The Hindu : National : An insight into Oriya women's world

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Monday, Dec 13, 2004

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National

An insight into Oriya women's world

NEW DELHI, DEC 12 . Rebati may have invited misfortune for longing to educate herself in the late 17th century in Orissa, but her plight forced the people to send their daughters to school.

The fictional figure Rebati, narrated by father of modern Oriya literature Fakir Mohan Senapati in a short story, had to lose her father, mother, land and even a cow, as she aspired to go to a school.

``Rebati, the female protagonist, displays a forbidden desire for learning and thereby seems to invite misfortune upon herself and her community,'' writes Prof Sachidanand Mohanty in a book called ``Early Women's Writings in Orissa, 1898-1950''.

The story might be a satire on girls' education the state in late 17th century, but it ignited the minds of the men in the state for providing education to their daughters.

Terming the early women writers as ``Rebati's Sisters'', Prof Mohanty, who teaches English at Hyderabad University, says, ``Fakir Mohan Senapati's short story `Rebati' published in 1898 began a new tradition and heralded a new breed of women who learned to write and created a literature of their own in Orissa.''

When Oriya was not recognised as a language and Orissa (the region was a part of Bengal Presidency) did not have its own identity till 1936, some women writers had expressed their moments of joy, sorrow, doubts and dilemmas in their poetry, prose, fiction and drama.

The book includes writings of Abanti Rao, Sailabala Das, Rama Devi, Kuntala Kumari Sabat, Sarala Devi, Malati Devi, the wife of former Chief Minister Nabkrushna Choudhary, Nirmala Devi, Hemalata Mansingh, the wife of great poet Mayadhar Mansigh and mother of diplomat Lalit Mansingh, Bidyut Prabha Devi, former Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy and Basanta Kumari Pattnaik.

Professor Sachidanand Mohanty has done a commendable job by compiling the writings of 20 early women writers of Orissa in the book. The English translation of 29 best writings of illustrious writers finds place in the book.

Prof Mohanty, a Fulbright scholar and illustrious son of poet Bidyut Prabha, had done extensive study for eight years for bringing out the book in English for the readers, who are alien to the language.

During the release of the book by Sahitya Akademi Secretary K Sachidanandan, publishers organised a seminar to discuss the writers.

Many panelists objected the address of women writers as `literary domestics' by the author saying, that the terms were derogatory.

To counter the criticism, the author in his introduction says, ``By literary domestics, I mean those women who found themselves in a domestic setting and yet had literary aspirations.''

At the function, Mr Lalit Mansingh said his mother despite being little educated, could express her joy and anguish in literary form sitting in a corner of the room.

``She left behind a treasure in a black trunk in 2004,'' he said.

Prof Mohanty gave an insight of his mother who is a well-known writer in the state.

Most of the women writers had participated in the freedom struggle and raised their voice against the atrocities in their times through their writings. -- UNI

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