BHUBANESWAR: Satire has been used by writers and poets to express dissent and challenge the status quo whether political or social, for thousands of years.
A new Odia book ‘Nirbachana’ was launched at Walking BookFairs here Sunday.
The book challenges the present social and political system through poetry. It is penned by contemporary Odia poet Akshaya Bahibala and published by Bhubaneswar based independent bookstore and publisher Walking BookFairs.
Akshaya Bahibala has written three Odia books, two on poetry – ‘Aintha Plate, Rasta O Champa’ and ‘Restaurant’ and one short story collection – ‘Langala Deha Dami Poshak’ which have been well received by readers throughout the state.
“This is probably the first time in the history of Odia publishing that a man who hails from a poor farmer’s family, who worked as a waiter, picking dirty plates in a restaurant, and who now works as a bookseller is writing and publishing his own stories,” said Akshaya Bahibala.
This has not gone down well with many people in the Odia literary circle which is casteist, feudalistic and colonial in its core. They have never shown any support for new writers who challenge the existing systems or want to bring about new forms of writing and literature.
Many people have tried to stifle my voice because they are afraid of what I have to say. It makes them uncomfortable. I firmly believe that the purpose of art, literature and poetry is to shake people up.
“Nirbachana” questions the government, people, society and politicians. The poems in the book are anti-establishment. He said, “We live in a dystopian society which is based on unequal pay and exploitation of labour. Citizens have been deliberately kept poor, with no access to any resources.”
“We are creating robots through our education system that just follow orders and get rewards. Only certain people at the top who have access to everything rule for years.
This is not the purpose of democracy,” he added.
A book reading was also organised to mark the occassion at Walking BookFairs bookstore. About 15-20 people from various social and economic backgrounds attended the Odia poetry readings from the book. The book is now available for sale at Walking BookFairs bookstore.