Manohar Mouli Biswas

{{Infobox person

| name = Manohar Mouli Biswas

| image = Manohar Mouli Biswas.jpg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1943|10|03}}

| birth_place = Dakshin Matiargati, Bagerhat, Undivided Bengal, British India

| nationality = Indian

| occupation = Bilingual writer and poet

| parents = Late Prahlad Chandra Biswas and Late Panchu Bala Biswas}}

Manohar Mouli Biswas is the pseudonymous appellation adopted by Manohar Biswas, a distinguished and arguably the preeminent bilingual poet, essayist, and luminary figure in Dalit Literature emanating from the Bengal region.{{cite journal|last1=Acharya|first1=Indranil|title=Search for an Alternative Aesthetic in Bangla Dalit Poetry|journal=Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities|volume=VI|issue=2|pages=96–106|url=http://rupkatha.com/V6/n2/11_Bangla_Dalit_Poetry.pdf}}{{cite journal|last1=Johny|first1=S|title=Voices of a Subaltern Diaspora: A Reading of Manohar Mouli Biswas' Surviving in My World|journal=Research Journal of English Language and Literature|volume=5|issue=2|pages=44–47|url=https://www.rjelal.com/5.2.17/44-47%20Voices%20of%20a%20Subaltern%20Diaspora.pdf|access-date=26 June 2017|archive-date=14 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614233058/http://rjelal.com/5.2.17/44-47%20Voices%20of%20a%20Subaltern%20Diaspora.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal|last1=Das|first1=Suvasis|title=The Subaltern Can Speak: A Reading of Manohar Mouli Biswas's Autobiography Surviving in My World: Growing up Dalit in Bengal|journal=International Research Journal of Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Studies |date=April 2017|volume=3|issue=3|pages=84–93|url=http://www.irjims.com/files/SUVASIS-DAS.pdf}}{{cite journal|last1=Bhaumik|first1=Mahuya & Sarangi, Jaydeep|title=Growing up Dalit in Bengal: Conversation with Manohar Mouli Biswas|journal= Clear|volume=4|issue=1|pages=37–45|doi=10.1515/clear-2017-0005|year=2017|doi-access=free}}{{cite news|last1=Haldar|first1=Santanu|title=Manohar Biswas: A revolutionary Dalit voice in Bengali Dalit Literature|url=http://www.merinews.com/article/manohar-biswas-a-revolutionary-dalit-voice-in-bengali-dalit-literature/15882505.shtml|agency=Merinews|date=8 March 2013|access-date=26 June 2017|archive-date=26 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426211732/http://www.merinews.com/article/manohar-biswas-a-revolutionary-dalit-voice-in-bengali-dalit-literature/15882505.shtml|url-status=dead}}

Life and career

Manohar Mouli Biswas, born into the Namasudra caste in Dakshin Matiargati, Khulna, East Bengal, in 1943, navigated a challenging trajectory marked by profound poverty during his formative years.{{Cite web|title=A rose of revolt: Two poems in Bengali - Firstpost|url=https://www.firstpost.com/long-reads/holding-a-mirror-to-bengali-society-3708583.html|access-date=2020-06-15|website=www.firstpost.com|language=en}} Overcoming adversities, he surmounted obstacles to attain an education, ultimately establishing himself as a distinguished Dalit writer in India. Strikingly, none of his ancestors had the privilege of formal schooling. Witnessing the hardships and humiliation endured by the illiterate masses, he openly acknowledges his status as a first-generation learner within his family. The accumulation of these experiences and the associated pain served as the impetus for his foray into writing.

His transformative encounter with Dalit communities and the Dalit literary movement in Maharashtra during his residence in Nagpur in 1968–1969 significantly altered the trajectory of his literary pursuits.

Manohar Mouli Biswas occupies a venerable position as the current President of Bangla Dalit Sahitya Sanstha. He has steered the editorial direction of the ground-breaking bi-monthly literary magazine "Dalit Mirror" in English for over a decade. This periodical serves as a staunch advocate for the Dalits in Bengal.

His literary oeuvre encompasses four volumes of poetry, a collection of short stories, seven essay anthologies, and an autobiography titled "Amar Bhubaney Ami Benche Thaki" (2013). The latter has been translated by Angana Dutta and Jaydeep Sarangi as "Surviving in My World: Growing Up Dalit in Bengal" (2015).{{cite journal|last1=Thieme|first1=John|title=Review(s) of: Surviving in my world: Growing up Dalit in Bengal, by Manohar Mouli Biswas. Trans. and ed. by Angana Dutta and Jaydeep Sarangi, Kolkata: Samya|journal=Commonwealth Essays and Studies|date=Spring 2016|volume=38|issue=2|pages=135–137|doi=10.4000/ces.5644 |url=http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=402172495862586;res=IELLCC;type=pdf|doi-access=free}} This translated autobiography has garnered national and international acclaim, securing inclusion in the curricula of various universities. Jaydeep Sarangi has further contributed to the scholarly discourse on Biswas by editing a collection of essays titled "Bangla Dalit Writer Writes Back" (2019).

Poems in translation

His poems are translated widely from Bangla into English and into other languages. His translated poems are gradually attracted by the wide-readers, and have come into the scholastic discussions. A Rose of Revolt: Two Poems in Bengali by: Manohar Mouli Biswas{{cite web|title=A Rose of Revolt: Two Poems in Bengali'' by: Manohar Mouli Biswas|url=http://www.firstpost.com/long-reads/holding-a-mirror-to-bengali-society-3708583.html}} –

{{Verse translation|italicsoff=yes|

{{lang|bn|ফুলন দেবী

চব্বিশবারের বদলা নিয়ে ছিলে একুশটি

ইচ্ছা তো ছিল চব্বিশটির

এই সাহস তোমাকে কে দিয়েছিল?

অপমান, না লজ্জা ঢাকার পণ?

শুনেছি, হে ফুলন, তুমি শূদ্রা ছিলে

দূর গাঁয়ের দরিদ্র দুর্বলার

যারা বলাৎকারী

জেনে নিক এই সত্য

বেহড়বাগী ফুলন প্রতিটি রমনী।}}

Phoolan Devi

At the age of twenty four

She gun fired all

Against humiliation

Her determination registered

Oh! Phoolan, you have come from

The lowest caste

From a marginalised village.

Oppressors of women, be aware of it—

She resists at some points;

Every woman is a Phoolan in spirit}}

{{Verse translation|italicsoff=yes|

{{lang|bn|সংগ্রাম

আমার শরীরের জ্যান্ত মাংসের মধ্যে

কিল বিল হাঁটে, কাটে, পোকা?

ভিনসার অলিতে গলিতে ক্যান্সার, খরার

গোটা শরীরটাকে টুকরো টুকরো-

হায়রে, খান্ খান্ ঝরে কেন?

লাল পতাকা রক্তের নেশা

প্রতিরোধ কনিকার প্রয়াস

তরতরে তাজা ব্যক্তিতে আমার

গোটা শরীরটার প্রয়োজন ওই

সংগ্রাম প্রতিটি ক্ষয়িত কোষের বাঁচার।}}

Warfare

In the flesh alive of my body

The worms eat up, bit by bit.

Why does the cancer spread in streets of the whole body?

Red flag has thirst for blood;

A rose of revolt.

All my decaying cells

Restore the spirit I have

To live as rails of protest.}}

- translated by Jaydeep Sarangi

List of works

=Poetry collections=

Ora Amar Kabita (8 May 1985), Dipali Book House, Kolkata, West Bengal
Tarer Kanna : Titiksha (31 December 1987), J/3 Tangra Govt. Housing Estate; distributed by Aditya Prakashalaya, Kolkata, West Bengal
Vivikto Uthaney Ghar (June 1991), J/3 Tangra Housing Estate; distributed by Dipali Book House, Kolkata, West Bengal
Poetic Rendering As Yet Unborn, (Translation of Bangla poetry in English) (2010), published by Shubhra Biswas in Calcutta Book Fair 2010, Kolkata, West Bengal, {{ISBN|978-81-926702-1-8}}
Bikshata Kaler Banshi (16 August 2013), Chaturtha Dunia, Stall22 Bhabani Dutta Lane, Kolkata, West Bengal, {{ISBN|978-81-926702-5-6}}
The Wheel Will Turn (Translation of Bangla poetry in English) (2014), Cyberwit.net, Allahabad, India, {{ISBN|978-81-928187-3-3}}

=Short story=

Krishna Mrittikar Manoosh(8 May 1988), published by Satyabrata Majumdar; distributed by Nirmal Book Agency, Kolkata, West Bengal

=Autobiography=

Amar Bhubaney Ami Benche Thaki (13 June 2013), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata {{ISBN|978-81-926702-4-9}}
Surviving in My World : Growing Up Dalit in Bengal (2015), Stree {{ISBN|978-81-926702-4-9}}

=Essays=

Dalit Sahityer Digboloy (1992), J/3 Tangra Govt. Housing Estate; distributed by Dr. Ambedkar Prakashani, Dalua, Garia, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal
Yuktivadi Bharatbarsha: Ekti Aitihyer Sandhan (1998), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata, {{ISBN|81-86551-13-1}}
Vonnochokhe Prabandha Mala (14 April 2003), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata {{ISBN|978-81-926702-6-3}}
Dalit Sahityer Ruparekha (February 2007), Bani Silpa, Kolkata
Prabandhe Prantajan Authoba Asprisher Diary (January 2010), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata, {{ISBN|978-81-926702-2-5}}
An Interpretation of Dalit Literature, Aesthetic, Theory and Movements: Through the Lens of Ambedkarism (January 2017), published by Shubhra Biswas on behalf of Bangla Dalit Sahitya Sanstha, and Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata, {{ISBN|978-81-926702-7-0}}

=Edited books=

Adwaita Malla Barman: Ekti Sahityik Pratishrot (1995), Chaturtha Duniua, Kolkata
Shatobarsher Bangla Dalit Sahitya: Bangla Dalit Writings from 1911–2010 (26 January 2011), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata, {{ISBN|978-81-926702-3-2}}
Chaturtha Duniar Galpa (2005), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata
Krishna Chandra Thakur (Kesto Sadhu): Smriti Sambhar (1999), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata
Anya Bhashar Dalit Kabita (September 1994), Chaturtha Dunia, Kolkata