Repercussions of Self-censorship in Storytelling: A Study of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s Jwala Kumar and the Gift of Fire: Adventures in Champakbagh

Storytelling is a form of communication for authors to express their ingenuity and engage a wider audience with pertinent social concerns. Censorship, on the other hand, is frequently enforced by state legislation to preserve societal harmony, and writers frequently face censorship issues from various authoritative groups or organisations. Writers confronted with censorship concerns have an internal ‘censor’ to prevent them from breaking religious and governmental laws. As a result, the author blurs the lines within the texts and draws parallels between self-censorship and free expression. While censorship concerns are readily apparent in the world of literature, the covert conflict of self-censorship remains unacknowledged. The impact of self-censorship on writers’ creativity and narrative process warrants further investigation. The study attempts to examine the challenges faced by the novelist Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar and the instances of self-censorship in the novel Jwala Kumar and the Gift of Fire: Adventures in Champakbagh (2018), which was written immediately following the censorship issues in The Adivasi Will Not Dance (2015). Shekhar’s contributions to Indian literature are noteworthy. His book The Adivasi Will Not Dance (2015) has been contested because of the alleged negative portrayal of Santhal tribal women. Despite facing criticism, allegations, and censorship challenges, the author persevered and successfully published the novel Jwala Kumar and the Gift of Fire: Adventures in Champakbagh (2018).