Found In Translation

Nearly half a century ago,Yashpal’s book,Jhoota Sach became a rage. Regarded as one of the best Hindi novels ever written,the book now sits wrapped in a colourful cover with the name This is Not that Dawn. A Penguin Publication,this book is one of the several regional language masterpieces to enter the English reader’s world.

The Indian Writing Section at book stores is buzzing with new additions. Pick up a copy of Zero Degree,a novel written in 1998 by Tamil writer Charu Nivedita,now translated in English by Blaft Publications,or get hold of a new copy of Tamil writer Prapanchan’s Beyond the Sky. One can also get a translation of Buddhadev Bose’s Bengali novel When the Time is Right. In the last three years,the Sahitya Akademi has released English translations of more than 40 titles of regional language books. As one digs into the vast information available on the Akademi’s website,several recent releases spring up. Abhiyatri: One Life Many Rivers is an English translation of Niruypama Borgohain’s Assamese book; Go Back to Paris is the translated version of Jayakanthan’s Tamil work Parisukku Po; and A Strip of Land Two Yards Long is a translation of Jai Ratan’s Do Gaz Zameen.

Author Ira Pande,who translated Manohar Shyam Joshi’s novella,T-ta Professor,in 2009,had predicted a steep rise in such projects three years ago. Today,apart from the Akademi,even private publishers are toeing this line. R Sivapriya,editor,Penguin Publications,shares,“We have recently released quite a few translations. Some of the works include those of Malayali writers like N S Madhavan and K R Meera,Bengali writers like Sankar and Buddhadev Bose; and Tamil writer Ki Ra (Ki Rajanarayanan). While some of these titles work and some sink,the recognition in terms of awards and shortlists has been noticeably better.”

For author Jayprakash Sawant,translations are a great way to introduce readers to a body of work that has shaped almost a generation. Sawant has himself translated books from Hindi into Marathi. In fact,he feels that when translated into English,the books arouse the curiosity of the reader to pick up the original one in their mother tongue. Shares 24-year-old advertising professional Radhika Patni,“I chanced upon a copy of Sadat Ali Hasan Manto’s English translation. It inspired me to read the Hindi version. From then on,I have read several Hindi authors.” This concept is not merely about translating works. “It is the idea of reviving books that were legends in their time,” says Sawant. “The popularity of these books shows that authors like Yashpal and Joshi are still relevant. Revisiting them is as important as creating new literature,” he says.

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