[ Jayeeta Bhattacharya, post graduate in English, and teacher, is a poet who writes both in Bengali and English. She is the first female author who has written a bildungsroman novel in Bengali. ]
Jayeeta : Poetry or prose — in case of prose critical essays or stories and novels — which do you prefer writing ?
Malay : I do not have any preference as such. Depends on what is happening in my brain at a particular time. Critical essays I mostly write on the request of Editors. These days I dislike writing essays ; actually, since essay writers are only a few, Editors request for essays ; in many cases Editors even select a specific subject and request me to write on it. Is it possible, tell me ? Now a days I do not like to read much or think about the society. I write fictions, once something strikes me I start writing, there is no dearth of material in my experience, I may pick up scores of characters from my own life. When an Editor requests, I send him. Poetry is really an addiction ; once the grug grips you, there is no way out other than writing. I write them on the body of emails ; when someone requests for a poem or poems, I mail him. If it is not to what I had intended to achieve I delete it completely. In fact whoever requests, I send him, without any preferences. Some editors identify a subject and request me to write on it. That creates a problem for me, as you know I do not write subject-centric poems ; I write as I please, whether it is liked or not. I do not have anything like a writing diary or pages, after 2005, because of arthritis I suffered induced by wrong medicines after angioplasty. Then I started suffering from asthma, hernia, prostate, varicose veins. Because of arthritis I was going out of writing habit, you would not be able to feel that suffering. Texts kept on crating verigoes of thoughts and I was not able to write anything. Then my daughter encouraged me to learn computer, I learned typing in Bengali, the middle finger of right hand is less affected, I use it for typing. My son has gifted this computer, he cleans it whenever he visits on holidays. For about three-four years I was not able to write because of problems with my fingers.
Jayeeta : While reading your novels one finds that the narrative techniques and forms are different from one another. From Dubjaley Jetuku Proshwas to Jalanjali, Naamgandho, Ouras, Prakar Porikha, have almost the same characters you have proceeded with, it may be called a single novel, but you have kept on changing the form and technique. Why ? Then in Arup Tomar Entokanta novel you have introduced a new technique, you have displayed three types of Bengali diction. In Nakhadanta novel you have put together several short stories along with your daily diary. Tell us something about these. Are they conscious effort ?
Malay : Yes. No editor would have published such a large novel comprising of five, obviously I wrote them at different periods, each separate from the other. Dubjaley is written based on my co-workers, I had learned that some of them are Marxist-Leninist. Writing five different novels was a sort of boon for me, I have tried to bring in novelty in all of them. When an idea comes to me I think about its form for quite some time, about its presentation, then I start writing. Quite often a form develops at the time of writing itself, such as in Nakhadanta or Arup Tomar Entokanta. While writing Nakhadanta I had gathered substantial information during field studies in West Bengal about the jute cultivators and jute mills. Similarly, for writing Naamgandho I collected field information of potato cultivators and cold storages in West Bengal. A large number of characters in these two novels are from real life events. I have written outside of my experience as well such as Jungleromeo, based on beastiality of a bunch of criminals. I have written the fiction Naromangshokhroder Halnagad in one single sentence, this is also imaginative, based on political divisions in West Bengal. Hritpinder Samudrajatra is based on the voyage of Rabindranath Tagore’s grandfather’s heart ripped off from his body in a cemetery in England to Calcutta in a ship of those days ; I have criticised Rabindranath and his father in the fiction. Had Rabindranath’s grandfather lived for another ten years the industrial scene in West Bengal would have been developed. Idiot Bengalis of those days attacked his character of vices which you would find thousand times more in today’s Indian industrialists, among whom there are thieves, black marketeers, smugglers and even those criminals who have fled the country. I wrote the detective novel as a challenge, but I have dragged Indian society there as well. I am not able to write a fiction without involving Indian politics and society. Even the lengthy story Jinnatulbilader Roopkatha which have animal and bird characters, is based on political events a personalities of West Bengal. Rahuketu is based on court case and activities of members of the Hungryalist movement. Anstakurer Electra is about sexual relations between father and daughter. I have written Nekropurush deriving on necrophilia. Chashomrango is about elasticity of time.
Jayeeta : Do you think Salman Rushdie is the ideal Postmodern novelist in the perspective of Postcolonial or Commonwealth literature ?
Malay : Rushdie is a magic realist novelist, influenced by Marquez. However chaotic it might be, the reader understands the novelist, just like in the case of Satanic Verses. American critics do not give much importance to magic realism because the technique was not invented in their country ; as a result magic realist writers are also labelled as postmodern by them. Though there are certain subtle usage of postmodern features in Rushdie’s fiction it would be incorrect to call it postmodern. If you call fictions of Gabriel Garcia Marquez as postmodern, spanish critics may shoo bulls of bullfight at you.
Jayeeta : In your fictions we do not find conventional trope of love. There are no stereotype protagonists. Have you adopted these in order to individualize your fiction as yours ? In Dubjaley Jetuku Proshwas novel, Manasi Burman, Shefali, Julie-Judy ; in Naamgandho novel Khushirani Mondal ; in Arup Tomar Entokanta Keka sister-in-law, Itu in Ouras, they are different from one another and none of them are stereotype character. You have even created a shock at the end of the fiction by revealing that Khusirani Mondal was kidnapped from East Bengal during partition and she is actually grand daughter of one Minhazuddin Khan. You have played with self-identity in case of Khushirani Mondal ; without knowing her own origin she recites songs in praise of goddess Lakshmi, follows Hindu fasts, believes in superstitions like Chalpara . I would like to know the intricacies of Malay’s fiction in detail.
Malay : That is because my love life has not been conventional. Secondly, the concept of central character was brought to the colonies by Europe, as a symbol of metropilitan throne. Women elder to me have first entered my life. That might be the reason for the ladies being elder to young men in relationship in my novels. In female characters obscurely there is presence of Kulsum Apa and Namita Chakroborty. The life I led during the Hungryalist movement has left its impact on female characters. Through Khushirani Mondal I have tried to indicate that how problematic is the idea of identity. Look at today’s Indian society, because of identity politics the society is getting fragmented, skirmishes are taking place daily, Dalits are being beaten up, Muslims are being driven out of their home and hearth. By banning beef livelihood of hundreds of families have been destroyed, Posrk is banned in Islam, but in Dubai malls you’d get shop corners in which pork is sold. From identity politics we have reached jingoism. Let me tell you about my marriage ; I had married Shalila within three days of proposing to her, both of us liked each each other at first sight. I have written these incidents in my memoir. Shalila’s parents died when she was a kid ; I am unfortunate that I did not get the affection of a Bengali mother-in-law.
Jayeeta : In Dubjaley Jetuku Prashwas novel Manasi Burman’s excess breast milk was kept on a table after she pumped it out. Atanu Chakraborty who had come to visit her suddenly picked it up and drank it. Why did he do it ?
Malay : Atanu’s mother had died recently ; he had sexual relation for several months with two Mizo step sisters Julie and Judy at the Mizo capital where he had gone for official work and was quite depressed. When he found a mother’s milk on the table of Manasi Burman he felt the absence of his mother and instinctively gulped the milk. In later novels Ouras and Prakar Parikha I have explored the strange sexual relations between Atanu Chakraborty and Manasi Burman, they had by then joined the Marxist-Leninist bandwagon.
Jayeeta : How far globalization impacted Bengali literature. Do you think that globalization is withering away ?
Malay : I can’t tell you about the current state of affairs. These days I do not get much time to read. We are both quite old and have to share family activities, going to market, cleaning home, peeling and cutting vegetables, helping my wife in cooking etc — I do not get much time. I have not read any novel after introduction of globalization. Because of Brexit and Donald Trump’s withdrawal from international politicking globalization has weakened ; only China is interested in selling their products ; our markets have already been captured by China. However, colonial Bengali literature was possible because of Europe. Bankimchandra started writing novels in European form. Michael Madhusudan Dutt wrote Amitrakshar in European form. Poets of thirties started writing in European form, so much so that academicians have been pointing out Yeats’ influence on Jibanananda Das, Eliot’s presence in Bishnu Dey’s poems. Before the British arrived, our literary style was completely different. Symbol, metaphor, image etc were Europe’s contribution. I do not have much knowledge about modern songs, but critics talk about Tagore having been influenced by Europe, in fact some tunes are said to be same as certain European songs. Singing changed after arrival of Kabir Suman.
Jayeeta : There is opacity in understanding of Remodern, Postmodern or Alt-modern even among the poets of Zero decade. What are the reasons ? How far Bengali literature on the same level as that of international literature ?
Malay : Even if there is opacity in understanding you would find influences. And it would be incorrect to presume that everybody’s mind is full with smoke. Some are well educated. Some do not have any interest, they want to write as they please. Without any understanding of Remoden, Postmodern, Structuralism, Poststructuralism, Feminism one may write as he pleases. Kabita Singha did not know about Feminist theories but she has written Feminist poems. The type of rhymed poems being written in Bengali commercial magazines are no more being written in Europe, their images are fragmentary and have speed. If one reads the poems in Paris Review or Poetry magazine one would find that they are being written in easy dictions, abandoning complexities, whereas many young poets have resorted to complex Bengali poetry writing. The point is that poets do not like to be branded by labels. Everybody wants that his name should be known, not within any arena of a label. I myself feel disgusted because of Hungryalist label. Most of the readers do not know beyond Stark Electric Jesus.
Jayeeta : Now let us discuss some of your personal issues. You have written about your growing up period in Chhotoloker Chhotobela and Chhotoloker Jubobela. You have written about the Hungryalist period in Hungry Kimbadanti and Rahuketu. However, the later Malay Roychoudhury remains unpublished for sometime. Tell me about this period. Did you not write or they are unpublished ? Tell us about this transitional period.
Malay : I have already written, I have covered the entire period. In the latest issue of Akhor little magazine I have written about the entire period titled Chhotoloker Jibon. It is to be published by Prativas with the title Chhotoloker Sarabela. I have sent you a copy of Chhotoloker Jobon, you may like to go through. Amitava Praharaj has written that readers were purchasing this copy of Akhor as people buy bottles of Rum before Gandhi’s birthday, since intoxicants are not sold on Gandhi’s birthday.
Jayeeta : What is the difference between Malay as a person and Malay as a writer ? How do you see yourself ?
Malay : I do not think there is any difference. However, I have tried to destroy the image of my identity as a person ‘Malay’ ; I am not satisfied just by destroying the language as such. Like any other person I go to the market, bargain during purchases, resorted to flirting during my youth with a fisher-girl, drink single malt in the evening. During the Hungryalist movement I used to smoke marihuana, hashish, opium, took LSD capsules and drank country liquor. The attire I am in during the day is the attire I am in when guests visit, even if they are women. I do not change they way I talk if someone visits, though I had seen some poets and authors talk in a peculiar limpid way in Kolkata. Most of them are Buddhadeva Basu’s students. I talk in Hooghly district lingo mixed with Imlitala diction. As a person and as a writer I belong to Imlitala, which makes it easier to break my image.
Jayeeta : Tell me about your contemporary writers who have not been properly evaluated by Kolkata-centric literary groups.
Malay : No evaluation is made at all and you are talking of proper evaluation. So much cultural-political groupism takes place that works of talented writers and poets are not evaluated, specially fiction writers remain neglected. Tug of war is played with literary prizes. For the same cultural-political reasons CPM people were driven out of Bangla Academy, though they also were well educated and wise men. A new bunch has come who are lavishing their dear writers with awards. The Establishment does not give importance to those who have avoided both sides. For example Kedar Bhaduri, Sajal Bandyopadhyay.
Jayeeta : Has there been any change in your consciousness after reaching life’s twilight ? I am talking about philosophy of life.
Malay : Now I like solitude, I do not want to keep on talking, my wife also does not like too much talking. We do not go to celebrations. Avoid lunch or dinner invitations, for health reasons. Here in Mumbai, if I talk about relatives, my wife’s cousin and her husband lives in Andheri, who is six years older than me. Sometimes I ponder over the problem of gathering people to take me to the crematorium when I die. I wanted to get cremated where my mother was cremated. Or the best thing would be to donate the body. That depends on the condition of the body after my death. My wife is agreeable to this proposition. If she dies first, I also do not have any reservation. Problem is that because of arthritis I am not able to sign, my wife has to do it everytime when I visit a bank.
Jayeeta : Now a days your life and literary works are subject to research and dissertation. Readers in Kolkata want to know more about it.
Malay : It has started from about ten years back. First Ph D was written by Bishnuchandra De and M Phil was written by Swati Banerjee in 2007. Marina Reza had come from USA for a research project on the Hungryalist movement. Daniela Limonella is working on the subject at Gutenburg University. Rupsa Das, Probodh Chandra Dey have written M Phil papers. Nayanima Basu, Nickie Sobeiry, Jo Wheeler from BBC, Farzana Warsi, Juliet Reynolds, Sreemanti Sengupta have written about our literary movement. Maitreyee B Chowdhury has written a book titled The Hungryalists which have been published by Penguin Random House. I know about them because they had contacted me. Some researchers do not contact me and approach Sandip Dutta’a Little Magazine Library for information, such as Rima Bhattacharya, Utpalkumar Mandal,Madhubanti Chanda, Sanchayita Bhattacharya, Mohammad Imtiaz, Nandini Dhar, Titas De Sarkar, S. Mudgal, Ankan Kazi, Kapil Abraham and others. Udayshankar Verma wrote his Ph D dissertation at North Bengal University, he did not contact me, neither did he cover the entire literary movement. He could have gathered more information and documents had he contacted Dr Uttam Das. Deborah Baker did not meet any of us nor did she visit Sandip Dutta’s Library and wrote abracadabra in The Blue Hand based on what Tarapada Roy told her. Rahul Dasgupta and Baidyanath Misra have edited a collection of research papers and interviews titled Literature of The Hungryalists : Icons and Impact ; this book have photographs of all the Hungryalists. Samiran Modak has collecte the issues of Zebra edited by me in 1960s and published it recently ; he is trying to anthologize all Hungryalist periodicals.
Jayeeta : You have worked in various genres of literature. Do you have any other subject in mind to write about ?
Malay : I am thinking of writing a fiction on a Baul couple who in their youth were involved in Naxal movement and the other in anti-Naxal or Kangshal gang. The fall in love after renouncing their earlier role when they become Bauls. But I am unable to construct the characters around them to carry the fiction forward. The idea came after reading Faqirnama by Surojit Sen. Since I do not have personal experience about these mendicants I could not proceed further. Here also the woman is elder and has more experience for having changed partners several times. They call themselves Mom and Dad. Sarosij Basu has requested to write an essay on the present social conditions of the country, nationalism, patriotism, riots, beef eating, suppression of undercastes etc for his periodical Bakalam,. I have started writing under the title of Vasudaiva Jingovadam. Problem is, I am unable to sit at the computer for long.
Jayeeta : You seem to be like Homer’s Spartan heros. You do not care about being attacked, people talking against you, writing against you. Where from do you get the life-force ? Who is your inspiration ?
Malay : Your question seems to be based on your experience of having watched Hollywood-Bollywood films. Is it ? Rambo, Thor, Gladiator etc heros. I was handcuffed and a rope tied around my waist during my arrest for having written Stark Electric Jesus. I was made to walk in that condition with seven criminals. After the Khudharto group testified against me in the Court, nothing bothers me, lot of people of the Establishment write against me, abuses me, specially the disciples of Khudharto group. When I started writing, Kulsum Apa, Namita Chakraborty, our Imlitala helping had Shivnandan Kahar and Dad’s helper at his photo-shop introduced me to poets. The latter two had byhearted Saint poets and would quote from them for scolding us. My wife and son do not have any interest in my writing. My daughter has but she does not have much time, recently she suffered from a cerebral stroke as well. I do not know whether there is really anything called inspiration. I think I am my own inspiration, when I walk the streets inspirations keep on getting accumulated in my brain.
Jayeeta : Tell your devoted readers about your present daily life.
Malay : Do you think I have devoted readers ? I do not think so. I get up first in the morning, wife gets up late, as she does not get good sleep during night, takes homoeopathic medicines during the night. After brushing I do some free hand exercise, taught to me by the physiotherapist. Drink a glass of lukewarm water to keep bowels clean. Prepare breakfast, oats. Then while reclining on the easy chair I go through The Times of India. I do not get Bengali newspaper in our locality. It is an area of Gujarati brokers who purchase one Financial Times which is consulted for the share market news by dozens of persons. I have never invested in shares and do not find any interest in talking to them. If I request the hawker he will deliver four days’ Bengali newspaper in a bunch. Then I go through the little magazines received by post. After physiotherapy I prepare tea, green tea. By that time my wife gets up and serves oats and fruits. I complete my breakfast. Her breakfast is completed around Eleven. Then I go to the market. Fish is delivered by the shop whenever we ring them for a particular type of fish. I do not eat meat anymore though my wife loves it but unless you go to the butcher you will not get good portion ; my daughter in law, whenever she comes from Saudi Arabia on holidays, she brings cooked meat. About eleven I sit at the desktop and start thinking ; browse through Facebook and Emails. Take bath at about one, have lunch with my wife, then have a nap. From six I repeat at the desktop. I write during this time. Now a days I am translating foreign poets. After having dinner, take a sleeping pill and go to bed. This the time to brood and lots of ideas come swarming.
Jayeeta : These days poets are being categorised in to decades ; they are being categorised on the basis of the districts they live in as well as subjects they specialize in. What is your opinion ?
Malay : It is a time induced phenomenon. Time will sieve out those who are not attuned to a particular time. The number of poets have increased in the districts. When such anthologies are published we would be able to have an idea of the effects of local diction and ecology of the space in their poems. I do not know to which district I belong. Ancestors had come from Jessore to Calcutta and settled at Barisha-Behala of Calcutta. One of the descendant settled at Uttarpara in Hooghly district in 1703, I am from his bloodline. Now the Villa he built has been demolished and I have sold off my portion. Then I stayed in a flat at Calcutta’s Naktala. Thereafter came to Mumbai after donating all my books and furnitures etc. The house I once left, I have never gone back to live there again. I have not spent my life in the same room, same house, same locality, same city.
Jayeeta : Literary periodicals have now discovered micro-poems. What is your idea about it. Should an Editor specify the number of words or lines ? The poet finds himself at sea in such cases.
Malay : This also has happened because of increase in number of poets. To accommodate a large number of poets in a particular issue of the periodical such publications have come into vogue. But Ezra Pound had written imagist poems after being influenced by Chinese and Japanese poems. He had written a poem titled “In a Station of the Metro” which is the best short poem ever written. Here it is:
The apparition of these faces in the crowd ;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
Jayeeta : Tell us about your international connection, your introduction to World literature. Have you been fascinated by any foreign poet or writer? With whom your friendship has been quite close ? Are they present day foreign readers aware about your work ?
Malay : During the Hungryalist movement I had known Howard McCord, Dick Bakken, Allen Ginsberg, Laswrence Ferlinghetti, Margaret Randall, Daisy Aldan, Carol Berge, Daiana Di Prima, Carl Weissner, Allan De Loach and others. During my arrest Police had seized all letters which I did not get back with many books, manuscripts and other things. These days people from print and electronic media visit me for interviews. BBC representatives had come for their Radio Channel 3 and 4 programmes. Daniela Limonella had visited a few times, she is writing a dissertation on our movement ; my wife also loves her. I do not know whether you have read Maitreyee B Chowdhury’s book “The Hungryalists” published by Penguin. Baidyanath Misra and Rahul Dasgupta has edited an anthology of dissertations by academicians along with interviews of some of us. Recently painter Shilpa Gupta visited and presented me with sets of colours, brushes etc to enable me to paint.I have started experimenting with colours. In Mumbai students often visit for collecting information. Recently a Turkish periodical has written about me and translated my poem Stark Electric Jesus. Turkish writer Dolunay Aker has interviewed me which will be published in Turkey shortly.
Jayeeta : When did you start writing poems ? Why ? Because your elder brother Samir used to write ?
Malay : In 1958 my Dad had presented me with a beautiful diary in which I started writing. At that time I wrote both in Bengali and English. Samir started writing after me. When Sunil Gangopadhyay visited our Patna residence he evinced interest and Samir gave him some of my poems which Sunil published in his magazine “Krittibas”. Later Sunil became very angry because of the Hungryalist movement. In an interview to “Jugashankha” Sunil had told Basab Ray that “Malay deliberately took the opportunity as I was in America at that time.”
Jayeeta : Without going into the details of Hungryalist movement I would like to ask whether the poetic diction of that time had any influence of Nicanor Parra or Beat Generation poets ?
Malay : To be frank, till then I had not read them. In fact I was not aware about their names. Foreign poets meant romantic British poets. In my poems you will find influences of Magahi and Bhojpuri diction because of my childhood spent at Imlitala slum of Patna. I read Beat literature after Lawrence Ferlighetti and Howard McCord sent me some books. Moreover all Beat prose and poems have not been written in same style. We in the Hungryalist movement did not follow the same diction and style. Some of my friends after joining CPI ( M ) party started writing in a different vein.
Jayeeta : The poems you had written during the first phase were different from your present day style and diction. During the first phase there were elements of disruption. Their syntax and diction structures were astounding. In the subsequent phase your family life, experience have weighed upon your work; poetry has become like deep sea and up-wailing.
Though there is no similarity, even then one may find out that you are the author. Tell us something about it.
Malay : During that phase my poems had testosterone, adrenalin. We used to fund our own broadsides and periodical and felt free to write as we pleased. We were in a world of drugs and Hippie Colony. Now after having read so much and experience of touring almost entire India, the changes have come automatically. In between I did not write for fifteen years and concentrated on reading.
Jayeeta : Do you think Postmodern poetry is being written in Bengali ?
Malay : Yes, definitely. What is known as postmodern features are seen in the poems of almost all contemporary poets. Some young writers compose wonderful and stunning lines and images ; I rather feel jealous. You may read Barin Ghoshal. Alok Biswas, Pronab Pal, Dhiman Bhattacharya. But there are differences between postmodern philosophy and postmodern literature.
Jayeeta : Who are the contemporary poets you love to read, in Bengali as well as in foreign languages ?
Malay : In Bengali, Binoy Majumdar, Manibhushan Bhattacharya, Falguni Roy, Kedar Bhaduri, Jahar Senmajumdar, Yashodhara Raichaudhury, Mitul Dutta, Anupam Mukhopadhyay Helal Hafiz, Rudra Muhammad Shahidulla, Pradip Chowdhuri’s “Charmarog” — I am not able to remember all the names immediately. In foreign poets I would name Paul Celan, Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelu, John Ashbery, Amiri Baraka, Yeves Bonneyfoy, Jaques Dupan. I am not naming more ; you may start searching for influences. Recently I have started translating most of the European Surrealist poets, Arab, Turkish and Russian poets and I am sure there may be influences creeping in to my own poems. Though I do not write much.
Jayeeta : Lot of research is going on about Hungryalist movement and your work in English. Do you feel proud about it ? Do you think you have achieved what you had started for ?
Malay : Nothing happens to me. Those who used to denigrate and attack me, I suppose they feel distressed. A few days ago Kamal Chakraborty had expressed his anguish. Actually I was offended when Kamal agreed to publish a poetry collection of mine. However the book was a disaster in publishing with newsprint papers and ordinary cover compared to his own book. But I no longer keep my books and do not bother about them. Publisher Adhir Biswas agreed to publish all my books but backed out because of unknown reasons; he also told other publishers not to publish my books. Calcutta Literature scene has become quite dirty.
Jayeeta : Syllables or rhymes, what should be followed ?
Malay : I do not count syllables. I write based on breath spans.
Jayeeta : You tell us to keep updated with foreign poetry but in poetry is it not necessary to maintain Bengali sentiment and own Bengali diction ? If one follows foreign poetry, can it be called copying or following ? Jibanananda Das and many other poets had to face such complaints?
Malay : If one reads poems in other languages one may have an idea as to in which way world poetry is moving. There is no need to copy.
Jayeeta : In fictions, writers during Hungryalist movement had not used local Bengali diction or dialogoues of the marginal society. What could be the reason ?
Malay : At that time most of the writers were Calcutta-centred. When muffasil writers started writing marginal people and their voice entered literature. In 1965 Subimal Basak Had written “Chhatamatha” in Dhaka’s kutty peoples language. Rabindra Guha and Arunesh Ghosh had also brought the lingo of the local and marginal.
Jayeeta : In literature sexuality has entered as Art but entirely in explicit and uncompromising way. Readers are stunned. You people had brought
Activities of the bed and sex in creativity. I would talk about you. Sexuality has been highlighted in various ways, in poetry, sometimes through characters in fiction or in memoirs, specially in your life-based fiction “Arup Tomar Entokanta”. Please talk about it.
Malay : Sexuality existed in Sanskrit and Bengali literature from antiquity. During British rule, after the Evangelical Christians poked their nose in the syllabus of schools and colleges a new middle class appeared and they started hesitating with sexuality in literature. Thereafter the Brahmo Samaj people arrived, specially Rabindranath Tagore. When literature got out of the clutches of middle class, sexuality in literature got its rightful place.
Jayeeta : You had proposed to your would be wife Shalila the day after you two were introduced and she agreed instantly ; since Shalila’s guardians were hesitating to agree immediately, you had purchased rail tickets to Patna to elope. But when the guardians agreed you got married within a few days and returned to Patna with your wife. Did you think her behaviour to be strange for agreeing immediately. Did your parents react annoyingly to your decision ?
Malay : No. Shalila was a field hockey player, had reacted like a sports-girl. Moreover she did not have her parents. She wanted to get out of the oppressing establishment of maternal uncles. The uncles hesitated as Shalila’s income from her job was useful for them. If we had eloped then there would have been problems with her job which she did not want to quit. For getting a transfer to Patna she required legal documents. You are a teacher, you know how important it is for women to be financially independent. My parents were very happy when I reached Patna with Shalila. They thought I might become a lout if I do not get married. But no rituals were performed at Patna.
Jayeeta : After marriage you left your Patna job and joined Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation at Lucknow, from there you went to Mumbai to join NABARD ; thereafter you came back to NABARD, Calcutta. Returning after so many years did you feel that the Hungryalist days are no more there at Calcutta ?
Malay : Only after going to Lucknow I came to know Indian village life. Prior to that I had no idea about cultivation, jute and cotton mills, carpentry, handicraft, tribal life etc. I did not know there were so many types of cattles, pigs, goats, camels and their breeding methods. I toured almost entire country. When I came to Calcutta, I took along Shalila with me so that she enters the houses of villagers to find out their way of life. I have utilised those information in my fictions as well as essays. What you said is correct. When I returned West Bengal the society had changed completely. Some critics have written that I was in a government job. That is not correct. The Finance Commission increases pays and pensions of government workers but my pension remains that same as I am not a government worker.
Jayeeta : Do you watch Bengali serials ? Films ?
Malay : Shalila watches some serials, but she does not stick to any one story. If she feels a girl is not being treated properly she shifts to another serial midway. During dinner time I also watch with her. Here in Mumbai there is no scope to talk and listen to people talking in Bengali. The Bengali serial is helpful in keeping in touch with the way people talk in present day Bengali. I watch short films also on my desktop but the problem is my sound system does not work properly ; the desktop is very old, it belonged to my son when he was in college. Moreover I am not able to sit continuously in front of the computer for a long time. I have not been to any cinema hall for about thirty years.
