Orissa has rarely enjoyed the attention accorded to the most high-profile Indian states. Much of its history and contributions remain largely unknown. But for decades, JP Das has honoured the traditions?both literary and otherwise?of his native place through his role as a major player in Orissa?s literary circles, winning the prestigious Saraswati Samman in 2006 for a collection of poems in Oriya, titled Parikrama. With A Time Elsewhere, the English language translation of his 1992 historical novel Desh Kaal Patra, Das brings out the story of his homeland.
The book retraces the history of Orissa from 1859 to 1907. This fictional account paints a detailed portrait of the time using real events and figures. The book begins with the death of the raja of Puri and the story of his successors and the temple they manage is sprinkled throughout. Along with this tale, a major portion of the first half of the book focuses on the famine of 1866, which wiped out one-third of Orissa?s population, largely due to the British administrators? willful blindness to the severity of the rice shortage and their dogged insistence on following certain economic and administrative principles. To his credit, Das avoids the easy trap of universal vilification of the colonisers, instead providing a depiction of them?the wise and the foolish, the cruel and the caring.
The second half of the novel focuses on Orissa?s literary heritage and the institutionalisation of the Oriya language. Major literary players such as Fakir Mohan Senapati and Radhanath Ray are brought to life through deeply human accounts of their childhoods, trials and rise to fame. The story of how Orissa solidified its identity is illustrated through the founding of an Oriya-language printing press and media and the writing of Pyari Mohan Acharya?s Orissa Itihas ( a history of Orissa). Ironically, by detailing the contributions of these notable figures to the establishment of Orissa?s identity, Das is continuing their mission.
However, the novel?s strengths as a historical resource are matched with uninspiring prose. The text is detached, failing to draw the reader into the characters? plights. Whether this is the fault of the author or the translator is unclear. Furthermore, there is no single consistent story; while the tale of the succession of Puri and the management of its temple run throughout, other storylines intervene that are largely independent from one another. At least 50 characters are introduced in the first chapter alone, with dozens more added as the story continues. The scattered plot, coupled with the dispassionate, straightforward prose, makes the story read more like a history book than a novel.
Given the unremarkable use of the English language, the translation of this novel is unlikely to gain repute as a great contribution to the literary world. The book provides a rare comprehensive introduction to 19th century Orissa.