Hamiruddin Middya from Bankura village clenched the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2023 - an exclusive GetBengal interview
"I never hoped my scribblings would bring me awards or accolades. And this time, what I have been bestowed with, is huge. With such great honour, comes great responsibility; a duty to match the expectations that my readers have from me," with a calm smile hanging to his lips, says Hamiruddin Middya, the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2023 awardee. Aged only 26 years, Hamiruddin has clenched the prestigious award owing to his second prose collection, ‘Mathrakha’. The book contains 18 stories and was first published by Shopan Publishing at the Kolkata Book Fair 2022. It had previously brought him Krittibas’ Sandipan Chattopadhyay Sanmanana 2022’. ‘Azrailer Daak’, was Hamiruddin’s first collection of short stories that was honoured with ‘Drishti Sahitya Samman’. Some stories of this book had already been translated in Hindi and English. He received the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad- Ila Chand Smriti Puraskar 2022 for his overall contribution towards literature. GB caught Middya in a quick tête-à-tête.
That was when he found his motto to write stories of his own. In 2015, after the High-secondary examinations ended, Middya got a long holiday, and filled with immense perseverance, he made his first attempt to write stories. His first story was published in ‘Lagno-usha’, a local literary magazine published from Sonamukhi, Bankura, his hometown.
How did the love for literature bloom in the first place? "I was in school, may be in class 7 or 8, when I came across author Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay’s ‘Chander Pahar’. As I flipped through its pages, an unaccustomed fascination took over my nerves. Along came the utmost curiosity to know more. I applied for a library card, which enabled me to get hold of timeless classics as well as contemporary masterpieces. Like a madman, one by one I finished books like ‘Pather Panchali’, ‘Aranyak’ and many more. In the class, I listened with paramount interest to my teachers explaining stories like Mahasweta Devi’s ‘Bhaat’, ‘Harum Salemer Mashi’ or the stories by author Banaphool, which were then included in the text book. Whenever I got into a new class, I would finish reading the Bengali stories included in the syllabus even before those were taught in the class." says Middya.
That was when he found his motto to write stories of his own. In 2015, after the High-secondary examinations ended, Middya got a long holiday, and filled with immense perseverance, he made his first attempt to write stories. His first story was published in ‘Lagno-usha’, a local literary magazine published from Sonamukhi, Bankura, his hometown. His father is an ardent farmer, with whom Middya too lends a hand these days. The extreme financial crunch has even made him pick up a number of odd jobs, like being a mason’s helper or working as a migrant labourer.
"I never hoped my scribblings would bring me awards or accolades. And this time, what I have been bestowed with, is huge. With such great honour, comes great responsibility; a duty to match the expectations that my readers have from me," with a calm smile hanging to his lips, says Hamiruddin Middya, the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2023 awardee. Aged only 26 years, Hamiruddin has clenched the prestigious award owing to his second prose collection, ‘Mathrakha’.
Nothing worked in hindering Middya’s steps, who believes that his potential to pen down wonders is what people should know him for. Isn’t it hard to make time for writing amid such a hectic schedule? To this, Middya laughs heartily, "My muse never cared for the perfect timing. I do have to answer when she calls. At times, I have even sat down on the fields to satisfy my literary exigencies. Nature is what inspires me the most to keep writing. However, I feel humans and their relationships are the foundation of any story. I feel glad that I have faced a lot of adversities in life, as those have helped me derive so many of the topical allusions that my stories consist of.”
Proudly, Middya claims that most of his contemporaries have praised and inspired him rather than putting him down. The coveted Sahitya Akademi Yuva Award has given him fame and his fan following has increased. He has become a celebrity of sorts in his district and people are talking about him. They want to know more about him and strangers often drop in to his village to congratulate him. Hamiruddin feels this new-found fame has increased his responsibility manifold and he is now determined to encompass many other vital issues in his writing. He is confident and knows what exactly he wants to write about and how. He is not very concerned about the form rather he focuses on the subject. He wants to continue writing about the people living on the periphery of cities and towns and bring to the fore issues that are still considered taboo or are not talked about in rural Bengal.
One message that he wants to deliver to the parents of the young kids is that they should hand over books instead of mobile phones to the kids. Maybe this will help more children satisfy their hunger for knowledge and inspire them to take up writing. GB wishes the determined, enthusiastic, and very down-to-earth Hamiruddin Middya the brightest future of all.
