#77, Research Article: ‘Indian Writing in Translation at Undergraduate Level’ by Dr. Gurudutt T N

Dr. Gurudutt T N works with V V Puram Evening College, Bangalore University, Bangalore.

The concept of the Indian Writing in English might have been elusive but definitely evolving. On the one hand it had to be accepted by ourselves, as there had been an urgency of establishing our creative identity in the English literary world and on the other; we found it, in most cases, to be outlandish. The reason for this could be beyond the realm of literature. Despite the fluidity of its condition, the Indian Writing in English translation goes on. And it has entered the undergraduate curriculums. The present paper considers the question ‘why Indian Writing in English translation?’ and an instance of integrating IWET in an undergraduate syllabus.

Salman Rushdie and the likes believe that the best literature in India is produced in English. But have they got first- hand access into the vast literatures of the Indian languages? Really doubtful. Many personalities who have intimate contact of the literary canvass of various regional language literatures and who are practising themselves have a different view in the matter. U.R.Ananthamurthy (Kannada), M.T. Vasudevan Nair (Malayalam), Sunil Gangopadhyay (Bengali), Balachandran Nimade (Marathi), Dilip Chitre (Marathi), Ashok Mitran (Tamil), Gurdial Singh (Punjabi) and others are not convinced of the claims made sometimes in favour of Indian Writing in English at the cost of regional literatures. “Indian Writing in English is export oriented; it lacks cultural baggage; it is read by less than thirty percent Indians; there are many more significant
writers in the regional literatures than the Indian Writers in English; it is an artificial success just because of global linguistic medium” are some typical reactions of several regional writers.

U.R. Ananthamurthy feels that there are any numbers of top quality regional writers who do not get international recognition only because their language is not the global language of America. Writers in Indian languages have a rich backyard-centuries old literary traditions, folk-tales and life all round them. The Indian Writers in English have only a front yard. Nirmal Verma (Hindi) says: “My language links me to a tradition of 5000 years, to the medieval writers, the Bhakti poets, to the Sanskrit classics and also connects me to the philosophical texts of Indian culture. But English writers are deprived of all this unless they are very sensitive. Only one percent of the Indian Writers in English are able to link themselves to the culture of their region, its real life, its metaphors and images”. Sunil Gangopadhyay (Bengali) says: I know why Indian writers in English write in that language, it is because they’re insecure in their own mother tongue.

There is a similar problem in the context of African Writing in English. Some African writers argue that they should shape the English language to suit the communication of African life and experience while some others detest such a suggestion and feel that they should get back to their mother tongues. Gugiva Thiango, while observing the recording of the African English literature as a part of the English literature, says that it lacks the African roots and at the most, it could be called ‘Afro-European literature’.

Though these remarks appear to be sensationally judgmental, the readers and teachers of the Indian Writing in English also often feel this way. The Indian Writing in English is rightly indomitable but ‘somewhere something is missing’ in it. Then what is the solution to this catch? May be we have to formally strengthen the necessity of accepting the Indian Writing in English and the Indian literatures (in translation) as twin entities that are mutually complementary. There is a kind of continuity against a backdrop of perpetual change right from the Rigveda to modern days. This feature is found among the regional literatures also. They had a free and independent growth through the centuries, taking what they liked from Sanskrit, Prakrit, Persian and English. Indian Writing in English has not imbibed this in a great measure. A wide spectrum of views, values, voices and visions we find from the classical Sanskrit to urban contemporary English should belong to both the regional writers and the Indian writers in English, pluralistically. This can be achieved by translations into English.

Now we are in the era of globalization. There could be a lot of differences with regard to political and economic aspects of globalization. As for as literary globalization is concerned, it is already a welcome history, which is strengthening itself in time. In the light of this, the Indian Writing in English demands authenticity, holisticity and comprehensiveness. Sociologically speaking, now we need to look at the world, make the world look at us and importantly, make ourselves look at ourselves. Many Indian readers are more familiar with Shakespeare and his cousins than many Indian writers like Pampa, Kumaravyasa, Basavanna in Kannada and their
counterparts in other Indian languages. The structure of the Indian Writing in English has out served its age. Unless it stretches its aerial roots into the Indian soil across the cultural and societal sections, it lacks the purpose, authenticity and scope.

The Indian Writing in English Translation is bridging many gaps in the structure of the Indian Writing in English. This has helped and continues to help in attempting de-colonization, identifying the multi-cultural fabric of the nation, inter-textuality etc.

The new literatures in English made entry into the Indian universities after a bit of delay and hesitation. Now we are losing no time in recognizing and asserting our new pedagogical constructs. Many universities have included several works in translation for their under-graduate and post-graduate studies. For instance, the Bangalore University has prescribed a separate paper titled “Literatures of India: An Introduction” wherein more than half of the syllabus is dedicated to the study of regional literatures in English translation. As rightly said in the introduction of the text book (Texts and their Worlds- Ed. Anna Kurian /Foundation Books) this syllabus explores the problematic notion of an ‘Indian’ literature; it allows the readers to read literatures written in India, providing tremendous scope for discussions of commonalities and differences; it challenges assumptions about the ‘Indianness’ of regional literatures versus the ‘foreignness’ of Indian literature in English, thereby facilitating a transcendence of linguistic

nativism. It encourages an examination of the necessary politics of language and an ethnic and national identity.

The selection of the texts tries to give an idea of ‘how we in India responded to English literature’ and ‘how India was depicted in English literature’. The issues of depiction, self-perception and place and position of texts and their contexts have been thoroughly considered. The issues of gender, race, human rights and other concerns are included. Both the classical and the contemporary find place in the syllabus. The ancient Sanskrit writing, the writing of pre-Independent India, the modernism of the post-independent India and expressions of the present times find place here.

The chunks of texts in translation are of Kalidasa, Bhavabhuthi, Bharthrhari (Sanskrit), Tagore (Bengali), Umashankar Joshi (Gujarati), Agyeya (Hindi), Adiga (Kannada), Mirza Arif (Kashmiri), Premchand (Hindi), Ismat Chugati (Urdu), Vaikom Basheer (Malayalam), Girish Karnad (Kannada), O N V Kurup (Malayalam), A.Jayaprabha (Telugu), Daya Pawar (Marathi-Dalit), Sitakant Mahapatra (Oriya), Mahaswetha Devi (Bengali) and C.S. Lakshmi (Tamil).

Naturally, the choice of authors or their texts cannot be exhaustive in a syllabus. But any such selection fairly represents the large body of Indian literature. The present selections provide a sampling of diverse texts, which opens up the worlds in which they were created. The students easily relate themselves to the themes of regional works and get a better insight of the

context with which viewing, assessing and assimilating the Indian Writing in English becomes easy and more effective. The students study literatures written in India in English along with many other literatures produced in India. Even some students lacking in studies come out with relatively better participation in the discussions. This is the experience of many teachers.

Now we have to take care of our roots and the branches as well. For this, learning the fragments of global literature would not help in as much as the learning our regional literatures do. We cannot hope to do this through the literature papers of the regional languages owing to unavailability of considerable mass of translations. In spite of some limitations, the English language, the unofficial lingua franca of India, is the window into the Indian literatures yet. It is a national interpreter. It is true that translating from one Indian language to another is easy and effective when compared to English. Since there are a very few direct translators, we cannot have the advantage of this convenience. We have to harness the target language that is English and its readers to suit our needs of translation.

Some sections of the students still feel baffled at the integration of non-British and hybrid writings in English and in English translations in their curriculum. It is because they are more conscious of the frames rather than the purpose of the frames. A dynamic society cannot afford to just sit gaping romantically at the aesthetics of ‘pure’ English or any particular literature any longer. The literature should make a nation understand and interpret itself more meaningfully. And it is possible by way of grappling the

sociological, political and spiritual dimensions of its people. Today we have to shed our nostalgia about the ‘pristine’ form of our literatures and make way for their broader constructs with a post-colonial democratic outlook. The evolution is unstoppable and a day will come when there will be just one literature for whole world, comprising all the polyphonic voices through translations. May be, bringing together of Indian Writing in English and Indian Literatures in English translation is an exercise in making way for such a Maha-evolution.

Dr. Gurudutt T N is an Associated Professor in V V Puram Evening College, Bangalore, Bangalore University. His field is Postcolonial Studies. ELT is a hobby horse arising out of new teaching contexts. He was well into Journalism as well. He can be contacted at gurudutt.tn@gmail.com.

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