Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Dec 18: English authors were clearly having their day in the sun, with Oriya writers literally relegated to the backbenches on the second day of the Utkal Literature Festival.
Only a handful of Oriya writers were seen at the gathering. What was ironical was that many of the writers born in Orissa and making a name for themselves in English literature admitted to not having read any Oriya books ever.
“Everybody here is talking about their books published in English. But I don’t see anyone who can talk to me about Oriya fiction or stories that have Oriya characters. I love Fakirmohan Senapati but there is no one here who can discuss and dissect his works at length,” said a Class XII student of Maharishi College who said he came to the festival hoping to witness discussions on Oriya literature but left disappointed. Satyarth Nayak, an Oriya novelist based in Delhi whose book ‘The Emperor’s Riddles’ became a national bestseller soon after its release in March this year, admitted to missing out on a lot by not being in touch with Oriya literature. “I’ve never read any Oriya work in my life. I wish I could, but I’m not able to. It’s my loss,” Nayak said.
Another prominent author Soma Das, while participating in a panel discussion on Oriya writing in English, said, “I don’t like to call myself an Oriya writer. I believe a writer through his writing, in whatever language, can bring up his/her local culture. For instance, I see lot of Bombay in Salman Rushdie’s works.”
Several writers however agreed there was a very real identity crisis afflicting Oriya writers and literature, most pertinently due to the commercial viability and worldwide exposure that comes with being a writer in English. “I don’t see much hope for Oriya literature. I’m afraid Oriya literature would disappear in the future with the present generation preferring to speak, write and think in English. Unless some groundbreaking work is done in Oriya literature, I don’t feel anything is going to change,” said Prof. Nachiketa Das, Dean of the School of Earth Sciences, Ravenshaw University.
Other than professional authors and academicians, most of the audience appeared disconnected with Oriya literature. PC Sahoo, an advocate, writes columns for dailies on legal issues and likes to consider himself as more of a literary man than a lawyer. But when asked if he reads Oriya literature, his answer was a quick “no” with an apologetic smirk.
Tenzin Karma, a crime fiction author from Bhutan, shed light on what he thought was the problem with modern Oriya literature. “I don’t think Oriya writers have been able to promote their literature like their Bengali, Telugu or Kannada counterparts have done. I’ve been to India several times and can name quite a few Bengali and Telugu books but can’t name any Oriya ones.”