Vishwas Patil is one of the
greatest novelists of India writing in Marathi, and his novels are well-researched
and rich in their depth and breadth – in scope, characters and understanding. Dudiya is not so lengthy as Patil's other epic works like Panipat, Mahanayak and
later works, but in a mere two hundred and few pages, in this political novel the
author takes us to the depths of Dandakaranya and Abujmarh forests, among the
tribals of Naxal-afflicted region, particularly of Chhattisgarh state, and well
into the center of Naxalite–Maoist insurgency, and the armed struggle, tension,
fear and death lurking in those lands.
The narrator
Dilip Pawar is a civil servant officer and recounts his days after being
sent as an Election Observer to one of the Naxal-afflicted districts of
Chhattisgarh (Previously part of Madhya Pradesh) State. From the outset, despite
being deployed to a region known for its notoriety, his interest to inquire and
understand about the Naxals keeps him motivated even after hearing and reading
about the recent frightening killings. His seventy-six days stay in the region brings him face to face with the facts, the historical development of the Naxal crisis,
the ongoing struggle, the atrocities committed by the state and Naxal forces
upon the civilians, the people directly involved in handling the crisis and
those who are victims of it in one or another way. The narrator has become a
window for the author and readers to try to understand the Naxal problem, serving
as a perfect vantage point, and so is the narrative development in the novel –
we are surrounded by questions, we hear the witnesses and find ourselves as if in
the middle of a burning land, just like the subtitle of the novel suggests.
There couldn't
have been any other perfect character than Dudiya, a tribal girl, who would
recount her journey and struggle, to the narrator and therefore to us, from an
ordinary tribal village birth to being a Naxal insurgent and again back to being
a civilian after the surrender. Her dissatisfaction, defiance, disgust and
feeling of being in the wrong marks her sharp turns in life and the emotional
hollow she felt throughout.
Once inside the Naxal world, there was no
getting out of it. As a tribal girl, I would send this one fervent question
above, 'God, is there any release for us hill people from the twin assault of
the Naxals on the one side and the police on the other?'
We get an up-close
glimpse into the life of Naxal-Maoist leaders and senior officials of the state,
and their rituals too. It is nothing less than being on a battlefield. The
author has positioned the narrator in the fine line as an observer between the
state forces and the Naxal insurgents. He is looking at the crisis, at its
roots and not merely at the individuals fighting from each end. Impartial to
the view of the crisis, this story has given a humane as well as critical
perspective on the problem. This is also an attempt to unmask all brave men,
all ruthless men, and all terror-stricken men and to show the ordinary face of
the people behind all those perceptions of the news coverage and terror of
killing.
This novel had
to be written – and it has been written. You cannot witness a state terror, an
insurgency, and not know its reasons, and not write about it. Though it hasn't
many plot twists, the references to the real-life events that happened and the
facts that still hold true give the novel a complex and complete political shine
– which is alarming, thought-provoking and dreadful. We feel a heat emanating
out of the novel, a heat not of warmth but of disorder, panic, death, fear,
struggle, harming those with arms and those without – the tribals. It transports
the readers to the dense forests and makes them witness the tension, fear of
death and violence hanging in the region – all behind the lush and beautiful hills
and forests – and all seen through sad and panic-stricken eyes.
Ruthless killing
and butchering of people, disintegration of the families, personal loss, migration
of the tribal youths, the suppressed and compromised development of the region,
real events of Naxal-State forces confrontation killing political leaders, IAS
and IPS officers, Naxalites and armies – events dotted with bloodbath and scars
lefts behind – this is the story, not of peace but of violence and disruption. Still,
the character Dudiya makes us hopeful, that people will indeed return, will
understand, and thus settle for peace, to come to an understanding. Dudiya is a
symbol of peace and resilience.
The story weaves
not only the timeline of Naxal-insurgency development but everyone who is at
the frontline of the State Vs Naxal warfare. We start with the exploitation and
abuse of the tribals and local resources by the government authorities, the
birth of hate and anger amongst the tribals which was never appeased or addressed
as a major disconcertion. Then we witness the poverty and provocation that made
the tribals of the region vulnerable to the promises made by the Maoists/Naxals
and who then saw them as saviors protecting their rights, defending them
against the state laws and terrors. But, before anybody could understand the maelstrom
brewing behind, it grew out of hand and tribals/Adivasi people found themselves
amidst the center of two arms-wielding powers – Naxals and the government
forces.
Against
the background of political upheavals and transformations, Naxalism seems to
have become a need for everybody in a number of states in the country. The
Naxals needs jungles for performing their tasks; while state administrations
need thousands of millions of rupees annually as Central grants under the head
of combating Naxalism to pull themselves out of financial crises. If Naxals
were suddenly to disappear, at whose door would these state government go with
their empty begging bowls? This is the vicious circle that has formed
everywhere.
Election
happening in the backdrop of fear of gunfire, death traps of landmines and
pressure bombs, violent confrontations in the depths of the forests and
far-flung hills has also set a stage for a political drama, which the author has
handled very well – without exaggeration and without losing the authenticity. But
as said earlier, this is a humanist side of the story that is often lost in pure historical and political narratives, and the novel has fulfilled that gap.
Dudiya, in
Nadeem Khan's excellent rendering, serves as an authentic contemporary account
of the Naxal-Maoist Crisis in India not only for Indian readers but also for
foreign readers who haven't yet heard about and have no clue about the existence
of the State-Naxal struggle. I think the research put in this novel gives us a rare
opportunity to listen, think and understand the inside and intrigues of both camps. And, just like the narrator who is unsettled after all his experience
and asks questions, and doubts the intentions, we too are left with such questions.
Dudiya is like looking at a bullet wound which provokes a movement in your
thought – that lives can be saved.
Original Text: Marathi
Translator: Nadeem Khan
Publisher: Niyogi Books http://niyogibooksindia.com/
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