselves off from the world outside, how some succumbed to the exploitation of the jail and became meek and how some are looking for an escape to help the revolution, to save people from getting oppressed.
~
This book was unlike something I never read before. The writing was raw and caustic, and here is where the translation by Arunava Sinha wins.
I hope this book makes it to the shortlist. I will be elated if it does.
Minor qualms aside, 3.75-4⭐
September 9, 2019
The backdrop is the 70s, the entire action takes place in an unnamed jail where fiveNaxal youths are cause for concern. Jailor Bireshwar who is nearing his retirement does not want to take a chance of the five attempting a jailbreak and so plants a petty thief as his informer. The beauty of the narrative is not so much the thrill of the jailbreak attempt and what cost and reaction but in following each character across the board as their stories unfold. The intersections between the characters highlight the disillusionment amongst educated youths, the moral and social corruption in the system, caste politics and idealism and reality. Each character in the book brings in nuance to the narrative and the plot including a cat Haloom, whose stint at the jail starts with the task of catching rodents, greed playing a part leading to his ‘downfall’.
Each character grows on the reader with their grey shades that make them appealing and all too humane. The author’s own stint as a convict in jail can well lead readers to assume a caustic tirade against the system and a case for revolution. But this book steers readers towards the humane aspects of people and their reasoning, their motivations and agenda, their fears and hopes even as the hierarchy within the jail, the exploitation and corruption, the violence etc are all laid bare. The writing is terse and economical and shines with honesty and clarity, which is a nod to the translation. Recommending this!
Each character grows on the reader with their grey shades that make them appealing and all too humane. The author’s own stint as a convict in jail can well lead readers to assume a caustic tirade against the system and a case for revolution. But this book steers readers towards the humane aspects of people and their reasoning, their motivations and agenda, their fears and hopes even as the hierarchy within the jail, the exploitation and corruption, the violence etc are all laid bare. The writing is terse and economical and shines with honesty and clarity, which is a nod to the translation. Recommending this!
April 28, 2024
An ex-convict rickshaw driver in Kolkata asks he woman he is driving the meaning of Jijiisha, the title of the book he is reading. A bit surprised, she asks how many years of school he’s been through. He hasn’t. (He was taught to write in jail by a man who used a stick to write in the mud.) She asks which books he has read. He names a few, of which half are by the legendary writer Mahashweta Devi – who is the author of Jijiisha… and the woman the “rickshaw wallah”, Manoranjan Byapari (now a member of the state legislature) is driving. She offers him work in a journal she runs. What follows is history. This is an interview (subtitled in English) of Byapari by the great actor Naseeruddin Shah (it’s moving to watch him tearing up at one point). Byapari’s native language is Bengali, but here he speaks Hindi fluently.
The author reminds me of Yashpal, from a generation ago, whose works are magnificent in themselves, but whom one can’t help admiring all the more because of the life he led.This slim book is a masterpiece of social commentary and satire, and it deserves much more global attention than it seems to have got. Byapari’s anger simmers, but never boils over.
Bireshwar Mukherjee is a jailer who is nearing retirement. In the jail he runs are an assorted bunch of convicts. Among the latter are the Naxals, rebels who are “a group of arrogant and audacious fire-eaters”. In his team, a “mad doctor” is not only honest and a workaholic, but is also sympathetic to the Naxals. Thankfully, he has more dependable team members. On his side, he has bodyguards and trusted prisoners who can “fix” troublesome fellow-prisoners in a single night. As we accompany him on his morning round, we meet an official whose moustache has drops of milk. The milk is meant for patients in the hospital, but it shrinks considerably before it reaches them. Bireshwar “smiles at Raghubir without saying a word. That would be inappropriate, beyond the bounds of decency. As everyone knows, if you fancy having an elephant in your yard, it’s no use mourning for the trees it will eat.”
Together with Bireshwar, we learn that this jail is different from other jails. He is outraged to see a massive meal, way beyond the usual spartan fare, being cooked. Who is it for? “You don’t know, sir? Hasn’t anybody told you about him? All this is for nobody but him.” An officer takes him aside to tell the long and very interesting story of who He is.
We also meet Bhagoban, a loyal resident of the jail, who has lost weight after a rather long stint outside. Why does he not spend more time inside, the Deputy Jailer asks him. It’s not that easy, Bhagoban explains to the sympathetic officer. For a thief, work isn’t regular. And then again, not everyone who catches a thief bothers with the police. Some of them just beat the thief up.
I look forward to reading Byapari’s autobiographical work, Interrogating My Chandal Life: An Autobiography of Dalit. (One can think of his use of the word Chandal, loosely speaking, as being like a writer of colour using the word nigger; it has caste rather than colour connotations).
There’s Gunpowder in the Air contains a sketch (strangely, all that we are told is that it appeared in the journal Review/Preview; there is no reference to year and author) of the writer’s difficult life. One line that stood out for me was this: “And yet, Byapari has not been, and still isn’t, overcome with despair.” That comes through loud and clear in his interviews as well. In the introduction to this book, Byapari says that he had no thoughts of being a writer of fiction during his jail days. “When I did begin to write later, it occurred to me to write the stories I had heard in prison.” It is very likely that this went into creating a unique voice:
Write a letter home. The guard will deliver it and collect the money you’ve requested for, keeping a hundred or two hundred for himself as compensation. What if they keep the entire amount? No, they won’t be such traitors. The know you can betray the customer only once, but honesty brings repeat business..
If I could point to one shortcoming, it would, arguably, be that the writer has not been able to distance himself from the Naxalites. They do come through as a committed and honourable, if desperate, bunch. In this, he differs from Yashpal, who was a communist but was quite critical of the party in his fiction. On the other hand, there is no reason for Mr. Byapari to be the perfectly balanced narrator.
In any case, this is a gem of politically-grounded fiction. With its cast of characters, and an igniting incident in the form of a planned jailbreak, we have quite a Molotov cocktail of a situation, and the ending does not disappoint.
The author reminds me of Yashpal, from a generation ago, whose works are magnificent in themselves, but whom one can’t help admiring all the more because of the life he led.This slim book is a masterpiece of social commentary and satire, and it deserves much more global attention than it seems to have got. Byapari’s anger simmers, but never boils over.
Bireshwar Mukherjee is a jailer who is nearing retirement. In the jail he runs are an assorted bunch of convicts. Among the latter are the Naxals, rebels who are “a group of arrogant and audacious fire-eaters”. In his team, a “mad doctor” is not only honest and a workaholic, but is also sympathetic to the Naxals. Thankfully, he has more dependable team members. On his side, he has bodyguards and trusted prisoners who can “fix” troublesome fellow-prisoners in a single night. As we accompany him on his morning round, we meet an official whose moustache has drops of milk. The milk is meant for patients in the hospital, but it shrinks considerably before it reaches them. Bireshwar “smiles at Raghubir without saying a word. That would be inappropriate, beyond the bounds of decency. As everyone knows, if you fancy having an elephant in your yard, it’s no use mourning for the trees it will eat.”
Together with Bireshwar, we learn that this jail is different from other jails. He is outraged to see a massive meal, way beyond the usual spartan fare, being cooked. Who is it for? “You don’t know, sir? Hasn’t anybody told you about him? All this is for nobody but him.” An officer takes him aside to tell the long and very interesting story of who He is.
We also meet Bhagoban, a loyal resident of the jail, who has lost weight after a rather long stint outside. Why does he not spend more time inside, the Deputy Jailer asks him. It’s not that easy, Bhagoban explains to the sympathetic officer. For a thief, work isn’t regular. And then again, not everyone who catches a thief bothers with the police. Some of them just beat the thief up.
I look forward to reading Byapari’s autobiographical work, Interrogating My Chandal Life: An Autobiography of Dalit. (One can think of his use of the word Chandal, loosely speaking, as being like a writer of colour using the word nigger; it has caste rather than colour connotations).
There’s Gunpowder in the Air contains a sketch (strangely, all that we are told is that it appeared in the journal Review/Preview; there is no reference to year and author) of the writer’s difficult life. One line that stood out for me was this: “And yet, Byapari has not been, and still isn’t, overcome with despair.” That comes through loud and clear in his interviews as well. In the introduction to this book, Byapari says that he had no thoughts of being a writer of fiction during his jail days. “When I did begin to write later, it occurred to me to write the stories I had heard in prison.” It is very likely that this went into creating a unique voice:
Write a letter home. The guard will deliver it and collect the money you’ve requested for, keeping a hundred or two hundred for himself as compensation. What if they keep the entire amount? No, they won’t be such traitors. The know you can betray the customer only once, but honesty brings repeat business..
If I could point to one shortcoming, it would, arguably, be that the writer has not been able to distance himself from the Naxalites. They do come through as a committed and honourable, if desperate, bunch. In this, he differs from Yashpal, who was a communist but was quite critical of the party in his fiction. On the other hand, there is no reason for Mr. Byapari to be the perfectly balanced narrator.
In any case, this is a gem of politically-grounded fiction. With its cast of characters, and an igniting incident in the form of a planned jailbreak, we have quite a Molotov cocktail of a situation, and the ending does not disappoint.
October 19, 2020
Nietzsche says those people who are never understood gets their authority in their own ways regardless of the sanction from the masses. How such people belonging to 'the other' could be understood? Is there any way thinking could help? It might but the problem lies that most of the time we think we're thinking we're actually listening to the baggage of our own psychological and cultural conditioned values unconsciously. Will we ever able to understand the others?
Manoranjan Byapari here makes a substantially commendable attempt. If the author can't talk about this, I do not geniunely who could. One of the leading writers of Dalit literature that he is, he was once a rickshaw driver, learned reading at the age of 24 inspired by an inmate he met while he was in Jail. Inspired from collection of stories that he heard from his prison inmates, the story revolves around the 70s in a prison around West Bengal where a group of Naxal revolutionaries plan and execute a prison break. For those who do not know, the Naxalbari uprising was led by local tribals and the radical communist leaders of Bengal in 1967 in the Naxalbari region of West Bengal. Inspired by the Chinese Peasants revolution, many of the local Peasants took control of lands from the local landlords and encouraged more of the oppressed to do the same in the region leading to the birth of Marxist-Leninist faction in India.
However the story doesn't cover all the nuances mentioned other than giving us informal glimpses of life struggles of several characters in the prison - revolutionaries, jailers, prison guards, petty thiefs and into their personal lives to make the readers question the 'practicality' that has been normalised as the way things have been by the masses and authority.
"Wherever there is injustice, there is resistance, and death is a daily occurrence there."
Of course there's this question of violence but I do think it takes a certain amount of privilege to resist the authority in non-violent means. Maybe there's hope for these romantics who value ideals more than functionality of things. Maybe not yet. Until then there'll be gunpowder in the air.
Manoranjan Byapari here makes a substantially commendable attempt. If the author can't talk about this, I do not geniunely who could. One of the leading writers of Dalit literature that he is, he was once a rickshaw driver, learned reading at the age of 24 inspired by an inmate he met while he was in Jail. Inspired from collection of stories that he heard from his prison inmates, the story revolves around the 70s in a prison around West Bengal where a group of Naxal revolutionaries plan and execute a prison break. For those who do not know, the Naxalbari uprising was led by local tribals and the radical communist leaders of Bengal in 1967 in the Naxalbari region of West Bengal. Inspired by the Chinese Peasants revolution, many of the local Peasants took control of lands from the local landlords and encouraged more of the oppressed to do the same in the region leading to the birth of Marxist-Leninist faction in India.
However the story doesn't cover all the nuances mentioned other than giving us informal glimpses of life struggles of several characters in the prison - revolutionaries, jailers, prison guards, petty thiefs and into their personal lives to make the readers question the 'practicality' that has been normalised as the way things have been by the masses and authority.
"Wherever there is injustice, there is resistance, and death is a daily occurrence there."
Of course there's this question of violence but I do think it takes a certain amount of privilege to resist the authority in non-violent means. Maybe there's hope for these romantics who value ideals more than functionality of things. Maybe not yet. Until then there'll be gunpowder in the air.
August 18, 2020
When the author himself is an inspiration (a former rickshaw driver who learnt the alphabets at the age of twenty-four in jail, then proceeded to write for Mahasweta Devi's 'Bartika', and who refuses to position himself as a Dalit writer), as a reader we expect a lot from the story, and Byapari delivers.
.
In the early seventies when the Naxalbari movement was gathering momentum, a group of Naxals in jail were planning an escape, one that was risky and demanded blood. But within that jail were people with divided loyalties backed powerfully by legitimate reasons which usually bordered on oppression by the current regime.
Byapari introduces us to conflicting thoughts with every passing chapter, be it the prisoners trapped in the monotony of life in jail, the spies placed strategically, a haunting that invokes terror even in people who don't believe in ghosts and finally, the Naxals who have their own secret mode of communication, both intriguing and positively dangerous.
.
The desire to start a revolution begins when a person in put through questionable circumstances. They dream of freedom and hope to see the country free of leaders with selfish interests. As Byapari weaves a backstory for all the characters introduced to us, he give us perspectives from both the privileged and the under-privileged. The cast-system plays a major role in shaping their stories. 'There's Gunpowder in the Air', with its brutal and brusque narration, handles themes such as violence, exploitation and oppression with a finesse that will make you want to keep turning the pages. Arunava Sinha's translation is exquisite, not missing a beat in this otherwise intense story.
.
In the early seventies when the Naxalbari movement was gathering momentum, a group of Naxals in jail were planning an escape, one that was risky and demanded blood. But within that jail were people with divided loyalties backed powerfully by legitimate reasons which usually bordered on oppression by the current regime.
Byapari introduces us to conflicting thoughts with every passing chapter, be it the prisoners trapped in the monotony of life in jail, the spies placed strategically, a haunting that invokes terror even in people who don't believe in ghosts and finally, the Naxals who have their own secret mode of communication, both intriguing and positively dangerous.
.
The desire to start a revolution begins when a person in put through questionable circumstances. They dream of freedom and hope to see the country free of leaders with selfish interests. As Byapari weaves a backstory for all the characters introduced to us, he give us perspectives from both the privileged and the under-privileged. The cast-system plays a major role in shaping their stories. 'There's Gunpowder in the Air', with its brutal and brusque narration, handles themes such as violence, exploitation and oppression with a finesse that will make you want to keep turning the pages. Arunava Sinha's translation is exquisite, not missing a beat in this otherwise intense story.
February 7, 2023
abolition now.
October 7, 2019
There’s Gunpowder in the Air by Manoranjan Byapari is the story of an attempted jailbreak by incarcerated Naxals in an unnamed prison in West Bengal. Set in a time when Bengal was reeling with the Naxalite movement, ‘Gunpowder’ limns the lives of those who were driven to rise up in arms against the status quo, the government that failed them interminably, and the society that exploited them without shame.
The jail in which the action takes place has a newly appointed jailer, Bireshwar Mukherjee, who wants the last days of his duty to pass without any scandal to malign his clean record. The Naxals are a threat to his elaborate retirement plans so he employs a petty thief, Bhagoban, as an informer, placing him in the apparently impregnable section of the prison, which is where the Naxals are. Intent on being serviceable to the officials, for that would ensure his own comfortable stay in the jail, Bhagoban agrees to be of help.
The book’s gravitas lies not in the thrilling narration of the planned jailbreak (for it is anything but thrilling), but in how it captures the dreams and motivations of those who embraced the life of a revolutionary, willing to lay down their lives for a cause they believed to be greater than themselves. The anecdotes about various characters’ life that are interspersed in the main narrative enable the reader to view them as more than just criminals deserving only of our hatred.
‘Gunpowder’ shines a light on the atrocities of the caste system and how it leads even the most righteous astray, for the weight of oppression is such that their two options are either to succumb to a life of humiliation or to breakthrough, which lands them on the wrong side of the law and the society. It foregrounds the corrupt state machinery and how the state’s violence surpasses anything that their challengers attempt.
The prose is terse and detached, suited to the story that Byapari undertakes to recount, the credit for which should be duly given to the translation done by Arunava Sinha.
The jail in which the action takes place has a newly appointed jailer, Bireshwar Mukherjee, who wants the last days of his duty to pass without any scandal to malign his clean record. The Naxals are a threat to his elaborate retirement plans so he employs a petty thief, Bhagoban, as an informer, placing him in the apparently impregnable section of the prison, which is where the Naxals are. Intent on being serviceable to the officials, for that would ensure his own comfortable stay in the jail, Bhagoban agrees to be of help.
The book’s gravitas lies not in the thrilling narration of the planned jailbreak (for it is anything but thrilling), but in how it captures the dreams and motivations of those who embraced the life of a revolutionary, willing to lay down their lives for a cause they believed to be greater than themselves. The anecdotes about various characters’ life that are interspersed in the main narrative enable the reader to view them as more than just criminals deserving only of our hatred.
‘Gunpowder’ shines a light on the atrocities of the caste system and how it leads even the most righteous astray, for the weight of oppression is such that their two options are either to succumb to a life of humiliation or to breakthrough, which lands them on the wrong side of the law and the society. It foregrounds the corrupt state machinery and how the state’s violence surpasses anything that their challengers attempt.
The prose is terse and detached, suited to the story that Byapari undertakes to recount, the credit for which should be duly given to the translation done by Arunava Sinha.
April 16, 2021
"Koyla Jay Na Dhuli, Shobhab jay na moli. Coal cannot be cleaned, habits cannot be killed.
Not True.. You must also learn to burn the black out of your life. Done properly, you might dazzle everyone with the light."
Very short and crisp tale set in the heights of Naxalism in Bengal, layered messaging, well nuanced characters coupled with the author's narration style ensuring closure are what stood out for me in the book. Need to thank the translator for ensuring a balance of Bengali words, phrases and expressions to ensure an understanding of the background to the plot.
Concluding with a thought provoking line used by the author, a line with very high allegorical value - " This is the way of nature. Nothing can change it. It you defy this and take a contrarian route, the outcome will be contrary too."
Not True.. You must also learn to burn the black out of your life. Done properly, you might dazzle everyone with the light."
Very short and crisp tale set in the heights of Naxalism in Bengal, layered messaging, well nuanced characters coupled with the author's narration style ensuring closure are what stood out for me in the book. Need to thank the translator for ensuring a balance of Bengali words, phrases and expressions to ensure an understanding of the background to the plot.
Concluding with a thought provoking line used by the author, a line with very high allegorical value - " This is the way of nature. Nothing can change it. It you defy this and take a contrarian route, the outcome will be contrary too."
July 19, 2021
There's Gunpowder In the Air
#bookreview
When I started reading I was 6 years, and it was all happy books with funny characters but eventually I could sense something amiss and gradually my reading preferences shifted towards more life centric books. I became a fan of historical fictions and understood that the life is not fair and we can never forget our history. But, after reading The Lowland and Mother of 1084 (Hajar Churashir Maa), I always steered clear of reading anything related to Naxalite Movement of the seventies. It isn't difficult for me to read about Holocaust but I can't read about the seventies plight of my state, of West Bengal. It shatters my soul everytime, I feel I could touch the people. It pains me everytime to think about the youth, the educated youth who was wronged as they wanted to free the nation from the curb of selfish people.
And, I avoided reading this book as well. If it wasn't a close book buddy, I wouldn't dare to pick it sooner.
It's a very short book of around 110 pages, set in the 70's Bengal at the peak of Naxalite Movement. It narrates about an escape plan of the Naxalites and their interaction with a petty thief. The gritty yet honest storytelling pierced my heart. It's not a very sad book but the satirical writing moved me. There are various layer of storytelling, as the writer not only questions the entire judiciary system and the jail bit also the right and wrongs which varies from person to person!
I was very emotional after finishing, as the steady dose of humanity is deep throughout the prose. At last, I can't describe how moved I am with the author's life. A rickshaw puller who learnt alphabets at the age of twenty four that too in jail, finally became acquainted with Mahashweta Devi and started writing. He got The Hindu prize in 2018 for his autobiography, The Runaway Boy; and this book was shortlisted for JCB prize in 2019. He is now an MLA of a constituency near by home.
Please check the English translation There's Gunpowder In The Air, translated by Arunava Sinha.
It's an important book and it must not be missed. It talks about the voices, the true voice of our nation and important thoughts which we otherwise.
#bookreview
When I started reading I was 6 years, and it was all happy books with funny characters but eventually I could sense something amiss and gradually my reading preferences shifted towards more life centric books. I became a fan of historical fictions and understood that the life is not fair and we can never forget our history. But, after reading The Lowland and Mother of 1084 (Hajar Churashir Maa), I always steered clear of reading anything related to Naxalite Movement of the seventies. It isn't difficult for me to read about Holocaust but I can't read about the seventies plight of my state, of West Bengal. It shatters my soul everytime, I feel I could touch the people. It pains me everytime to think about the youth, the educated youth who was wronged as they wanted to free the nation from the curb of selfish people.
And, I avoided reading this book as well. If it wasn't a close book buddy, I wouldn't dare to pick it sooner.
It's a very short book of around 110 pages, set in the 70's Bengal at the peak of Naxalite Movement. It narrates about an escape plan of the Naxalites and their interaction with a petty thief. The gritty yet honest storytelling pierced my heart. It's not a very sad book but the satirical writing moved me. There are various layer of storytelling, as the writer not only questions the entire judiciary system and the jail bit also the right and wrongs which varies from person to person!
I was very emotional after finishing, as the steady dose of humanity is deep throughout the prose. At last, I can't describe how moved I am with the author's life. A rickshaw puller who learnt alphabets at the age of twenty four that too in jail, finally became acquainted with Mahashweta Devi and started writing. He got The Hindu prize in 2018 for his autobiography, The Runaway Boy; and this book was shortlisted for JCB prize in 2019. He is now an MLA of a constituency near by home.
Please check the English translation There's Gunpowder In The Air, translated by Arunava Sinha.
It's an important book and it must not be missed. It talks about the voices, the true voice of our nation and important thoughts which we otherwise.
September 5, 2020
I don't think there's anything I can say about this book that would properly explain why it's so brilliant. The author's profile? Maybe. The topic of the book? Maybe that too.
Manoranjan Byapari is one of the pioneers of Dalit literature from West Bengal, and writing about the jail life of Naxal prisoners in the 70s, makes the book even more important.
It's not as depressing a book as it might sound like - in fact, there's a generous dose of black humour and the harshest of things have been dealt with delicately. The many prisoners - thieves, murderers, political activists, Naxalites - live within the jail hierarchy, and the fleeting background plots provided for them add dimension, while staying true to the book's central point of their intermingling lives in the prison. The flow is never broken and the book is a short read comparatively.
The depiction of prison life makes you question the entire prison system in India, and how reform is entirely missing from the picture. But that is subtext. On the whole, the book covers a variety of characters, all of whose private lives become unimportant for us and them, for they are dealing with far greater systematic evils. The book takes no sides, and includes a beautiful argument between a staunchly Communist father and his Naxal son, which was a great depiction of the shaky beliefs and morality everyone functions on.
Couldn't find any faults in the book or the story, and the translation is accurate and conveys the heart of the plot perfectly. Most of all, it's an important book. It talks about things we won't usually talk about, from a voice we won't usually hear otherwise.
Manoranjan Byapari is one of the pioneers of Dalit literature from West Bengal, and writing about the jail life of Naxal prisoners in the 70s, makes the book even more important.
It's not as depressing a book as it might sound like - in fact, there's a generous dose of black humour and the harshest of things have been dealt with delicately. The many prisoners - thieves, murderers, political activists, Naxalites - live within the jail hierarchy, and the fleeting background plots provided for them add dimension, while staying true to the book's central point of their intermingling lives in the prison. The flow is never broken and the book is a short read comparatively.
The depiction of prison life makes you question the entire prison system in India, and how reform is entirely missing from the picture. But that is subtext. On the whole, the book covers a variety of characters, all of whose private lives become unimportant for us and them, for they are dealing with far greater systematic evils. The book takes no sides, and includes a beautiful argument between a staunchly Communist father and his Naxal son, which was a great depiction of the shaky beliefs and morality everyone functions on.
Couldn't find any faults in the book or the story, and the translation is accurate and conveys the heart of the plot perfectly. Most of all, it's an important book. It talks about things we won't usually talk about, from a voice we won't usually hear otherwise.
May 15, 2021
One of my best reads in a while. The book is inspired from the time author Manoranjan Byapari himself was imprisoned in the mid-seventies. While the climax of the plot centre around the plan and aftermath of a jail-break planned by a group of Naxal revolutionaries, the book itself provides an insight into the black box which is the criminal reform system in India. And most of the times, there is no crime bigger than the crime of being poor and marginalised.
April 10, 2021
Maybe I will write about this book when it stops being eerily resonant of the current times.
September 20, 2019
3.5 stars
Review to come
Review to come
November 3, 2020
The book is lost in translation.
December 14, 2019
|| রাষ্ট্রের লৌহকপাট ও কয়েকজন যুবক||
[ বাতাসে বারুদের গন্ধ, মনোরঞ্জন ব্যাপারী, একা-ওয়েস্টল্যান্ড, ১৭৫/-, ১১০ পৃষ্ঠা, ২০১৯]
আর মেরেকেটে মোটে দশ দিন। তারপরই নওলকিশোরের মুক্তি। মুক্তি, অথচ নওলকিশোরের চোখে ঘুম নেই। মাথায় তার বিষম চিন্তা। চিন্তা তার 'কেসবালা', অর্থাৎ একই অপরাধে জেল খাটা সঙ্গী লছমনকে নিয়ে। লছমনের মুক্তি নওলকিশোরের চারদিন আগে হবে। একই সোনার দোকান লুঠ করার অপরাধ, সাজাও এক, তাদের মুক্তি পাওয়ার কথাও একই দিনে ছিল। কিন্তু গোলমাল হয়ে গেল একটি সাপের জন্যে। একটি সাপ কি করে যেন জেল চত্ত্বরে ঢুকে পড়েছিল, আর লছমন সেটাকে পিটিয়ে মেরেছিল। লছমনের এই সাহসিকতার পুরষ্কার হিসেবে তার চার দিনের সাজা মকুব করা হয়েছে। আর সেটাই চিন্তা হয়ে দাঁড়িয়েছে নওলকিশোরের।
নওলকিশোর কেবলই ভাবছে যে লছমনকে কি করে আটকানো যায়, কেননা লছমন যদি একবার বেরিয়ে যায়, তাহলে মাটির নীচে পুতে রাখা হংকং সোনার বিস্কুটগুলি নিয়ে ভেগে যেতে কতক্ষণ! যে ডাকাতির জন্যে এই জেল খাটা, নওলকিশোরের ভাগে শেষমেশ হয়তো কিছু জুটবেই না! অতএব, পরিকল্পনা একটা ফাঁদতেই হয়, আর সেটা মারাত্মক পরিকল্পনা।
জেলে রোজ প্রায় হাজার চারেক লোকের খানা পাকানো হয়। একেকদিন সকালে একেকরকম প্রাতরাশ হয়। সেদিন চৌকায় বানানো হয়েছিল লপসি, অর্থাৎ আতপ চাল-ডাল জল-পাতলা খিচুড়ি। চৌকা থেকে ডেগে করে সেই লপসি দু নম্বর ওয়ার্ডের দোতলায় নিয়ে যাওয়ার দায়িত্ব নওলকিশোর আর লছমনের। সেদিন নওলকিশোর হঠাৎ বাঁশের আগে কাঁধ দেয়, ফলে স্বাভাবিক ভাবেই লছমনকে পেছনে থাকতে হয়। দুজনে বাঁশে ঝুলিয়ে লপসির ডেগ নিয়ে রওনা দেয় চৌকা থেকে। আর তখনই সেই দুর্ঘটনাটা ঘটে যায়। দোতলার ওঠার সিড়িটা সবাই জানে, বেশ খাড়া, ফলে নওলকিশোরের হঠাৎ পিছিলে পড়ায় খুব আশ্চর্য হওয়া যায় না। কিন্তু সেই আধফুটন্ত লপসি গড়িয়ে এসে জ্যান্ত পুড়িয়ে দেয় লছমনকে। লছমন যন্ত্রণার তরাসে ঝাপ দেয় জেলের পুকুরে। তাকে যখন উদ্ধার করা হয়, তখন তার শরীরের একপ্রস্থ চামড়া উঠে গিয়েছে। জেলের ডাক্তার তাকে ব্যান্ডেজে মুড়ে দেয়, সাধ্যমতো চেষ্টা করে, কিন্তু নওলকিশোরের সাধ মতো লছমন জেল ছাড়ার আগেই মুক্তি পায়।
তবে, শেষ পর্যন্ত লছমন মুক্তি পেল কিনা, সেটা নিয়ে তর্কের অবকাশ আছে। সেদিনটা একে ছিল শনিবার, তার উপরে অমবস্যার দিন। অপঘাতে মৃত লছমনের আত্মা যে মুক্তি পায়নি,সেটা কিছুদিনের মধ্যেই বোঝা গেল, কারণ কিছুদিনের মধ্যেই রাতের বেলা অনেকেই সাদা ব্যান্ডেজে মোড়া লছমনের ভূত দেখতে শুরু করল। শহরের জেলে ব্যান্ডেজওয়ালা ভূতের বেশ কু-খ্যাতি ছড়িয়ে গেল।
এ জেলের নতুন জেলার বীরেশ্বর মুখার্জি (অবসরের আর কয়েক বছরই বাকি) জেলে টহল মারতে গিয়ে দেখলেন, কয়েদীদের জন্যে বরাদ্দ তেলে লুচি ভাজা হচ্ছে, তার সাথে মাংসের ঝোল! দৃশ্য দেখে জেলারের ভিরমি খাওয়ার দশা! জেলে অফিসার কেরানী সেপাই থেকে দাগী আসামীরা সকলেই যে কয়েদীদের বরাদ্দ থেকে বিস্তর মালপত্র সরায়, সে কথা কে না জানে! কিন্তু, তা বলে লুচি-মাংস! কার ভোগে যাচ্ছে এসব! ডেপুটি জেলার জানালেন এই লুচি-মাংস ব্যান্ডেজওয়ালা ভূতকে সন্তুষ্ট রাখার জন্যে। উপায় নেই, শান্তি-স্বস্ত্যয়ন করা তো হয়নি, অপঘাতে মৃত লছমন আজও জেলে হামলে বেড়ায়, তার কেসবাল নওলকিশোর কে খোঁজে। প্রতিদিন তআর সন্তুষ্টির জন্যে সেই লুচিমাংস জেলের বট গাছের তলায় রেখে আসা হয়, এবং আশ্চর্যের ব্যাপার, কে যেন এসে থালাও ফাঁকা করে যায়। কে খায়? কে জানে! ব্যান্ডেজওয়ালা ভূতকে কেউ অখুশি করে নিজের বিপদ ডাকতে চায় না। জেলার বীরেশ্বর মুখার্জিও আর ঘাটান না, অবসরটা হলে বাঁচা যায়।
একবার হল কি, একদিন রাতে হালুমের খিধে পেয়েছিল। হালুম শুয়ে ছিল কনডেম গুদামের লোহা লক্করের উপরে। রাত একটা নাগাদ তার ঘুম গেল ভেঙে। একটু খিধে খিধে বোধ হচ্ছিল তার। কিন্তু এত রাতে চৌকা গেছে খালি হয়ে। সেদিকে গিয়ে লাভ হতো না। একমাত্র আমদানি তে গেলে হয়ত কিছু পাওয়া যেতে পারে। যদি এদিক থেকে পঞ্চাশজন কোর্টে গিয়ে থাকে, আর ফেরার বেলা ফিরে থাকে দশ-বিশজন, তবে তো আমদানি তে আজ খাবারের আমদানি। এসব ভেবে নিয়ে হেলতে দুলতে হালুম আমদানির দিকে রওনা দেয়।
হালুম নিঃশব্দে দুই ওয়ার্ডের মাঝের রাস্তা দিয়ে কেস টেবিলের সামনে এসে পৌছায়। তারপর সোজা আমদানি। দেখে আমদানির ভেতরে কোথাও তিল ধারণের জায়গা নেই। আজই যারা কোর্ট ফেরত জেলে আমদানি হয়েছে, তারা সব ঘরের মেঝেতে শুয়ে ঘুমাচ্ছে। এখন হালুম ভেতরে যায় কি করে! মোটামুটি হিসেব কষে, হালুম জানলায় উঠে একটা লাফ মারে। কিন্তু হিসেবে ভুল ছিল। যেখানে হালুমের নামার কথা, সেখানে না নেমে হালুম গিয়ে পড়ে আসামী জলধরের বুকের উপরে। তন্দ্রার ঘোরে জলধর ঝাঁকিয়ে ওঠে- আঃ আঃ আঃ। জলধরের আর্তনাদে অন্যদেরও ঝিমুনি ছুটে যায়, এবং তারা আধো ঘুম চোখে দেখে, ব্যান্ডিসওয়ালা! সে তার শরীরটা ছোটো করে নিয়েছে বটে, কিন্তু শরীরে সাদা ব্যান্ডেজ আর আগুন ঝরা চোখ লুকায়নি। আতঙ্কে অবিলম্বে সকলে চিৎকার জুড়ে দেয়। আঃ আ আ আ! এমন বিশ্রী চেচামেচি তে হালুম বিব্রত বোধ করে, এবং সে তার পরিকল্পনা বাতিল করে যে পথে এসেছিল, সেই পথে পালিয়ে যায়। কিন্তু ততক্ষণে যা সর্বনাশ হওয়ার হয়ে গেছে। আমদানির ভয়ার্ত চিৎকার ছড়িয়েছে তিন-চার নম্বরের ছোকরা ফাইলে যেখানে অল্প বয়ষ্কদের রাখা হয়। তারাও সব ত্রাহি চিৎকার জুড়ে দেয়। সেখান থেকে সারা জেলে সংক্রমিত হয়ে যায় এই আতঙ্ক। সবাই চিৎকার চেচামেচি কান্নাকাটি জুড়ে দেয়। জেলের সেপাই ভজন বিশ্বাস যদিও বলে যে ব্যান্ডিজওয়ালা নয়, সে পাহারায় ছিল, সে দেখেছে যে জেলের বিড়ালটাকে লাফ মেরে পালাতে, কিন্তু কয়েদীরা এ বিষয়ে স্পষ্টভাবে দু-ভাগ হয়ে যায়। দেবতা অপদেবতারা কি না পারে? ওরা ইচ্ছে করলে বিড়ালের রূপ নিতে না পারার কারণ নেই।
নওলকিশোর লছমন সাধারণ চুরির কয়েদি। জেলে সবচেয়ে বেশি সম্মান তিনশো-দুইয়ের, মার্ডার কেসের আসামীর। তারপরে তিনশো পঁচানব্বই, ডাকাতির কেস। ৩৮০ অর্থাৎ চুরি কেসের কোনো সম্মান নেই, বিশেষ করে গরু চুরির। আর সবচেয়ে ঘৃণাজনক হল ৩৭৬ ও ৪২০, একটা রেপ, অন্যটা চিটিং। তবে তিনশো দুই আর আগের মত সম্মান আদায় করতে পারছে না, কারণ এখন সবারই মনযোগের কেন্দ্রবিন্দুতে আছে নকশালরা।
এই জেলেও জনা পনেরো রাজনৈতিক বন্দী আছে, আর তারাই এই উপন্যাসের মুখ্য চরিত্র। এরা সবাই উচ্চশিক্ষিত। এরা বাইরে কেউ শিক্ষক ছিল, কেউ সাংবাদিক কেউ ডাক্তার কেউ ছিল ইঞ্জিনিয়ার। এদের ধরা হয়েছে রাষ্ট্রদ্রোহের অপরাধে, রাজ্যের নানা অঞ্চল থেকে। এদের মধ্যে নকশালদের কেউ কেউ ছাত্র ছিল, কেউ শিক্ষিত বেকার, আর কেউ বুর্জোয়া সমাজ ব্যবস্থায় 'যে যত পড়ে, সে তত মূর্খ হয়' বলে মাঝপথে পড়াশোনা বন্ধ করে ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়েছিল গ্রাম দিয়ে শহর ঘিরে পরিশেষে রাষ্ট্রক্ষমতা দখল অভিযানের সক্রিয় কর্মী হতে। এসব বন্দীদের জন্য কর্তৃপক্ষের দুর্ভাবনার অন্ত নেই, কারণ এরা অবাধ্য অকুতোভয়, বিনয়ী এবং দুঃসাহসী। যা ইচ্ছে তা করতে পারে। মারা এবং মরা টা যেন ছেলেখেলা এদের জন্য।
কর্তৃপক্ষের আশঙ্কা অমূলক নয়। কিছু একটা পাকিয়ে উঠছে সত্যি। আশু বিজন পরিমল নিমাই রজত আর বাকি যারা আছে, তারা জেলের এই প্রাচীর ভাঙার জন্যে মনে মনে ভাবছে। কি হবে? তারা কি পারবে রাষ্ট্রের এই কয়েদ ভেঙে মুক্ত হতে, তারা কি পারবে বিপ্লবের পথে সফল হতে? নকশাল যুবকদের ভাবনা চিন্তা কর্মকাণ্ডের সাথে সাথে স্বাভাবিক ভাবেই জেলের অন্যান্য চরিত্র ও কাহিনি জুড়ে গেছে এই উপন্যাসে। জেলের সেপাই ভজন বিশ্বা��, চোর ভগবান, জেলের নকশাল-দরদী ডাক্তারবাবু, আর অন্যান্য যত কয়েদী সেপাই সান্ত্রী আছে, তারা সকলেই এই অসাধারণ উপন্যাসের ছোটো বড় অংশ।
লেখক মনোরঞ্জন ব্যাপারী নিজেকে চন্ডাল বলে পরিচয় দেন এবং তিনি বর্তমানের দলিত সাহিত্যের একজন উল্লেখযোগ্য মুখ। তিনি তিন বছর বয়সে উদ্বাস্তু হয়ে পরিবারের সঙ্গে পশ্চিমবঙ্গে চলে আসেন, থাকেন রিফিউজি ক্যাম্পে। 24 বছর বয়সে তিনি জড়িয়ে পড়েন নকশাল আন্দোলনে। ১৯৭৪-৭৫ সালের প্রথম দিকে তিনি পুলিশের হাতে ধরা পড়েন তিনি। দুই বছর জেলে থাকার সময় পুরানো সব বন্ধুদের কাছ থেকে বেশকিছু ঘটনা শোনেন তিনি। নকশালদের জেল ভাঙার ঘটনা, জেলের অভিজ্ঞতা, জেলে শোনা সেইসব কাহিনী রয়েছে লেখকের এই বইটিতে। জেলে বসে তিনি নিজের উদ্যোগে লেখাপড়া শেখেন। জেল থেকে ছাড়া পেয়ে কলকাতায় এসে রিকশা চালানো শুরু করেন এই সময় মহাশ্বেতা দেবীর সংস্পর্শে এসে তার সাহিত্য চর্চা শুরু হয়। তার লেখা 'ইতিবৃত্তে চণ্ডাল জীবন' বইটি 2018 সালের হিন্দু পুরস্কার পেয়েছে এবং বর্তমান বইটি ডিএসসি সাউথ এশিয়ান লিটেরেচার প্রাইজের জন্য মনোনীত হয়েছে।
[ বাতাসে বারুদের গন্ধ, মনোরঞ্জন ব্যাপারী, একা-ওয়েস্টল্যান্ড, ১৭৫/-, ১১০ পৃষ্ঠা, ২০১৯]
আর মেরেকেটে মোটে দশ দিন। তারপরই নওলকিশোরের মুক্তি। মুক্তি, অথচ নওলকিশোরের চোখে ঘুম নেই। মাথায় তার বিষম চিন্তা। চিন্তা তার 'কেসবালা', অর্থাৎ একই অপরাধে জেল খাটা সঙ্গী লছমনকে নিয়ে। লছমনের মুক্তি নওলকিশোরের চারদিন আগে হবে। একই সোনার দোকান লুঠ করার অপরাধ, সাজাও এক, তাদের মুক্তি পাওয়ার কথাও একই দিনে ছিল। কিন্তু গোলমাল হয়ে গেল একটি সাপের জন্যে। একটি সাপ কি করে যেন জেল চত্ত্বরে ঢুকে পড়েছিল, আর লছমন সেটাকে পিটিয়ে মেরেছিল। লছমনের এই সাহসিকতার পুরষ্কার হিসেবে তার চার দিনের সাজা মকুব করা হয়েছে। আর সেটাই চিন্তা হয়ে দাঁড়িয়েছে নওলকিশোরের।
নওলকিশোর কেবলই ভাবছে যে লছমনকে কি করে আটকানো যায়, কেননা লছমন যদি একবার বেরিয়ে যায়, তাহলে মাটির নীচে পুতে রাখা হংকং সোনার বিস্কুটগুলি নিয়ে ভেগে যেতে কতক্ষণ! যে ডাকাতির জন্যে এই জেল খাটা, নওলকিশোরের ভাগে শেষমেশ হয়তো কিছু জুটবেই না! অতএব, পরিকল্পনা একটা ফাঁদতেই হয়, আর সেটা মারাত্মক পরিকল্পনা।
জেলে রোজ প্রায় হাজার চারেক লোকের খানা পাকানো হয়। একেকদিন সকালে একেকরকম প্রাতরাশ হয়। সেদিন চৌকায় বানানো হয়েছিল লপসি, অর্থাৎ আতপ চাল-ডাল জল-পাতলা খিচুড়ি। চৌকা থেকে ডেগে করে সেই লপসি দু নম্বর ওয়ার্ডের দোতলায় নিয়ে যাওয়ার দায়িত্ব নওলকিশোর আর লছমনের। সেদিন নওলকিশোর হঠাৎ বাঁশের আগে কাঁধ দেয়, ফলে স্বাভাবিক ভাবেই লছমনকে পেছনে থাকতে হয়। দুজনে বাঁশে ঝুলিয়ে লপসির ডেগ নিয়ে রওনা দেয় চৌকা থেকে। আর তখনই সেই দুর্ঘটনাটা ঘটে যায়। দোতলার ওঠার সিড়িটা সবাই জানে, বেশ খাড়া, ফলে নওলকিশোরের হঠাৎ পিছিলে পড়ায় খুব আশ্চর্য হওয়া যায় না। কিন্তু সেই আধফুটন্ত লপসি গড়িয়ে এসে জ্যান্ত পুড়িয়ে দেয় লছমনকে। লছমন যন্ত্রণার তরাসে ঝাপ দেয় জেলের পুকুরে। তাকে যখন উদ্ধার করা হয়, তখন তার শরীরের একপ্রস্থ চামড়া উঠে গিয়েছে। জেলের ডাক্তার তাকে ব্যান্ডেজে মুড়ে দেয়, সাধ্যমতো চেষ্টা করে, কিন্তু নওলকিশোরের সাধ মতো লছমন জেল ছাড়ার আগেই মুক্তি পায়।
তবে, শেষ পর্যন্ত লছমন মুক্তি পেল কিনা, সেটা নিয়ে তর্কের অবকাশ আছে। সেদিনটা একে ছিল শনিবার, তার উপরে অমবস্যার দিন। অপঘাতে মৃত লছমনের আত্মা যে মুক্তি পায়নি,সেটা কিছুদিনের মধ্যেই বোঝা গেল, কারণ কিছুদিনের মধ্যেই রাতের বেলা অনেকেই সাদা ব্যান্ডেজে মোড়া লছমনের ভূত দেখতে শুরু করল। শহরের জেলে ব্যান্ডেজওয়ালা ভূতের বেশ কু-খ্যাতি ছড়িয়ে গেল।
এ জেলের নতুন জেলার বীরেশ্বর মুখার্জি (অবসরের আর কয়েক বছরই বাকি) জেলে টহল মারতে গিয়ে দেখলেন, কয়েদীদের জন্যে বরাদ্দ তেলে লুচি ভাজা হচ্ছে, তার সাথে মাংসের ঝোল! দৃশ্য দেখে জেলারের ভিরমি খাওয়ার দশা! জেলে অফিসার কেরানী সেপাই থেকে দাগী আসামীরা সকলেই যে কয়েদীদের বরাদ্দ থেকে বিস্তর মালপত্র সরায়, সে কথা কে না জানে! কিন্তু, তা বলে লুচি-মাংস! কার ভোগে যাচ্ছে এসব! ডেপুটি জেলার জানালেন এই লুচি-মাংস ব্যান্ডেজওয়ালা ভূতকে সন্তুষ্ট রাখার জন্যে। উপায় নেই, শান্তি-স্বস্ত্যয়ন করা তো হয়নি, অপঘাতে মৃত লছমন আজও জেলে হামলে বেড়ায়, তার কেসবাল নওলকিশোর কে খোঁজে। প্রতিদিন তআর সন্তুষ্টির জন্যে সেই লুচিমাংস জেলের বট গাছের তলায় রেখে আসা হয়, এবং আশ্চর্যের ব্যাপার, কে যেন এসে থালাও ফাঁকা করে যায়। কে খায়? কে জানে! ব্যান্ডেজওয়ালা ভূতকে কেউ অখুশি করে নিজের বিপদ ডাকতে চায় না। জেলার বীরেশ্বর মুখার্জিও আর ঘাটান না, অবসরটা হলে বাঁচা যায়।
একবার হল কি, একদিন রাতে হালুমের খিধে পেয়েছিল। হালুম শুয়ে ছিল কনডেম গুদামের লোহা লক্করের উপরে। রাত একটা নাগাদ তার ঘুম গেল ভেঙে। একটু খিধে খিধে বোধ হচ্ছিল তার। কিন্তু এত রাতে চৌকা গেছে খালি হয়ে। সেদিকে গিয়ে লাভ হতো না। একমাত্র আমদানি তে গেলে হয়ত কিছু পাওয়া যেতে পারে। যদি এদিক থেকে পঞ্চাশজন কোর্টে গিয়ে থাকে, আর ফেরার বেলা ফিরে থাকে দশ-বিশজন, তবে তো আমদানি তে আজ খাবারের আমদানি। এসব ভেবে নিয়ে হেলতে দুলতে হালুম আমদানির দিকে রওনা দেয়।
হালুম নিঃশব্দে দুই ওয়ার্ডের মাঝের রাস্তা দিয়ে কেস টেবিলের সামনে এসে পৌছায়। তারপর সোজা আমদানি। দেখে আমদানির ভেতরে কোথাও তিল ধারণের জায়গা নেই। আজই যারা কোর্ট ফেরত জেলে আমদানি হয়েছে, তারা সব ঘরের মেঝেতে শুয়ে ঘুমাচ্ছে। এখন হালুম ভেতরে যায় কি করে! মোটামুটি হিসেব কষে, হালুম জানলায় উঠে একটা লাফ মারে। কিন্তু হিসেবে ভুল ছিল। যেখানে হালুমের নামার কথা, সেখানে না নেমে হালুম গিয়ে পড়ে আসামী জলধরের বুকের উপরে। তন্দ্রার ঘোরে জলধর ঝাঁকিয়ে ওঠে- আঃ আঃ আঃ। জলধরের আর্তনাদে অন্যদেরও ঝিমুনি ছুটে যায়, এবং তারা আধো ঘুম চোখে দেখে, ব্যান্ডিসওয়ালা! সে তার শরীরটা ছোটো করে নিয়েছে বটে, কিন্তু শরীরে সাদা ব্যান্ডেজ আর আগুন ঝরা চোখ লুকায়নি। আতঙ্কে অবিলম্বে সকলে চিৎকার জুড়ে দেয়। আঃ আ আ আ! এমন বিশ্রী চেচামেচি তে হালুম বিব্রত বোধ করে, এবং সে তার পরিকল্পনা বাতিল করে যে পথে এসেছিল, সেই পথে পালিয়ে যায়। কিন্তু ততক্ষণে যা সর্বনাশ হওয়ার হয়ে গেছে। আমদানির ভয়ার্ত চিৎকার ছড়িয়েছে তিন-চার নম্বরের ছোকরা ফাইলে যেখানে অল্প বয়ষ্কদের রাখা হয়। তারাও সব ত্রাহি চিৎকার জুড়ে দেয়। সেখান থেকে সারা জেলে সংক্রমিত হয়ে যায় এই আতঙ্ক। সবাই চিৎকার চেচামেচি কান্নাকাটি জুড়ে দেয়। জেলের সেপাই ভজন বিশ্বাস যদিও বলে যে ব্যান্ডিজওয়ালা নয়, সে পাহারায় ছিল, সে দেখেছে যে জেলের বিড়ালটাকে লাফ মেরে পালাতে, কিন্তু কয়েদীরা এ বিষয়ে স্পষ্টভাবে দু-ভাগ হয়ে যায়। দেবতা অপদেবতারা কি না পারে? ওরা ইচ্ছে করলে বিড়ালের রূপ নিতে না পারার কারণ নেই।
নওলকিশোর লছমন সাধারণ চুরির কয়েদি। জেলে সবচেয়ে বেশি সম্মান তিনশো-দুইয়ের, মার্ডার কেসের আসামীর। তারপরে তিনশো পঁচানব্বই, ডাকাতির কেস। ৩৮০ অর্থাৎ চুরি কেসের কোনো সম্মান নেই, বিশেষ করে গরু চুরির। আর সবচেয়ে ঘৃণাজনক হল ৩৭৬ ও ৪২০, একটা রেপ, অন্যটা চিটিং। তবে তিনশো দুই আর আগের মত সম্মান আদায় করতে পারছে না, কারণ এখন সবারই মনযোগের কেন্দ্রবিন্দুতে আছে নকশালরা।
এই জেলেও জনা পনেরো রাজনৈতিক বন্দী আছে, আর তারাই এই উপন্যাসের মুখ্য চরিত্র। এরা সবাই উচ্চশিক্ষিত। এরা বাইরে কেউ শিক্ষক ছিল, কেউ সাংবাদিক কেউ ডাক্তার কেউ ছিল ইঞ্জিনিয়ার। এদের ধরা হয়েছে রাষ্ট্রদ্রোহের অপরাধে, রাজ্যের নানা অঞ্চল থেকে। এদের মধ্যে নকশালদের কেউ কেউ ছাত্র ছিল, কেউ শিক্ষিত বেকার, আর কেউ বুর্জোয়া সমাজ ব্যবস্থায় 'যে যত পড়ে, সে তত মূর্খ হয়' বলে মাঝপথে পড়াশোনা বন্ধ করে ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়েছিল গ্রাম দিয়ে শহর ঘিরে পরিশেষে রাষ্ট্রক্ষমতা দখল অভিযানের সক্রিয় কর্মী হতে। এসব বন্দীদের জন্য কর্তৃপক্ষের দুর্ভাবনার অন্ত নেই, কারণ এরা অবাধ্য অকুতোভয়, বিনয়ী এবং দুঃসাহসী। যা ইচ্ছে তা করতে পারে। মারা এবং মরা টা যেন ছেলেখেলা এদের জন্য।
কর্তৃপক্ষের আশঙ্কা অমূলক নয়। কিছু একটা পাকিয়ে উঠছে সত্যি। আশু বিজন পরিমল নিমাই রজত আর বাকি যারা আছে, তারা জেলের এই প্রাচীর ভাঙার জন্যে মনে মনে ভাবছে। কি হবে? তারা কি পারবে রাষ্ট্রের এই কয়েদ ভেঙে মুক্ত হতে, তারা কি পারবে বিপ্লবের পথে সফল হতে? নকশাল যুবকদের ভাবনা চিন্তা কর্মকাণ্ডের সাথে সাথে স্বাভাবিক ভাবেই জেলের অন্যান্য চরিত্র ও কাহিনি জুড়ে গেছে এই উপন্যাসে। জেলের সেপাই ভজন বিশ্বা��, চোর ভগবান, জেলের নকশাল-দরদী ডাক্তারবাবু, আর অন্যান্য যত কয়েদী সেপাই সান্ত্রী আছে, তারা সকলেই এই অসাধারণ উপন্যাসের ছোটো বড় অংশ।
লেখক মনোরঞ্জন ব্যাপারী নিজেকে চন্ডাল বলে পরিচয় দেন এবং তিনি বর্তমানের দলিত সাহিত্যের একজন উল্লেখযোগ্য মুখ। তিনি তিন বছর বয়সে উদ্বাস্তু হয়ে পরিবারের সঙ্গে পশ্চিমবঙ্গে চলে আসেন, থাকেন রিফিউজি ক্যাম্পে। 24 বছর বয়সে তিনি জড়িয়ে পড়েন নকশাল আন্দোলনে। ১৯৭৪-৭৫ সালের প্রথম দিকে তিনি পুলিশের হাতে ধরা পড়েন তিনি। দুই বছর জেলে থাকার সময় পুরানো সব বন্ধুদের কাছ থেকে বেশকিছু ঘটনা শোনেন তিনি। নকশালদের জেল ভাঙার ঘটনা, জেলের অভিজ্ঞতা, জেলে শোনা সেইসব কাহিনী রয়েছে লেখকের এই বইটিতে। জেলে বসে তিনি নিজের উদ্যোগে লেখাপড়া শেখেন। জেল থেকে ছাড়া পেয়ে কলকাতায় এসে রিকশা চালানো শুরু করেন এই সময় মহাশ্বেতা দেবীর সংস্পর্শে এসে তার সাহিত্য চর্চা শুরু হয়। তার লেখা 'ইতিবৃত্তে চণ্ডাল জীবন' বইটি 2018 সালের হিন্দু পুরস্কার পেয়েছে এবং বর্তমান বইটি ডিএসসি সাউথ এশিয়ান লিটেরেচার প্রাইজের জন্য মনোনীত হয়েছে।
October 3, 2019
I picked up this book as it is a part of the JCB Longlist, 2019.
About the author: Manoranjan Byapari was born in Bangladesh, migrated to West Bengal when he was three. He belongs to a Dalit caste and has done odd jobs in the beginning of his life (like being a rickshaw puller!) in various parts of UP, Delhi and Assam. He somehow got involved in the Naxal Movement of 1970s in West Bengal and was sent to jail. There he taught himself to read and write. He has written novels, memoirs and short stories since then. What an inspiration he is!!
About the book: It is set in the 1970s West Bengal prison at the peak of the Naxal Movement. Naxal prisoners are planning to break free from jail and fight for their cause after winning freedom. This is the central plot of the book. However, the book focuses on a host of characters and their backstories such as the various prisoners, their daily lives in prison, certain accounts of previous prisoners, jail guards and officers, a supposedly terrifying prison ghost haunting the prison and its occupants. And this is what makes this book so likeable. It is a short read but a brilliant read nonetheless.
About the author: Manoranjan Byapari was born in Bangladesh, migrated to West Bengal when he was three. He belongs to a Dalit caste and has done odd jobs in the beginning of his life (like being a rickshaw puller!) in various parts of UP, Delhi and Assam. He somehow got involved in the Naxal Movement of 1970s in West Bengal and was sent to jail. There he taught himself to read and write. He has written novels, memoirs and short stories since then. What an inspiration he is!!
About the book: It is set in the 1970s West Bengal prison at the peak of the Naxal Movement. Naxal prisoners are planning to break free from jail and fight for their cause after winning freedom. This is the central plot of the book. However, the book focuses on a host of characters and their backstories such as the various prisoners, their daily lives in prison, certain accounts of previous prisoners, jail guards and officers, a supposedly terrifying prison ghost haunting the prison and its occupants. And this is what makes this book so likeable. It is a short read but a brilliant read nonetheless.
November 7, 2020
I have to admit, for the first 80% of this book, I was wondering why it had such great reviews, and whether I had been wrong in thinking that this was a novel at all. It read like a series of vignettes, and a heavy-handed one at that. We read partial stories of various people who were stuck in the same jail - the jailor, a thief who is asked to spy on a bunch of Naxals, one of the Naxals themselves, the guard in charge of the Naxals, even the friendly neighborhood jail ghost.
But the book totally changed its gear for the last thirty pages. All of the threads that had been lying loose till then suddenly came together to create a tragic and terrible tapestry. It's quite something to experience. Thoroughly recommended.
But the book totally changed its gear for the last thirty pages. All of the threads that had been lying loose till then suddenly came together to create a tragic and terrible tapestry. It's quite something to experience. Thoroughly recommended.
October 5, 2024
It’s a memoir or fictionalization of Mr byaparis’s period in the jail .
What I liked :
Simplicity of the text, the characters, the intents of the govt employees vs the jailed , the depiction of the naxal prisoners
All narrated in an engaging manner
What impressed me was the author’s own journey from illiteracy and his disadvantaged background to being lettered and creator of stories . Amazing !
Will read other books should I come across them
What I liked :
Simplicity of the text, the characters, the intents of the govt employees vs the jailed , the depiction of the naxal prisoners
All narrated in an engaging manner
What impressed me was the author’s own journey from illiteracy and his disadvantaged background to being lettered and creator of stories . Amazing !
Will read other books should I come across them
April 2, 2021
Powerful, important with a sprinkle of dark humor. Loved it and would highly recommend!
December 1, 2025
4.5 💥
October 23, 2019
This fictional story revolves around five Naxalites planning a jailbreak. The story starts off with the jailor Bireshwar Mukherjee going on a round in the jail premises. As he goes around, the author, very artfully, describes the jailhouse and the different wards, the prisoners they hold and their story. Soon we are introduced to the five Naxalites, who are imprisoned in a cell (a special part of the jail - a dark room where they are kept for months) - Parimal, Gautam, Bijoy, Nimai and Bablu. When the jailor doubts that these young Naxalites are upto no good, he plants a snitch amongst them.
The author adds new characters and their backstories, as the story progresses, to create a beautiful premise that adds such heavy meaning to the book that you will definitely end up with a heartache. Byapari writes this book with his own experience. Being a Naxalite and a captive in a jail, he unfurls what goes on inside those jail walls - the hypocrisy of the judicial system, the social classism, the inhumane treatment, and the divisions that are created within the jail, by the inmates themselves, according to the crimes they have committed.
What I loved most about the book is that the book does not have a fixed protagonist. It can be said that all characters are equally important. Byapari shows us the unadulterated and unfulfilled dreams and hopes the people in the jail have - from the inmates to the sepoys. These characters' perspectives on the Naxalites and their ideologies makes it a phenomenal story.
I had so much fun reading this book in Bengali though. Byapari uses the colloquial Bengali tongue for the dialogues of some of the village-born characters. I could clearly imagine the scenes playing out. I loved the usage of Bengali verses and poetry by the Naxalites in the book. For some Bihari characters Byapari gave them the Hindi mixed with Bengali accent. It is truly remarkable how one book can illustrate multiple accents. I don't know how the English translation played out, but reading this book in Bengali was the right thing to do.
Read my review here https://www.diaryofabookgirl.in/2019/...
The author adds new characters and their backstories, as the story progresses, to create a beautiful premise that adds such heavy meaning to the book that you will definitely end up with a heartache. Byapari writes this book with his own experience. Being a Naxalite and a captive in a jail, he unfurls what goes on inside those jail walls - the hypocrisy of the judicial system, the social classism, the inhumane treatment, and the divisions that are created within the jail, by the inmates themselves, according to the crimes they have committed.
What I loved most about the book is that the book does not have a fixed protagonist. It can be said that all characters are equally important. Byapari shows us the unadulterated and unfulfilled dreams and hopes the people in the jail have - from the inmates to the sepoys. These characters' perspectives on the Naxalites and their ideologies makes it a phenomenal story.
I had so much fun reading this book in Bengali though. Byapari uses the colloquial Bengali tongue for the dialogues of some of the village-born characters. I could clearly imagine the scenes playing out. I loved the usage of Bengali verses and poetry by the Naxalites in the book. For some Bihari characters Byapari gave them the Hindi mixed with Bengali accent. It is truly remarkable how one book can illustrate multiple accents. I don't know how the English translation played out, but reading this book in Bengali was the right thing to do.
Read my review here https://www.diaryofabookgirl.in/2019/...
November 20, 2019
//Hit the road my friend, we will learn as we march on it.
I picked up this book, There's Gunpowder In The Air written by Manoranjan Byapari & translated by Arunava Sinha a week ago. I had to let the story sink in for a couple of days before writing anything about it.
Set in the backdrop of the 70's, when the Naxalbari movement was brewing at full swing in Bengal, this is a light narrative about an attempted jailbreak and it's consequences.
But what makes the book an interesting read is the supplementary details about the characters(who have confusing names like Bijon, Pujon, Bhojan and Bhagoban, - it did take a while for me to accustom myself to the people in the book) - their lives, their motives & their ambitions. The author, having been an inmate himself, lends credibility to the story with some insider details.
A jailer who has spent his career sans any remark & who wishes for a peaceful retirement, a once-able cat who looses purpose in life because of greed, agnostics who become god-fearing and ritualistic at the sight of an alleged ghost, the nuances boredom makes a guard to take on, a mole warming up to the prisoners he was supposed to report on, morality & class hierarchy amongst prisoners, the meticulous planning and grit of the Naxals to continue the movement, their justification for revolution, the anger seething amongst educated, unemployed youth - this book has too many layers that keep unveiling themselves with time. It also throws light on how isolation brings to the surface underlying moral compasses in men, casteism, oppression,corruption and the inability of any honest officer to reform the system.
I usually refrain from reading translated works, out of fear of missing out the original essence. But as far as this book is considered, the translated version is too good to be judged! The decision to leave a few text untranslated lends authenticity to the raw, caustic original narration.
Bottom-line: A must read!
I picked up this book, There's Gunpowder In The Air written by Manoranjan Byapari & translated by Arunava Sinha a week ago. I had to let the story sink in for a couple of days before writing anything about it.
Set in the backdrop of the 70's, when the Naxalbari movement was brewing at full swing in Bengal, this is a light narrative about an attempted jailbreak and it's consequences.
But what makes the book an interesting read is the supplementary details about the characters(who have confusing names like Bijon, Pujon, Bhojan and Bhagoban, - it did take a while for me to accustom myself to the people in the book) - their lives, their motives & their ambitions. The author, having been an inmate himself, lends credibility to the story with some insider details.
A jailer who has spent his career sans any remark & who wishes for a peaceful retirement, a once-able cat who looses purpose in life because of greed, agnostics who become god-fearing and ritualistic at the sight of an alleged ghost, the nuances boredom makes a guard to take on, a mole warming up to the prisoners he was supposed to report on, morality & class hierarchy amongst prisoners, the meticulous planning and grit of the Naxals to continue the movement, their justification for revolution, the anger seething amongst educated, unemployed youth - this book has too many layers that keep unveiling themselves with time. It also throws light on how isolation brings to the surface underlying moral compasses in men, casteism, oppression,corruption and the inability of any honest officer to reform the system.
I usually refrain from reading translated works, out of fear of missing out the original essence. But as far as this book is considered, the translated version is too good to be judged! The decision to leave a few text untranslated lends authenticity to the raw, caustic original narration.
Bottom-line: A must read!
November 5, 2019
A story of power, of tragedy, of loss, and of solemn hope in the face of abject defeat, Manorajan Byapari is a voice that few will have heard of, but based on this evidence, I would suggest that many should engage with.
Byapari tells a bloody, tempestuous story, simultaneously with straightforwardness and emotional intelligence and clarity. Centred around the deeply entrenched realities of disillusionment, poverty, rebellion, death, and memory, he paints vivid characters whose pain and frustration at the travesties of life, are made extremely palpable by Byapari's open, engaging style. The ways in which he illustrates his characters' channeling of these realities into conversation, action, and belief, are, in my opinion, indicative of a writer with a stellar understanding of the human condition.
Drawing on his own experiences during his imprisonment as a Naxal in the mid-seventies, Byapari puts together a foreground of the contradictory world of class, hunger, desperation, guile, and ambition that is the Indian prison, and situates within it, fine brush strokes of revolutionary elan, personal struggle, and undying spirit. A must read for those who wish to understand struggle and all that comes with it, from someone who himself dealt with the tribulations of being at the vanguard.
That he taught himself to write from scratch, at the age of 22, while in prison, makes There's Gunpowder in the Air an even more impressive achievement - a stellar testament to the rebellious fire it seeks to capture, with humane sensitivity, passion, and fearlessness.
উদয়ের পথে শুনি কার বাণী
ভয় নাই, ওরে ভয় নাই -
নিঃশেষে প্রাণ যে করিবে দান
ক্ষয় নাই তার ক্ষয় নাই।
Byapari tells a bloody, tempestuous story, simultaneously with straightforwardness and emotional intelligence and clarity. Centred around the deeply entrenched realities of disillusionment, poverty, rebellion, death, and memory, he paints vivid characters whose pain and frustration at the travesties of life, are made extremely palpable by Byapari's open, engaging style. The ways in which he illustrates his characters' channeling of these realities into conversation, action, and belief, are, in my opinion, indicative of a writer with a stellar understanding of the human condition.
Drawing on his own experiences during his imprisonment as a Naxal in the mid-seventies, Byapari puts together a foreground of the contradictory world of class, hunger, desperation, guile, and ambition that is the Indian prison, and situates within it, fine brush strokes of revolutionary elan, personal struggle, and undying spirit. A must read for those who wish to understand struggle and all that comes with it, from someone who himself dealt with the tribulations of being at the vanguard.
That he taught himself to write from scratch, at the age of 22, while in prison, makes There's Gunpowder in the Air an even more impressive achievement - a stellar testament to the rebellious fire it seeks to capture, with humane sensitivity, passion, and fearlessness.
উদয়ের পথে শুনি কার বাণী
ভয় নাই, ওরে ভয় নাই -
নিঃশেষে প্রাণ যে করিবে দান
ক্ষয় নাই তার ক্ষয় নাই।
October 9, 2019
It's like eggs.They have all the ingredients for creating a full life,but nothing can be rushed, and the mother hen knows this.She incubates the egg patiently for along time and she protects it. This is the way of nature.Nothing can change it.If you defy this and take the contrarian route, then the outcome will be contrary too !!
May 5, 2022
The book offers tales from the prison and beyond. Set in the 1970s, when the Naxal uprising of Calcutta brought political prisoners into the jails, the story unfolds with a climactic jailbreak.
Manoranjan Byapari’s humour, and observations on human frailty, morality, and ethical values, lend a poignancy to a tale of friction between the prisoners and the state.
The author’s socio-cultural understanding helps to draw lines of similarities between either faction. Similar motives often drive the imprisoned and the ones who guard them.
The storytelling is mesmerising, and the translation by Arunava Sinha only enhances the narration.
Manoranjan Byapari’s humour, and observations on human frailty, morality, and ethical values, lend a poignancy to a tale of friction between the prisoners and the state.
The author’s socio-cultural understanding helps to draw lines of similarities between either faction. Similar motives often drive the imprisoned and the ones who guard them.
The storytelling is mesmerising, and the translation by Arunava Sinha only enhances the narration.
January 20, 2024
The details and descriptions of the book are so specific that it feels like written by someone who personally experienced the scenarios that were mentioned in the book. The book doesn't only focus on one direction alone, it has several full-fleshed stories inside the grand scheme of things. even though I am pretty pleased with the experience, I didn't appreciate the highly idealised and saintly version of especially since the book is majorly written in the third-person perspective as opposed to a single first person/second person perspective and I also had issues with the development of solidarity between , it felt rushed and half baked.
Calculating all of these I rate it 3.75/5 stars
P.S.: The fact alone that this book is written by someone who didn't know how to read/write until they were in their early twenties is very astonishing.
Calculating all of these I rate it 3.75/5 stars
P.S.: The fact alone that this book is written by someone who didn't know how to read/write until they were in their early twenties is very astonishing.
November 22, 2019
I really liked this book mostly because of the setting and characters were so unknown to me. The setting is in the 70's in a prison in West Bengal during the Naxal uprising.
I want to read and understand this world much more. India was not a good place, it was poor and very corrupt which lead to the rise of the Communist movement in India.
Some lines shock you with the violence told in a normal way, and the author has also created funny moments in this grim setting.
I am not a big fan of the matter of fact kind of writing but this is difficult to judge here, with this book being a translation of a Bengali text.
I am glad to have found this book through JCB prize shortlist and get to know about the time in Indian history which I know very little about.
I want to read and understand this world much more. India was not a good place, it was poor and very corrupt which lead to the rise of the Communist movement in India.
Some lines shock you with the violence told in a normal way, and the author has also created funny moments in this grim setting.
I am not a big fan of the matter of fact kind of writing but this is difficult to judge here, with this book being a translation of a Bengali text.
I am glad to have found this book through JCB prize shortlist and get to know about the time in Indian history which I know very little about.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews