KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Balagarh, Manoranjan Byapari — who is also one of the finest voices of Dalit literature — has been riding an electric auto-rickshaw (popularly known as 'toto') since he won the last election to reach out to every household in his constituency and help people in their hour of need during the ongoing pandemic.
The 70-year-old award-winning activist bought a toto soon after he won the polls from Balagarh seat. A resident of Khudirabad in South 24-Parganas, Byapari said: "I am travelling in my toto to various households in Balagarh constituency from my office in Balagarh and urging people to tell me if they need any help. I have assured them that they will get all the support. TMC workers will visit their households and provide them the service."
Byapari has set up a small office of TMC at Balagarh in Hooghly. On an average, at least 200 people visit his office in a day to avail necessary help.
According to Byapari, who has lived a modest life throughout, he knew how to pull a rickshaw. So, it wasn't too difficult a task for him to learn how to ride a toto. "Whenever I learn that people in my constituency are facing transport issues or aren't able to take their family members to hospital, I immediately rush to their residence. I take the patient to the nearby hospital. I have given my phone number to each and every residence of my constituency and whenever they need me, they call me," added Byapari.
He has decided to ride through his constituency and spread awareness about the schemes of the state government through miking. "I have also decided to make people aware about the precautionary measures against COVID-19," he added.
Earlier, Byapari used to cook midday meals in state-run schools. Later, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave him a job at a school library. Byapari was an "active" Naxalite when the CPI(M) was in power .The agrarian revolt that flared up at Naxalbari in 1967 drew Byapari. Since 1981, Byapari has authored a dozen novels and over a hundred short stories, apart from non-fiction essays. Byapari features as the penultimate entry in Vol. 2 in the compendium of Bengali literature's elite. Byapari lives with his wife and son Manik.