Monkey Men

The tribal lives are to be die out. What appears, after someday, this tribe will remain as a word in future. One day, this vast and the ancient tribal inhabitant will efface. Most of us have not seen this inhabitant this is about to efface, they are only heard like a story by the people of city dwellers. They are assessed by very few people those who have come upon them in person. It is very rare people don't know the reason why they prefer to reside in dense forest amidst the rill, hills. Some outsiders, they prefer to stay with them in spite of unfavourable condition for different intentions. Particularly, the stay there temporarily for preparing the film, documentary and research etc. Many things have been prepared on them. I, myself involved with the tribals of Koraput, Kalahandi, Kandhamal district of Odisha since two decades. A kind of intimacy has spontaneously been developed among them during my stay with them along with the social activists and organisers in their tribes. I have extended my co-operation and dedicated times for the awareness of the tribes against the multinational companies and made them conscious to fight for their land water forest and hills. I have travelled from forest to forest, village to village on feet to carry out the work success. People those who have lost their lives in that fighting, some pillars were constructed in their memory. When the tribals could not able to continue the spirit or fighting, at last they surrender their lands to the company and displaced with compensation from the land of their ancestors and move to other states for their livelihood. Due to owners outrage, many of them are migrating to neighbour states as daily wagers. There, they are exploited and forced to do excess labour and died of malnutrition, diseased and without food. On the otherhand, some religious fundamentalists have kept themselves busy in converting them into their religion. The regular and continuous conflict in between the tribal and non-tribals have compelled them to leave the place for ever, as a result of which these people are bound to live in town and city as daily wagers by leaving their permanent residence. It is seen, some organisers take initiative for the Boarding, lodging, education of tribal children with the funding of foreigners. In later period, the same tribal children being educated in modern city style forget all about their own culture and tradition. There is no end of suffering and exploitation of the tribal people because the landlords and zamindars were exploiting them in pre independent era and now the politicians and the wine dealers are doing the same job as before. It is only time has been changed, but there is no compromising in suffering and exploitation. These tribe lover tribals have been suffering and affected due to mismanagement of administration and they search for a rejected place to build their huts to earn their livelihood in town and city. The same sorts of fear, instability and no alternative are seen among tribals like the people of city. The long-preserved forest, hill and lands of the tribals have lost their identity and existence. There is continuous process of digging of mines and deforestation is going on uninterrupted. The social activists have made the tribals pur in the chess board of income.

Many innocent tribals are sacrificed in the fighting of police and Maoists. For all these reasons, the tribals are floating in the favour of displacement. The practical and real experiences that I have gained during my stay with them to realise their struggle against modern civilisation and exploitation which have inspired me to preserve these burning situations in my writings, particularly, their culture, tradition and live style and struggle and displacement are the main sources and elements for the theme of my writings will remain as the records for these tribal people. - Prof. Bhima Prusty

Bhima Prusty is a widely acclaimed name having its own significance as versatile genius among the story writers of Odisha. All his stories stand on the superstructure of reality. When the incidents of facts mixed with fiction, then the stories get lives with the pen of Bhima Prusty, the wanderer of the great wonder. Unlike common story writers sitting within the four walls to imagine topics for stories, his feet of quest move from place to place to sense the sensibilities of the practicality. The essence of experiences has taken the shape of 'Ho Manisha Mane', 'Adhe Manisha', 'Lachhamania', 'Mananiya Shrijukta', 'Muhana', 'Priya Nari', 'Samudra Manisa', 'Jambuloka', 'Dina Chinha Barna' and many more to what the space doesn't permit for placing them in this short space. He has received Odisha Sahitya Academy award in 2008 for his novel 'Samudra Manisha' and Sarala award in 2023 for his novel 'Jambuloka'. This short story collection 'Monkey Men' contains ten short stories on tribal lives translated by Jachindra Kumar Rout would certainly bring for him special recognition all over the world.

Jachindra Kumar Rout has made a name for himself as an author, publishing twenty-three books: the collections of poetry, essays, criticisms, translated works, biographies both in Odia and English and contributing articles to the hundreds of international and national magazines and journals. Himself, being the short story writer of the storybook PALATAKA he has deeply gone through the Odia writings of Mr. Prusty and given proper justice to the originality of his thoughts and presentation style.