The English translation of the second volume of Bengali litterateur Manoranjan Byapari's acclaimed autobiography Itibritte Chandal Jivan will hit the stands on June 22.
“How I Became a Writer: An Autobiography of a Dalit”, translated by Anurima Chanda, continues the inspirational memoirs of the Bengali Dalit writer after the award-winning "Interrogating My Chandal Life" in 2018 which talked about Byapari's growing-up years in refugee camps in West Bengal and Dandakaranya.
In this translated volume, the author talks about his roller-coaster life in Kolkata after leaving the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha. It is jointly published by SAGE Publications India and Samya under the Samya SAGE Select imprint.
The 72-year-old writer, who is also the Trinamool Congress MLA from Balagarh, has worked as a cook for over two decades at the Helen Keller School for the Deaf and the Blind.
"Time had gifted me with a mere pen. All I wanted to do was to hold on to it with all my might, just like a small dinghy on a vast ocean, a lamp on a dark night or a stick in a blind man's hand," said Byapari reflecting on his life story.
Some of Byapari's notable works include Chhera Chhera Jibon, Amanushik and Motua Ek Mukti Senar Naam.
