Cast Out:
Poems of anger and angst
by Basudev Sunani
translated by J P Das
Rupantara, 2009
Modern Oriya verse is said to have begun in the 15th century, when the poet Sarala reproduced Sanskrit epics like The Ramayana and The Mahabharata in Oriya. This was the first translation to take place into Oriya literature. Since then, powerful renderings of this and other works have been published by Oriya poets writing in English, including Jayanta Mahapatra and Niranjan Mohanty. Senior Oriya poets such as Ramakanta Rath and Sitakant Mohapatra have also translated their own works into English. Today, a wide range of Oriya poetry in English can also be found on the Internet, largely thanks to poet Rajendra Kishore Panda, the architect of the Varnamala web anthology*. Now, J P Das has come out with his translation of a selection of a younger Oriya poet Basudev Sunani's works.
Das's motives in translating Cast Out are clear from the very beginning. The introductory Translator's Note states: "'Is there Dalit poetry in Oriya?' is a question I have often been asked, but never had an answer to. Till I came across Basudev Sunani's poems. In Basudev I discovered a poet who represents all that is powerful, significant and poetic in the genre known as Dalit poetry." What is significant about this collection is that an established poet has chosen to engage with an upcoming one – a Dalit poet from Orissa, at that – in an attempt to introduce him to the wider world.
Born in 1962, Sunani started writing poetry early. And though his ideas represented a mixed bag, a Dalit voice was noticeable throughout his work. Coming from the traditionally underdeveloped hilly tract of western Orissa, sympathy for the oppressed class ran through his poetry. One need only look at the marginalised characters in his poems: they could be goatherds, farmers or petty politicians, but none was above the poverty line. Gradually, Sunani began to take an increasingly clear stance that became particularly pronounced with the publication of his third collection, Asprushya, or 'Untouchable'. From this point on, Sunani began to be identified specifically as a Dalit poet. It seemed that he had found his true voice at last. Encouraged by public appreciation, Sunani went on to produce two more collections of this kind, Karadi Haata (Bamboo Shoots Market) and Chhi (Sneer).