A person is judged by the books he has kept on his shelf

I do not remember the exact date, but it was a rainy day in the first week of August. I had received a call letter to appear in an interview for the post of lecturer in Alaka Mahavidyalaya. I started from Bhubaneswar in the morning and reached Basantpur that falls around ten kms before Jagatsingpur around 10 AM. Then I was completely shattered, frustrated and also angry with myself. I had been unsuccessful in many competitive exams. I had not been able to get a respectable job.

There was no pacca road to Alaka Mahavidyalaya from Basantpur which is nearly one and half kms; it was muddy that I had to walk; the rain in the morning had made it worse. The condition of the road was depressing that further worsened my black mood.

Gangadhar Rath, the president and founder of the college was himself in the interview board. Besides him, the other members were Binapani Mohanty, the eminent writer, Basant Das, a reader in Psychology, then serving in a government college, and the principal of the college. Rath asked me the first question, “Who is responsible for partition of India?”

I could guess the background of such a question. Then, the thirty remaining pages of the book of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India Wins freedom had been made public. Maulana Abul Kalam Azad had made a will not to publish the thirty pages until thirty years of his death. Thirty years ended and the unpublished pages were made public. There was accusing fingers at Nehru for certain decisions and statements; otherwise, partition could have been averted. There was much discussion in the newspapers and magazines on the issue. Almost every day there was an article in any of the newspapers or magazines.

I said, “No single leader should be held responsible for the partition. The existing social conditions, certain political decisions, ‘divide and rule’ policy of the foreign rulers, certain events and many more factors taken together are responsible for the partition. We cannot say a single leader or a single event caused it…”

He did not seem to be pleased with the answer and perhaps thought, I was evading the main issue. He asked, “If we are to zero in one person, who will be that person?”

I answered, “We cannot hold one person responsible. Rather, we may hold all leaders, including even Gandhi, responsible for the partition…”

He was rather shocked, “Even Gandhi? How?”

I explained, “Not knowingly he did, but unconsciously his actions and his sayings alienated the Muslims from the Hindus. For example, he was saying he wanted a ram rajya, the concept of ram rajya did not appeal the muslims. When there was a discussion between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi always invited Jinha, thereby accepting him as the leader of the muslims. Since Gandhi gave importance to Jinha by inviting him, he was accepted by the muslims as their leader. In the process, nationalist leaders like Mualana Azad were ignored by the common muslims….”

Rath did not look pleased. He asked a few more questions. All those went through the same way. I thought I failed in this interview also.

Dark clouds were floating on the sky. Though rain had stopped, but as condition of the sky indicated, it would rain anytime.  I wanted to have a cup of tea and then, after taking tea I would go to Basantpur to get a bus back to Bhubaneswar as soon as possible. I went to the tea shop that was near the college gate. I was taking tea when the college peon came and told, the principal had sent him to say to wait till the interview was over. The president wanted to meet me.

I waited. Rath said, “Will you join the college if you are selected?”

I said, “I have come all the way for this job. How could I not join?”

He said, “You are a good student. You may leave.”

I said, “I have been unsuccessful in many competitive exams. I have not applied for anything which will give me a job within one year, if at all I am selected. I assure you I shall stay here at least one year.”

He said, “Okay. You will get the appointment letter within one week.”

Later, I learnt from others in the college, Gangadhar Rath loved three things. One, the student should be good and well read. Two, he should speak with confidence whatever he says and third, he loved tall boys. More or less he found all the three in me.

Gangadhar Rath loved books and library. The library of the college is Subrat Memorial Library, named after his departed son. He had received a large donation from his wife Dr Nirupama Rath to build the library, and himself had donated almost his entire collection of books. It is said a person is judged by the books he has kept on his shelf. The books he donated varies from classics like Tolstoy’s Anna Karenia or Dostovesky’s Crime and Punishment to Nirad Chaudhury’s Autobiography of an Unknown Indian or J P Dalvi’ s Himalayan Blunder, and also thrillers.

He himself every year purchased books for the library. He asked the lecturers of all the departments to give lists of books for their respective departments. I gave the list of books for the History department. He had handed over the lists to the supplier. One day he came to the college, called me and said, “What list you have given? First, the books are not available here and second, the books are very expensive.”

I replied, “The books to be bought for the library are not only for the students, but also for the teachers. The teachers need to read to teach better.”

He pointed out one of the list and said, “Do you know how much this book cost? More than two hundred and fifty…”

That book was Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy by Judith Brown. I had read that book. I told, “This is a good book. She has written the book and interpreted Indian history with a different approach. She has discussed how culture or tradition affects historical events. For example, Gandhi gave a call for non violent movement. But it is a culture of the forest people to move always with an axe or bow and arrow. When they participated in the movement, the movement turned violent. Their grievance was not foreign rule per se, but against the forest laws…” and I told some other things that was in the book.

Rath told the supplier to get the books from wherever those were available. Not only that, he also he found time to read the book and remarked, “An excellent work, but I don’t have the scope to know.”

 Besides books and library, his other interests were in flowers and garden. He had designed the college garden himself. That was one of the best garden any college of the state had at the time. He planned the garden and arranged the plants and trees in such a way one could find flowers at any time of the year. The garden was at its best in winter.

Rath was an eminent lawyer. He was Advocate General for the state for two terms, perhaps, the longest serving Advocate General. But he was a man who loved books and flowers, had love for good students, respect for the writers and poets. He had written his autobiography and a few books including a collection of stories. Had he not entered into legal profession, he might have become a great writer.

I stayed in that college for two years, one month and seven days.

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Award/Reward, etc

                                                            (Poet Pallavi Nayak, sitting first from the left)

This year, Anandpur Lekhak Samabaya Samiti, constituting with fourteen literary organizations of the Sub Division, felicitated young poet Pallavi Nayak in its annual function. I have read Pallavi’s poems and I liked the poems. I have  come across her poems in the literary page of daily newspapers and magazines during last two or two and half years only. She is yet to publish her first book of poems.

Recently, C. Radhakrisnan of Malayalam literature had come to Katha annual function. He told about his writing. He wrote a novel when he was only 17. After he finished his novel he did not know what to do with the novel or how to publish it. He came across an advertisement. Matrubhoomi had invited novels for a competition. He sent his novel to Matrubhoomi. After one year the result of the competition came out and his novel was adjudged first. The novel was serially published in the magazine, which gave him name, money and also pleasure. Subsequently, the novel was published as a book and the book also won him Kerala Sahitya Academy award.

Radhakrisnan has won Moortidevi award and has lived a life of a writer. He says what he is today he is because of his first novel and the rewards he won for it. There are many instances when a writer’s first book has won him/her awards. Ruskin Bond had also written a novel at 17. That is, the Room on the Roof that won him an international award. Jhumpa Lahiri’s first book, Interpreter of Maladies had won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

But this is not the tradition in Odisha. Young writers are normally ignored. Something other than merit is sometimes considered for an award. Achyutananda Pati, the eminent writer was awarded Sarala Samman in 2013 when he was  87. His first story was published in 1952 in Asanta Kali, the reputed magazine of the time, so the award cane to him after 61 years of his first story published. In reaction to the award he said, I should first thank the Yamaraj who had not taken my life and allowed me to live to receive this award.

Anadapur Lekhak Samabaya Samiti’s gesture is an exception and what I know, perhaps, first of its kind. It’s definitely a welcome move and I hope, they will continue with this and create a tradition of felicitating the young and the worthy.  The felicitation will, no doubt, encourage Pallavi in her literary pursuits.

Awards given to writers often land in controversy. It is alleged that awards are not given to the right person or the right book, something other than merit is considered by the members of the jury deciding the award. A few years back there was much controversy over Kendra Sahitya Akedemy award given to an Odia novelist and a case was also filed in the High Court. Wrong selection for the award does more disservice to literature than any good. The Kendra Sahitya Akedemy award winning books are translated into other languages. A person of the other language when will read the book as an award winning novel and finds it not worth reading he would think reading the book a waste of time and money. That gives a bad impression of the literature of the language which the award winning book represents.

Now it is said, young people have no interest in literature. This is a myth. The number of Chetan Bhagat’s book or Arundhoti Roy’s The God of Small Things sold in Odisha is more than any Odia book. The fact is that interest in literature in young people has not diminished, but Odia books do not sell. The reason given is that parents now send their children to English medium schools and the boys/girls forget Odia. That is also another myth. One will find many old people who have mastered Bengli or Hindi to read literature in those languages. The mother tongue or the language they speak in their families is Odia. If a person can master Bengli or Hindi which is not their mother tongue to read literature, a boy or girl who speaks Odia in his/her family, though taught in English medium, can’t learn Odia to read Odia literature?

Here I would like to narrate an anecdote. A few years back a computer professional was working in our department. He is a Bengli and a lover of literature. When he learnt I was a writer, he was very happy to work with me. He requested me to give him one of my books. I gave him one novel. During his stay here in Odisha he learnt Odia and read the book. Last time, one year back he talked to me and said sometimes when he came across an Odia magazine he bought it to read the stories.

A book lover normally is tempted to buy the book which has won an award or the books of the author who has won awards. If the award is given to the wrong person or to the wrong book, the reader feels cheated and gets disappointed. He will lose interest in literature. Awards should be given to the right person, to the right book and also at the right time.

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