Hyderabad:

Intellectuals and literary enthusiasts of Hyderabad gathered at Goethe Zentrum on May 5 for the launch of the new edition of The Tale Of My Exile- Twelve Years in the Andamans by noted revolutionary Barindra Kumar Ghose (1880-1959). The edition was published by Dr Sachindananda Mohanty which also includes a preface, an introduction, editorial notes and a bibliography. Dr Mohanty is a professor and former head of the Department of English at the University of Hyderabad. He is also the recipient of many international recognitions including the British Council, the Fullbright, the Salzburg and the Katha Awards, and has published many books. Dr Mohanty reveals more about the extinct prison narrative, its contemporary relevance and the forgotten revolutionary Barindra Ghose.

About THE BOOK

The Tale of My Exile was first published in 1922 by the Arya Office, Pondicherry in Bengali as Dwipantarer Katha. Barindra Ghose also known as Barin Ghose and most often remembered as Sri Aurobindo Ghose’s younger brother wrote the book about his experiences in the Andaman Cellular jail where he was sentenced on May 6, 1909, after being convicted in the Alipore Bomb Case. Says the professor, “The Tale of My Exile is an important historical document which illuminates our understanding of a forgotten chapter of the freedom struggle and brings to light the untold suffering of the freedom fighters who were imprisoned in the dreaded Cellular Jail in Andamans. The book, which has been unavailable in the public domain for more than half a century, is a valuable cultural document which addresses issues which have become central to contemporary times.”

CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE

On being asked why should one read a prison narrative that dates back to the twenties of the last century and is now thought extinct, Dr Mohanty says, “Tales of penal colonies are not just of antiquarian value. In a fundamental sense, they underline the crisis of our contemporary age. Their claim to attention is vindicated when we visit issues such as terror, militancy, governance and citizenship that punctuate our political landscape today. It is important to weave in the personal with the political, the personal narrative of Barin Ghose with the larger narrative of the nation in our effort to understand the true meaning of this long forgotten tale.”

HIS JOURNEY

Dr Mohanty has worked almost four years on reviving this book, spending his own personal time and money. During the course of his extensive study he visited the libraries in Port Blair and Pondicherry to gain enough information on the life and works of Barin Ghose and his family. A firm believer in multi-disciplinary studies, the professor has tried to converge colonial history, island settlements, literature and a deep study of sociology of tyranny and says that he believes in gaining insight from the British and American text and applying it to the Indian context.

On being asked about his source of inspiration he says, “I have always been interested in obscure history and forgotten figures of the past and felt that Barin Ghose definitely needs to be introduced to the present generation. Historical texts today have given so much importance to the non-violent freedom struggle that ignoring the armed revolutionary struggle has impoverished us from the true story of our freedom struggle.”

MESSAGE

The Tale of My Exile uncovers regimes of cruelty which are not dated and continue in the 21st Century as well. Dr Mohanty urges the readers to, “Try and understand the incarceration narrative of Barin by locating the tale in our contemporary times.” The book not only unveils the machinations of colonial mind and regimes of absolute tyranny but also is a precious archival document which focuses on issues central to our own times such as the sociology of cruelty and the problem of dealing with cultural memory. The capacity of Barin to create humour under circumstances of misery and cruelty is something worth learning and if read with insight, the text is a guide book of survival and is sure to bring a cathartic affect to its readers

The nobel attempt on part of Dr Sachidananda Mohanty to introduce the current generation to a long lost hero of the freedom struggle and to bring Barin Ghose out of the shadows of history and his own brother Sri Aurobindo Ghose is worth an applaud. Th professor hopes that the book, now reprinted with an introduction will interest a new generation of readers.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / South> Southern News / The New Indian Express / by Hera Shakil / Hyderabad,  May 07th, 2012