In this episode, I am in a short conversation with author, translator and medical officer Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, where we reflect on some key themes that influenced and informed his works. 

His debut novel, The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey, won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar award in 2015. His second book, The Adivasis Will Not Dance: Stories, is a path-breaking text in subaltern and post-colonial literature. He recently translated ‘Kaale Adhyaay’ by Manoj Rupda from Hindi to English, titled I named my sister Silence. 

He also authored several interesting essays in leading newspapers and magazines. My favourites: Leaving the egg for the end, Discrimination-eva Jayate and A Blooming Garden. 

Also, read A Poem for the Ol-Chiki - by Sokhen Tudu - translated from Santhali to English by Sowvendra, illustrating how the Santhali language became a ground for conflict between three different scripts: Roman, Deanagari, and Ol-Chiki.