JOIN USAuthor Manoranjan Byapari has been announced the winner of the 2022 Shakti Bhatt Prize.
The writer, activist and politician, started off his journey as a refugee and migrant. A member of the Namasudra caste, he was among the early writers of Dalit literature in Bengali. “At 72, to still be passionate and hopeful and writing after a life of struggle is as good as it gets,” says Sheba Thayil, trustee, Shakti Bhatt Foundation.
Among the five books by the author that have been translated to English so far is ‘The Runaway Boy’, the first volume of the ‘Chandal Jibon’ trilogy, which is a testament of the suffering refugees face.
The Shakti Bhatt Prize that was started in 2008 as the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, honours the winner with a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh. From 2020, the prize has been awarded in recognition of a writer’s body of work, instead of a first book. The focus is now on “recognising those who have worked for years and need greater homage for the quality of what they have produced,” says Sheba. The winner is decided by the trustees of the foundation, after discussions with a network of writers, journalists and publishers. The foundation was set up in memory of late writer and editor, Shakti Bhatt. “Our interest is in highlighting the work of those who are not in the mainstream,” she adds.