Harijan

by Gopinath Mohanty, Bikram K. Das (Translator)

First published in the Odia in 1948, and translated for the first time here into English by Bikram Das, Gopinath Mohanty’s Harijan is one of the most original and radical Indian novels of the twentieth century.

It brings to vivid life the story of a group of Mehentars living in a slum. Cleaning latrines with their bare hands is the only work that they can hope to find as their caste excludes them from every other occupation. The leader of this group is the middle-aged and foul-mouthed Jema who starts her day by gulping down a potful of liquor and smoking pinkas in order to deal with the stench of the excreta. One day, Jema comes down with a fever and is unable to go to work. Fourteen-year-old Puni offers to take her mother’s place. The next morning Puni wakes up early, bathes, puts on a clean sari, and dabs some cheap perfume on her skin. Stepping out of the hut excitedly, she picks up basket and broom. When she arrives at the first latrine, the stink hits her with the force of a hammer blow. She drops her basket and broom, turns around, and is trying to run away, when her friends stop her. ‘This is what you will have to do every day for the rest of your life! It is your fate!’

Avinash Babu lives in a palatial house next to the slum. He is planning to evict the Mehentars in order to develop the slum into a residential colony. One night, a fire breaks out and the entire slum is burned to the ground. The Mehentars leave the slum carrying their remaining possessions on their backs. They have nowhere to go but they are past all worries—they know that no matter where they go, they will still be cleaning excrement, for they are Harijans.

Genres: Fiction

328 pages, Paperback

Published August 10, 2021

About the author

Gopinath Mohanty, winner of the Jnanpith award, and the first winner of the National Sahitya Akademi Award in 1955 - for his novel, Amrutara Santana - was a prolific Odia writer of the mid-twentieth century.

Reviews

[Krutika · Rating 2 out of 5]

// Harijan by Gopinath Mohanty, translated by Bikram Das.

Harijan, originally written in Odia by Gopinath Mohanty is considered to be one of his finest works. Published in 1948, it was only now that it was translated into English by Bikram Das. The introduction was well researched, and gave a brief insight to Mohanty's life. It also listed down other important works about Harijans by various authors, which I was quick in noting down. While the introduction was strong, the actual story of the book was entirely different. It didn't have the impacted effect on me. Of course, Mohanty describes the lives of manual scavengers but what I read was what I already knew of. The translation too did not do much. All in all, it was a disappointment.

The story is set in a village where the roles of people are well defined. The highest on the caste system are rich and the lowest are manual scavengers. Mohanty puts forth the lives of both the sides before us, holding nothing back to show the unfairness of casteism. There's Puni, a young girl who's mother is a scavenger. As much as Puni's mother tries to shield her precious daughter from having to do the same work, fate doesn't allow her to do so. There's Aghore and Manonmayee, children of the rich who watch the basti from their balcony, seemingly unaffected. Although Aghore did have a good conscience. The rich take what they want and the poor are left with nothing. Mohanty focuses mainly on Puni and the way she feels while having to take care of her ill mother. We notice how the Harijans' addiction to liquor is out of desperation and not for fun. While he tries to tie up the story, I began to think how the story could have been cut shorter. Few characters were unnecessary. The story too severely lacked something. There wasn't the expected intensity that I was looking forward to.

They say that Mohanty wrote this book during his 'urban era' and it suddenly becomes clear why this novel didn't reach its full potential with me. I would certainly not recommend this book to others but if at all you choose to read it, I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you for the copy @alephbookco 🌸

[Suraj Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gopinath Mohanty’s Harijan, originally written in Odia, takes us into the world of Mehentars- a community of untouchables, who clean latrines. Theirs is a blighted existence where life is lived one day at a time, with no future to look forward to. Each day is coloured by the same misery- while their mornings marked by the horrendous task of carrying excreta on their heads, their evenings are drowned in liquor.

Just next to their basti (slum) lies the ‘big house’ of Avinash Babu, where lives are lived in complete contrast to these slum dwellers. Avinash Babu is planning to evict the mehentars from the land on which their huts stands. What happens when those who own nothing are left with even less?

The central figure of the plot is the fourteen year old Puni, who has to take up her mother’s job of cleaning latrines when she falls ill. Her life is transformed, on her first day at work, when she realises her fate as a mehentrani. Mohanty has painted the world of mehentars with great poignancy. He shows how these people are caught in a vicious circle, and that any attempt to uplift themselves is bound to fail.

The general tone throughout the book is sad and gloomy, in accordance with the events taking place in the lives of the characters. I feel the lives of the people living in the ‘big house’ could have been portrayed better and more richly. They seemed to be mere lifeless characters. The characters from basti, however, have been very well drawn. Despite this being a translated work, I enjoyed Mohanty’s writing, particularly the use of colloquial language. However, I feel that a glossary of the Odia words used in the book should have been provided to enhance the reading experience. All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and I definitely recommend it.

My Rating: **** (4/5)

[Srishti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gopinath Mohanty wrote Harijan during the second phase of his writing, oft called his 'urban' phase. This phase was established when he returned from the mountainous region of Koraput in southern Odisha. He extensively wrote about the lives and existence in urban areas, where people have become insensitive to such an extent that they are unable to appreciate or even respond to the mundane charms of the world. However, he doesn't just focus on the beauty of life, he writes about the ugliness that lies in its shadows and reflection, barely hidden from sight.

Harijan is the tale of a group of Mehentars living in a slum, the only way they could earn a few paise was to clean latrines with their bare hands. The caste system didn't allow them to get into any other profession or occupation. Jema, a middle-aged, foul-mouthed woman, was the leader of this odd group. Her sun would dawn after she had smoked pinkas and poured a potful of liquor down her throat. She took these measures to deal with the overwhelming stench of the excreta and maintain her sanity. However, one day Jema is taken down by fever and not in the condition to go to work, so her fourteen-year-old daughter, Puni, willingly proposes to go in her stead. She gets up early in the morning and dabs a few drops of some inexpensive perfume on her skin after bathing. Armed with a basket and broom she reaches the first latrine when the suffocating stench hits her, she turns to run but comes to realise soon that this is what is she is supposed to do everyday till the end of her life. On the other hand the saheb living in a splendid villa near the slum has been drawing intricate plans of how to evict the Mehentars and build a residential colony in place of the slums. And one night a fire from an unknown source reduces the slums to ashes.

[Bookothon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This is how she would have to live- carrying basketfuls of shit, with her head lowered to the ground, so she could feed herself and remain alive. This was God's gift, given to her on the day she was born!"

'Harijan' by Gopinath Mohanty is a heart-wrenching story of a the life of Mehentars (manual scavengers) living in a slum in India, with a fourteen-year-old girl as the protagonist.

'Cleaning latrines with their bare hands is the only work that they can hope to find as their caste excludes them from every other occupation.' The story exposes the traumatic experiences that manual scavengers face every day.

The author is a Padma Bhushan awardee and the English translation by Bikram Das is of great help to those who aren't well-versed in Odia.

I haven't read such a type of book before and it had a huge impact on me. It's important for everyone to read this because of how ignorant most of us are to such an inhuman treatment. Rather, a part of it.

[Hari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many unnecessary characters. Lots of fluff. Definitely felt like a story written by an upper caste privileged man. You can feel the attitude in the prologue.