The shape-shifting presence of violence in ‘Kale Adhyaye’
Live MintI congratulate Manoj Rupda on the translation of his 2018 novella, Kale Adhyaye, from Hindi to English as I Named My Sister Silence by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar. Overwhelmed by the violence, the boy’s mind, wrought by post-traumatic stress disorder, splits into two—both human and an animal, the latter never allows him to feel anything. The wandering boy’s journey in the forests of Bastar is a deeply moving, and nuanced tale of the violent interplay between Maoists, Adivasi villagers and police constables. While the red corridor has been a topic for many non-fiction books—including Hello Bastar: The Untold Story of India’s Maoist Movement by Rahul Pandita, Nightmarch: A Journey into India’s Naxal Heartlands by Alpa Shah and The Burning Forest: India’s War in Bastar by Nandini Sundar to name a few—the real strength of this fictional account lies in the second part. Various incidents of violence mined from world history are mentioned as Captain Alok Dutt, the captain of Jaldoot whom the young boy meets, narrates his father’s and grandfather’s experiences.
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