Oxford bookstore in Connaught Place recently organised a seminar on Languages, Literatures and Translation. The symposium focussed on the vast and incredible non-English literature that India has to offer.
As a nation and a civilization, we live, breathe, think, read and dream in an astonishing array of mother tongues and literary traditions. Translations are a special breed, acting as a bridge between cultures.
. The seminar started with a key-note speech K. Sachidanandan on “Translations in the Indian Context” and was followed by a panel discussion on “Translating Bharat-Unity, Diversity and Equity”, where the panellists discussed regional language and how they vary geographically, as well as translation and their contribution to society. “I was interested in Dalit Sahitya so I came here to read Indian Literature at Lucknow University. I gathered so much out of it and Indian Literature has so much to give.
I learnt Hindi because there is much good work but their translations are not available. Main khush hun ki main ab inhe padh sakta hun aur inse mujhe ek alag anubhav milta hain (it gave me an altered experience and I am happy that I can read Hindi). It’s great that the book store announced the addition of a section on Dalit Literature”, says John Vater, one of the panellists and fiction editior.
The discussion took its next step with poetry translation, and panellists like Alka Tyagi, Alok Bhalla and Anamika recited excerpts from the English translation of Mahabarata, conversation of Radha and Krishna and more.
A gathering of prominent writers, scholars and translators discussed the various nuances of literary translation which later led to a discussion on the topic of the “Untranslatable-Intangibles of Languages”. This conversation concentrated on the few phrases and words which are difficult to transfer and if translated somehow lose a part of their original meaning.
In addition to all this, there was a discussion on translating the works of Pablo Neruda and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, where the two panellists part of the discussion said that due to the use of certain metaphors and phrases in the poems by the two legendary figures, it becomes difficult to translate their work, and more often than not, reading the original is far better than reading the translations.
The symposium then focussed on the book "Chander and Sudha", which was recently translated in English by noted journalist Poonam Saxena from the original 'Gunahon Ka Devta' by Dharamvir Bharti.
A story of a boy Chander's love for his professor's daughter Sudha., a story seeped in passion, love desire, desperation and sexuality, written by 23 year old Dharamvir Bharti in 1940's.
The day concluded with Main Tumhe Phir Miloongi - A play on the love letters between Amrita Pritam and Imroz, presented by Salim Arif and Lubna Salim. The beautifully written letters underlining the depth of their relationships, were perfectly enacted by the actors. On this note the day ended.
