Caught in the Web of Corruption: The Tribal Experience in Gopinath Mohanty’s ‘Paraja’

Sudesh M. B. Bhowate

Article Details

Caught in the Web of Corruption: The Tribal Experience in Gopinath Mohanty’s ‘Paraja’

Authors:

Sudesh M. B. Bhowate

Publisher:

SKY Publications

Journal:

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.68-76

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001928018

pISSN:

2395-2628

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Gopinath Mohanty’s Paraja is a seminal tribal novel centered on the Paraja community of Odisha. Through the narrative of Sukru Jani and his children, the novel portrays the harsh realities and persistent hardships of tribal life. Their vulnerability, driven by illiteracy and subsistence-level living, makes them easy targets for exploitation by corrupt public officials and institutions operating in tribal regions. Rich in ethnographic detail, the novel captures the cultural practices and traditions of Odisha's tribal communities, while also exposing their systematic socio-economic marginalization. At its core, Paraja chronicles Sukru’s struggle not only as an individual but also as a representative figure of the tribal populace whose family is eventually reduced to bonded labor (goti) under a local moneylender, or Sahukar. The novel unravels the role of a deeply flawed and complicit public machinery including the village headman, forest and revenue officers, and court officials in orchestrating Sukru’s downfall. It also highlights the involvement of private actors like the Sahukar, who, with the aid of forged legal documents and the support of corrupt officials, dispossess tribal families of their land and autonomy. Further, the novel sheds light on the exploitation of tribal women, who are often subjected to patriarchal abuse by figures such as the Sahukar and supervisors of road construction projects. Within this oppressive nexus of public corruption and private greed, there is little hope for recovery or justice for Sukru and his family. Paraja raises critical questions about the systemic entrapment of tribal communities and their exploitation within state and institutional frameworks. Using the lens of the sociological theory of corruption, this research paper seeks to examine the interplay between corrupt public institutions and the victimization of tribal people as portrayed in the novel.

Article Details

Caught in the Web of Corruption: The Tribal Experience in Gopinath Mohanty’s ‘Paraja’

Authors:

Sudesh M. B. Bhowate

Publisher:

SKY Publications

Journal:

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.68-76

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001928018

pISSN:

2395-2628

Tribal

exploitation

Goti (bonded laboour)

culture

Sahukar

poverty

oppression

marginality

Justice

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Issues

Article Details

Authors: Sudesh M. B. Bhowate

Publisher: SKY Publications

Journal: International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.68-76

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 1/2025

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001928018

pISSN: 2395-2628

Issues

Authors:

Sudesh M. B. Bhowate

Publisher:

SKY Publications

Journal:

International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies Vol.12 Issue 3, pp.68-76

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

1/2025

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001928018

pISSN:

2395-2628