Short fiction being precise and pithy has always endeared readers across all groups irrespective of which part of the globe they emanated from. Encompassing everything relevant to the characters and the narrative, the form with great beginning and ending, is an insightful way of presenting a slice of life. Well known translator Arunava Sinha has now selected Bengali short stories that share similar attributes and has rendered their English version in “The Greatest Bengali Stories Ever Told”. The selection and the translation by Arunava –– who has made yeoman contribution in bringing works of several Bengali authors to non-Bengali readers –– are impeccable.
As the Aleph publication is based on the translator’s selection, he aptly describes them as his “personal conversation with every reader about the stories that made him love Bengali literature.” The collection reflect myriad aspects of life –– anger, loss, grief, disillusionment, magic, politics, trickery, humour and the darkness of mind and heart. Keeping the process simple, Arunava informs he chose the stories because he loved them and they left a deep impression on him. In this personal choice, he did find one particular common quality that haunts the characters and him –– the sense of something missing, and the search for it. “In every story I have come to cherish, there is inevitably a seeking of what is not, what probably cannot be.”
The anthology gets to a great start with Rabindranath Tagore’s timeless “Kabuliwala”, the tale of the lovable Pathan, etched permanently in cine-goers memory by the roles enacted by Chhabi Biswas and Balraj Sahni in the Bengali and Hindi screen version of the story. Similarly the readers will be able to connect to Narendranath Mitra’s “Ras” due to Amitabh Bachchan and Nutan-starrer “Saudagar”. Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s “Mahesh” revolving around the Gafoor Jolha and his bull, a heart wrenching story of revolving around a man and an animal –– makes it relevance felt in the present times of rising intolerance –– figures in the collection.
Ashapurna Debi’s “Thunder and Lighting” sharply comments on society’s practising dual standards with regard to morality and attitude towards daughter-in-law making it appropriate in today’s context of gender inequality and hypocrisy while Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s “Einstein and Indubala” is a satirical take on how the famous scientist’s presence is eclipsed by that of a film star.
The master raconteurs of the big screen –– Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak –– are part of the book. Ray’s “Two Magicians” drives home on how a student forgets his teacher and fails to acknowledge his gratitude while Ghatak’s poignant tale beautifully captures the inner turmoil of a pickpocket wanting to turn a new leaf.
Other literary luminaries whose stories are included in the anthology are Pramatha Chaudhuri, Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay, Banaphool, Premendra Mitra, Buddhadeva Bose, Ramapada Chowdhury, Mahasweta Devi, Moti Nandy, Sandipan Chattopadhyay, Udayan Ghosh, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Sanjib Chattopadhyay, Nabarun Bhattacharya and Amar Mitra.
Even though there is no intent to represent the evolution of short story writing through his selection, Arunava points out that since the stories are laid out chronologically, “the changes in terms of language, themes and style do become obvious.” Highlighting this, he comments, “I am more interested in the continuity than in the differences, the search for something elusive in each of these stories.”
Led by the original text, the translator makes it clear that he did not attempt to add or take away anything to artificially preserve the spirit and soul allowing the text to speak for itself. On dealing with varied writing styles and settings of the stories while translating, he avers: “Every novel or story any translator works on is unique, a uniqueness that has to be carried through to the new language.” The larger challenge for him in the case of the anthology was, “having to find a voice for 21 different writers instead of just one in a single book.”
The section “Notes on the authors” which provides brief sketches is informative and is bound to inspire readers to read more of their works.
Short and striking
Rabindranath Tagore’s “The Kabuliwala”
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s “Mahesh”
Narendranath Mitra’s “Ras”
Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s “Einstein and Indubala”
Ritwik Ghatak’s “Raja”
