Translations of a literary mosaic

Of the twenty-two languages in the eighth schedule, viz., Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili, and Dogri, the Valley of Words has been privileged to shortlist writers from seven languages: Gujarati, Assamese, Tamil, Bangla, Punjabi, Konkani, and Marathi. In addition, we have translations from English into Hindi, which makes it a total of eight languages for the knowledge verticals: translations from Bhashas of Bharat into Hindi and English. VoW believes that English is also an Indian language, and in the Vox Populi debate at VoW in 2019, the overwhelming majority of the house concurred with this opinion. It was pointed out that English is the language of the judiciary, the associate official language of the Union, and the official language in several states in the NE and most of the Union Territories.

Here are some very short synoptic remarks on the best translations received this year, with the hope our readers who have a connection with a language spoken in the homes of their grandparents – on either the maternal or paternal side – will make it a point to read the translation as well as the original, even if it takes longer; for while it is great to be a five-trillion dollar economy by the end of the decade, we also have to be careful and alert about not losing out on our own heritage and culture, of which language is such an important part. This column will cover the five translations into Hindi and over the next few days, we will also cover the translations into English.

The list for Hindi (as indeed all our shortlists) is arranged in alphabetical order, as one of the five books in each of the categories will be the recipient of the prestigious REC VoW Award later this year (16/17 November) at Dehradun.

The first book is the Hindi translation by Subhas Nirav of Ambar Pariyan in Punjabi by Baljinder Nasrali which examines the theme of love, longing, belonging, and the inevitable tension between what individuals aspire for versus societal expectations. It also explores the future of marriage in a post-modern world. Nasrali teaches Punjabi at Delhi University, and many of his works are now part of the syllabi in universities in Punjab and NCR.

Next on our list is Mazda kay Jadugar. This is Naved Akbar’s brilliant translation of Ashwin Sanghi’s acclaimed narrative spread over thirteen hundred years – starting from the arrival of a fleet of boats carrying eighteen thousand frightened souls at the port of Sanjan in Gujarat in 720 CE. Chanting Sanskrit-like prayers, the high priest consecrates a sacred fire to thank their god, Ahura Mazda, leading them to a new home and hope. He uses a mysterious substance to spark the flame, but few know of its miraculous properties or provenance. Much like the plot in Da Vinci Code of Dan Brown, the Parsi scientist Jim Dastoor is abducted from his Seattle laboratory and whisked away to Tehran, for the reigning Ayatollah believes Jim is the key to uncovering the ancient relic known as the Atharvan Star which has the potential of changing the course of history. Deftly navigating between time and geography, The Magicians of Mazda travel backwards, through the epochs of Islamic jihad, Macedonian revenge, Achaemenid glory, messianic birth, and Aryan schism to the Vedic fount from where it began.

The third offering is Mannat aur Anya Kahaniya by Damodar Mauzo, translated from Konkani by Ramita Gurav. This collection of short stories by the Gyanpeeth Awardee mirrors life in the vicinity of the author’s home and captures the political, ecological, social, cultural, religious, and linguistic tensions in the transforming landscape of Goa in the voices of its ordinary citizens: drivers, peons, maids, bus conductors, homemakers, and professionals. The book is extraordinary because it also lets butterflies, birds, cats, and dogs as well as the trees and flowers offer their reflections on the growing consumerist culture which is enveloping everyone and everything.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale: Gandhi’s Political Guru by Govind Talwalkar has been translated from Marathi by Damodar Khadse. Gokhale wrote in flawless English, and his addresses to both the Indian National Congress and the Imperial Legislative Council are well documented. There is also no dearth of material on him in Marathi. The gap for the Hindi readers has been addressed in this seminal translation. Gokhale’s rise and subsequent marginalisation in the Congress also reflect the changing politics of the time – for as the Congress became a mass movement, the constitutionalist and moderate approach of Gokhale and his group was considered to be rather tame by the extremist faction of the Congress.

Last but not least is Dhimi Wali Fast Passenger by Mark Tully, translated from English by Prabhat Singh. Tully needs no introduction – either to the English or the Hindi readers – for he is perhaps the longest foreign correspondent resident in India. His fine understanding of the nuances of the Indian social and political landscape is unparalleled. Singh has done a fine job in translating this set of stories. These are stories set in eastern Uttar Pradesh, and each of these narratives makes a point: whether it is the establishment of a temple dedicated to Sant Ravi Das, a protest movement by an ex-headmaster to resurrect an abandoned railway line, or an atheist’s conversion to life as a Buddhist monk and much more!

Incidentally, the name for English in Hindi is Angul, and I realised this when I received a testimonial from the then Chief Minister of Uttarakhand (Narayan Dutt Tiwari) in Hindi, complimenting me for presentations in Angul to investment meetings in the UAE!

The writer, a former Director of LBS National Academy of Administration, is currently a historian, policy analyst and columnist, and serves as the Festival Director of Valley of Words — a festival of arts and literature