"BHEDA" BOOK REVIEW 

I recently read "Bheda", the first Odia Dalit novel, by Akhila Naik. It was my third Dalit novel. Bheda, being a semi fictional novella, is quite unlike the novels I've read hitherto. To begin with, it's a story of Dalits narrated by a Dalit himself which I really loved because it offers you an authentic narrative unlike the novels written by UC authors who always portray Dalits as meek, vulnerable & incapable of standing up for themselves.  

Bheda, on the other hand, challenges this trite narrative by featuring a valiant protagonist Lalatendu, better known as Laltu, who's fierce and embodies the spirit of Sir BR Ambedkar. Laltu is a young activist who's devoted his entire life for the upliftment of his community and doesn't shy away from speaking his mind. 

What I found unique about the novel is its non linear writing style. The novel is divided into seven chapters, each centred around a different character:

1. Dinamastre - The book opens with Dinamastre, Laltu's father and a school headmaster, who reflects Gandhian philosophy.  Dinamastre, unlike his rebellious son, is very placid and doesn't wanna mess up with the upper castes, preferring to maintain the status quo.

2. Banabihari Tripathy - An arrogant UC lawyer imbued with so much of caste pride that he relinquishes the profession altogether after losing a case. I couldn't help but loathe him. Tripathy's character explicitly exemplifies OCs deep seated sense of entitlement as if they own the world. 

3. Semi Seth - Semi Seth is your typical Bania feasting on poor Dalits' hardwork. The guy is so dumb and fraught with hatred that he believes a Dalit killed Gandhi. 

4. Muna - Muna represents all those poor and sedulous Dalits struggling to make ends meet and being exploited at the hands of the government and OCs. His character underlines the everyday struggles faced by Dalits, struggling for dignity and survival.

5. Santosh Panda - A journalist who, at the end of the day, is still chained by his caste pride & knows exceedingly well how to twist narratives. Sounds too familiar? Well, he reflects the Indian media hijacked by savarnas who, time and again, smother the marginalised voices. 

6. Mastrani - She's Laltu's mother and my favourite character after Laltu. I simply love her. The epiphany and enlightenment she goes through is one of the best character developments I've read. Mastrani's character sheds light on the plights of Dalit women. Their desires, aspirations, and sacrifices are addressed through Mastrani. 

The fact that all the characters are personally known to the author makes it all more refreshing and daunting at the same time. These seven chapters steadily unravel the layers of prevalent caste and gender dynamics in the society in an engrossing manner with rounded characters. The author, with these rounded characters, has made sure to make you use your grey matter and analyse, introspect in lieu of spoon feeding you. 

This short novel with its stellar writing style and easy language manages to evoke gamut of emotions. It cracks you up, forces you to introspect, enrages you, makes you question the system &  lives forever with you. I highly recommend it!