Raju Das is one of the most leading Dalit writers from West Bengal. He has got his fame as a Dalit playwright, actor and activist. He has more than 80 plays and 43 short and long stories to his credit. He has been a lifelong theatre enthusiast who has a theatre group and at one point of his life he had to manage his group by pulling a paddle rickshaw. He has participated in various call shows in and out of the country. The interview was taken on October 2, 2020. The playwright answered my queries with immense patience. I extend my sincere gratitude to him for sparing so much time for this interview.
• I know that you have written more than eighty plays and those are on various subjects. Then why do you want to call yourself a Dalit writer?
Let us begin with the history of the Dalits then. The term ‘Dalit’ came into prominence in the year 1928 and there was even a journal with the title “The Dalits”. It is said that the Dalit movement started in Maharashtra in the year 1958 and West Bengal felt the wave much later. I started writing and acting plays from around 1968 and I did not use the term ‘Dalit’ in my writing since I was not aware of those issues. I was actually a leftist from the very beginning of my literary career and believed in communism. I was inspired by the People’s Theatre, Utpal Dutt and his leftist "Revolutionary Theatre", and watched many of his street dramas. At that time my concern was for the have nots, the Proletariats. That was the beginning. So, it is not right that I started as a Dalit activist.  It was after 1972-73 that I came to know about Babasaheb Ambedkar and then started to write plays based on his ideology. I felt that I am a part of Dalit community since I am a Namasudra by birth and this caste is considered as Dalit according to the upper caste people. So, from then on, I consider myself a Dalit, a Dalit writer and activist. And I feel proud to call myself a ‘Dalit’ writer.
• We believe that Dalit creations are tinged with real life experiences, in that case, how did your own life experiences influence your writing?
I was born in a place called East Bengal, now Bangladesh. We used to stay in a village and apart from us most of the families were ‘Karmakar’ with one Brahmin family. And few families were from Mahishya and Tanti. At that time what I noticed as a child is that I was not allowed to enter into their kitchen and there was no question of entering into their temples. That was strictly prohibited. So, at that time I realised that we are from lower caste, we the Namas are actually Shudras and that’s why we are not allowed at their places and they hate us. So, I got the feeling of caste division at that point of time in my childhood. Though now we all know that these communities are also termed as Dalits.
• Please let us know about your works.
Actually, I have published forty-three short stories and long stories. And let me clear that none of them are fictions; all of them are taken from real life incidents. I have painted all of the incidents and characters after my family, friends, relatives and neighbours. But it was not possible to maintain when I tried to write my plays since the themes and characters are taken from the various nook and corner of our society. I have written almost ten plays about the Adivasi people and among them two are full length plays. I have tried to bring the Muslims in my plays since I consider them as oppressed, subjugated and humiliated section of our society. They are also like the Dalits. So, I offered them a voice in my plays. Apart from them I have also written few plays which deal with the pathetic condition of the visually challenged persons. I should mention that in my theatre group there were and are few blind actors who have been acting with me since 1974 and they are a part of my Dalit theatre movement. So, I have scripted some plays on them. There was an organisation named ‘Workshop for the Blind’ and they used to perform my plays. Around ten plays I have composed after them. Hence almost all of my plays are influenced by the real incidents and real characters. These visually challenged persons are to lead a very pathetic life. One important aspect of my writing is that I have written eighteen biographical dramas on almost all of the eminent Dalit leaders and figures. But still I regret for not being able to write about Thakur Panchanan Barma who was the leader of the Rajbangshi people and Raicharan Sardar who was like a pioneering figure to write for the Dalits from Poundra community. We know that in West Bengal mainly this Poundras, Namasudras and Rajbangshis are considered as the Dalits. I should have written about them and I hope I would be able to write about them in near future. Let me clear one thing in this context, I have not written anything about the privileged class. 
• How did Babasaheb influence you?
If I say that I have gone through the entire volume of his writings then that would be an utter lie. Let me tell you from the beginning. I started writing plays with the play “Sapath Nilam” depicting the pitiful condition of the refugees who were displaced in 1971. I was also in that refugee group. I had to leave East Bengal with my family. So, I observed them closely and felt the pain by heart. After coming here, we started staying at Karimpur in Nadia and there started acting and publishing a journal. Then my brother-in-law along with other enthusiasts tried to establish a college at Betai on the name of Ambedkar. At that point I got acquainted to the name of Babasaheb Ambedkar and tried to know about him and his ideology. Then I left that place when I got a job as nightwatchman. After that I met Ranjit Shikder, who under the inspiration of Mahapran Jogendranath Mondal, started translating the entire volume of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s writings into Bengali. And I tried to read almost all of them including the Bengali version of “Annihilation of Caste”.  He even translated the works of Jyotirao Phule who was an anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. And I also read them to know the history of Dalit movement in India. So, I got the entire history of Indian Dalit Movement from the translations of Ranjit Shikder. I received a clear and firm conception of the Dalit movement at that time during 1970s.
• We have seen that Dalit autobiographies have claimed a significant position in Dalit Literature; what is the present position of Dalit drama according to you?
You know that there is a significant name in the field of Dalit drama; he is Datta Bhagat from Maharashtra. I had the privilege to interact with him during a seminar in Ranchi. There I met another group named ‘Asmita’ who were patronized by the Government of India and they claimed to work on Ambedkar but I feel sorry to tell you that they actually don’t highlight Ambedkar rather Gandhiji. And in Bengal there was also Surendranath Shikder to write on Dalit issues and I have performed his plays even.Here Achintya Biswas also wrote about the Dalits. I consider his plays as classic. And I’m the person who have been writing and performing Dalit plays since 1970s and still performing and will continue to perform. 
• Please share your experience as a Dalit playwright and actor
Yes, I got some horrible experiences for performing my plays because those were full of Dalit thoughts and carry the message of liberation for the Dalits. At one point we were marked as BSP, we were even labelled as communal and, in some places, we even received threats and beatings. But still I continue to perform them and will continue to perform till my death. Another important aspect I want to share, you know, previously it was the so-called elite class people who were the organisers of these theatrical performances. So, they actually offered us the chance to show our plays but the resistance came from my own people. I was forced not to perform those plays on the dais. I tried to talk on the hypocrisy of our own people who preach Ambedkar’s thoughts but continue to worship the Hindu Gods and Goddesses. I feel terribly pained by this two-facedness of our own people. What I felt is that it’s very difficult to illumine them, to change them. You see some of my plays are very short in length and those can be performed even within 15-20 minutes; actually, I wrote my short plays intentionally so that I can act them out within a very limited span, quickly.
• What is your opinion regarding the writings of upper caste people about the lower caste people?
Frankly speaking I read the writings of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay and Manik Bandyopadhyay. I read their works like “Mahesh”, “Abhagir Swarga”,“Padma Nadir Majhi” and truly speaking I got influenced by their writings. And I don’t claim that all the upper caste people are vicious. A community consists of both good and bad people, I believe. 
• What, according to you, is the future of Dalit Literature in Bengal?
Dalit Literature has been flourishing for years and it has already gained its position in the realm of literature. And throughout India it has established its own place decisively and Bengal is not an exception. I think Dalit Literature has a great prospect in Bengal as well as in India since Dalit consciousness is growing rapidly and since the young minds are eager to hold the radar firmly.