Manoranjan Byapari

Manoranjan Byapari was born in Barishal, former East Pakistan. His family migrated to India when he was three, and lived in refugee camps. Byapari left home as a child to do odd jobs. In his early twenties, he came into contact with Naxal revolutionaries and, later, with labour activist Shankar Guha Niyogi. Byapari was sent to jail during this time, where he taught himself to read and write. As a rickshaw-puller in Kolkata, Byapari had a chance meeting with the renowned writer Mahasweta Devi, who urged him to write for her journal. He has published twelve novels, a memoir, and over seventy short stories in Bengali, several of which have been translated into English.