Interview| A Life in Letters: Dhrubajyoti Borah on Writing, Insurgency, and Assamese Experience
Dr. Dhrubajyoti Borah, a prolific writer in Assamese and a Sahitya Akademi Award winner (2009) for his novel Katha Ratnakar, boasts a rich literary career spanning over three decades. He has published numerous critically acclaimed works, encompassing novels, historical monographs, travelogues, and essay collections. In this interview with Subhajit Bhadra, Borah sheds light on his inspirations, creative process, and the themes that resonate throughout his work.
You've had a remarkable career shift, from a successful medical practice to becoming one of the greatest contemporary Assamese writers. What led you down this unexpected path?
Medicine is my profession, but writing has always been my passion. Balancing both hasn't been easy. Medicine, like a demanding spouse, requires a lot of time and dedication. There's no room for neglect, as you're dealing with people's lives. It's a privilege to heal, comfort, and restore someone's well-being, and that responsibility demands focus and commitment. I may not know the full measure of my success as a doctor, but I've strived to serve my patients with humility and my best effort.
Writing, on the other hand, is like a jealous lover, also fiercely demanding of your time and attention. The creative process requires significant effort, and in our country, especially writing in Assamese, it's difficult to make a full-time living as a writer. Most of us, myself included, are part-time writers, juggling our creative pursuits with other professions. This means finding pockets of time to write, even if it's stealing moments from your sleep. Write, sleep, write again – building that discipline allows you to create whenever inspiration strikes.
It hasn't always been easy, and there have been sacrifices along the way. But the passion for writing has fueled this lonely journey.
Why is insurgency a recurring theme in your work?
My generation in Assam grew up alongside the rise of serious insurgencies in the region. We witnessed the horrors of violence, killings, and the heavy-handed response from the state. Through these experiences, I've come to understand the key differences between armed movements like the Naxalites and those driven by ethnic or separatist goals. The Naxalites challenge the state's policies but not its legitimacy, whereas separatist movements seek independence and fracture the nation. While the latter cannot be condoned, I've also seen that brutal state crackdowns don't solve these issues. Engagement, negotiation, and efforts to win over insurgents are crucial.
These experiences, the human suffering, the political and philosophical questions they raise – these are the realities I've lived through. As a writer with a social conscience, I can't just write about love stories or the problems of the urban middle class. I have a responsibility to grapple with the significant issues of our times, including the ongoing tragedy of the insurgency in Assam.
You were awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for your magnum opus, Katha Ratnakar. How did you conceive the idea for the novel, and how did you structure its thematic and narrative layers?
Answer: "Katha Ratnakar" (The Story of Ratnakar) holds a special place among my works. It delves into serious social issues and was instrumental in winning me the Sahitya Akademi Award. The inspiration arose from conversations with friends who described a region in central Assam. This area, comprising several large villages, housed people trapped in dire poverty and ostracized by society as untouchables. Generation after generation, notorious thieves and bandits emerged from this region. Curiously, the common people, while not actively supporting these outlaws, took a strange pride in them and reveled in the myths and legends surrounding their exploits.
This paradox sparked a question within me: Why did these outlaws appear repeatedly from this specific location? Was it solely driven by extreme poverty, or were there deeper social reasons at play? Could the oppression, untouchability, and humiliation they faced act as a breeding ground for such rebellion? This literary inquiry into the lives of these marginalized people became the driving force behind Katha Ratnakar. The novel depicts their existence, the harsh conditions they endured, and the desperate paths they took in their pursuit of equality and redemption.
Your novel, "Azar", seems to blur the lines between fiction and history, as it details a fictional story set against the real-life kalaazar epidemic. How do you reconcile this approach?
Answer: While "Azar" is a work of fiction, it draws heavily from the historical reality of the devastating kalaazar epidemic that swept through Assam during the interwar period. The novel incorporates elements of real history, including historical figures. However, my primary purpose wasn't to simply present a historical account.
Azar uses the experiences of an ordinary family in Golaghat to illustrate a broader point. It argues that epidemics and pandemics don't erupt in isolation. They are often preceded by a breakdown of social order, a decline in moral values, environmental degradation, and systemic failures. These factors create a breeding ground for disease. Through the struggles of this family, the novel depicts the human cost of the kalaazar outbreak. It reveals how the epidemic unfolded, how it ravaged ordinary lives, and how the colonial government's apathy and greed – exemplified by their reckless deforestation for tea plantations – likely contributed to the disaster.
There's no inherent contradiction here. Azar is a fictional narrative firmly rooted in historical truth.
Your exploration of the Moamoria rebellion has enriched Assamese literature with several impactful works. Can you tell us more about your journey with this historical event and your upcoming book?
Answer: The Moamoria peasant uprising remains a defining moment in Assam's history. It captivated me since my school days. However, traveling extensively through the affected areas revealed a disheartening truth – the living memory of this great revolt has faded among the current inhabitants.
Driven by this, I embarked on a multi-edition project. The upcoming fourth edition, titled "Peasant-Rebel-Soldier-King: The Story of the Moamoria Peasant Revolt of Medieval Assam," will be a comprehensive English translation. This edition significantly expands on previous versions, incorporating a wealth of new source material.
The Assamese version, titled "Krishok-Vidrohi-Sainik-Rajan," is already available. It delves into the remarkable transformation of ordinary Assamese "Kanri" archers (paik) into rebels. Through countless battles against royal and even British colonial forces, they achieved remarkable victories and ultimately established not one, but four dynasties.
This period in Assam's history is truly significant and inspiring. It's a complex tapestry woven with religion, ethnicity, and identity. To understand who we are as Assamese, a deep exploration of this era is crucial.
You've written novels in both English and Assamese, including "The Sleepwalkers Ballad" in English and "The Pilgrimage of Donkeys" with an English title. Can you tell us about your experience as a bilingual writer and the creative choices behind these titles?
I wrote "The Sleepwalkers Ballad" to explore writing in English and see if it would resonate with publishers. Thankfully, it did well, and I even wrote the final book of my "Kalantor Trilogy" in English, which will be translated back into Assamese soon. It was a rewarding experience!
More recently, I've experimented with English titles for two novels: "Inner Landscapes" and "The Pilgrimage of Donkeys." "Inner Landscapes" weaves together two parallel stories: an Assamese refugee family fleeing violence and four individuals discussing the historical Burmese invasion. It creates a layered and engaging read for the audience.
"The Pilgrimage of Donkeys" has a more literal and humorous twist. A shipping company mistakenly sends forty donkeys to a British manager in Dibrugarh, who then endures the chaos of managing them. The "pilgrimage" refers to the journey the donkeys take by foot back to Goalpara with their keepers, braving rivers and perils along the way. The novel also explores the story of the British manager, Andrews, who came from a Chartist movement background, a topic rarely explored in Assamese literature. The novel's humor and satire have been well-received by critics.
By using English titles, I aim to reach a wider audience while still exploring themes relevant to Assamese history and culture.