Interrogating My Chandal Life

by Manoranjan Byapari

Translated by Sipra Mukherjee

A refugee from East Pakistan who grew up in a government resettlement colony in Dandakaranya, Chattisgarh, Manoranjan Byapari ran away and ended up in Kolkata, became involved in the violence of the Naxalite movement and later led a life of low-wage work and petty crime. He eventually landed in prison, where he learned to read and write, and slowly transformed his life. Byapari is a Namashudra, part of one of the largest Dalit communities in Bengal. Class, caste, politics and violence are as intertwined in his narrative as they are in Bengali society.

Sage Samya, 550 pages, Rs 384