Janakraj Sapkota on writing the lives of Madhesh’s most marginalized

Drawing on years of research, the author reflects on caste hierarchies, the responsibility of representing marginalized communities and the power of empathy

KATHMANDU: Journalist and author Janakraj Sapkota‘s new novel Magani Marik was released on Ashwin 29. Written with a character from the marginalized Dom community of Madhesh at its center, the novel encompasses caste discrimination, social exclusion, and the complications faced when confronting the state and administration.

The author, Sapkota, who serves as the editor of Ekantipur, the online edition of Kantipur Daily, has previously published research-based and non-fiction works, including Jiwan Katipaya, Kahar, and Dukhadekhi Dukhasamma. Below is a conversation conducted with him by Tumaraj Koirala regarding the writing process of the new novel, the responsibility of portraying the lives of marginalized communities in literature, criticisms raised against his own writing, and the role of human empathy in journalism:

The title of your new work is Magani Marik. How was your first encounter with this name? What is the story behind the name? What influenced you the most when reaching the decision to make it the title of the book? Could you tell us about that first moment or scene?

For many, this name might be new. I realized that especially for those of us living in Kathmandu, it evokes a reaction of ‘what is this?’. To anyone who asks me its meaning, I tell them, “Remember your name and surname; it’s just like that.” In that community, this is neither a new nor an unfamiliar name. I chose this name partly so that a name unknown or unheard of by the majority population would spark curiosity or interest about that community. Moreover, since this entire book revolves around Magani’s psychology, the story of the era he lived in, and the numerous administrative and social hurdles he experiences, I selected this name.

Cover of Magani Marik

In the process of researching material for this book, were any of your own old perceptions shattered? Do you have any experience where you previously viewed a society, community, or life through one lens, but later had to understand it in a completely different way? What is the biggest change that came over you after writing the book?

Initially, my understanding of the Dom community in Madhesh was similar to my understanding of other Dalit communities in Nepal. However, as I conducted research for the book and closely came to understand the characters, I realized there are layers even within Dalit communities. And Maganis resides on the very last layer of those layers. According to the National Population Census-2021, the population of the Dom community is 19,901. Among them, around 90 percent are landless.

The majority are deprived of basic amenities such as education and health. Why is a community thus excluded and marginalized by the state? Who is to seek the answer to this question? How will this question move which ruler to take it seriously? Such thoughts have remained with me during and after writing the book.

In your previous books as well, one usually finds extraordinary life experiences of people who do not come into general discussion. What is your primary motive in Magani Marik, to document a specific life, to understand the society that shapes that life, or to view a social reality we have taken for granted through a new lens? That is, what do you want the reader to understand upon finishing this book?

When writing about a society, a community, or a character pushed to the margins or facing exclusion, one does not merely learn about their story or state of mind. One can also tell the incongruous story of that time. My effort through the book is to help readers comprehend the politics, social psychology, or rulers of that era. In this book too, I have attempted to demonstrate how a character from a marginalized community gets entangled in minor complications and how such complications become a subject of light entertainment for the society, politics, and administration we live in. My objective is to document a time and depict a picture of an incongruous era. I want readers to realize how far and wide the society we live in extends and to understand what a contradictory society we are a part of.

Cover of Dukhadekhi Dukhasamma

During the preparation for Magani Marik, there must have been episodes you encountered, heard, or noted down but could not include in the book. Is there any such scene or event that you still recall? Why was it left out? Did it lack proof, raise privacy concerns, fail to fit into the structure of the book, or was it difficult to decide how to present it as an author?

Many stories or episodes I saw or heard have been accommodated, some as they were, and some through images and symbols. I have also put some episodes on hold so that further study and research can be conducted on them, allowing them to be told at the right time. However, I remained vigilant at all times to ensure that the self-respect of the community I am writing about would not be hurt in any way.

I constantly thought about what experiments could be undertaken to strengthen the psychology or morale of that community. Furthermore, I gave the manuscript of the book to many individuals from that community to read, and I continued writing and editing while incorporating many of the suggestions they provided.