Noted poet Prabha Varma’s magnum opus Shyama Madhavam has had many retellings in the form of mural art paintings and plays. The verse novel will continue to enthral many more with its Sanskrit translation, which was formally launched by Sahitya Akademi president and Jnanpith Award recipient Chandrasekhar Kambar on Saturday.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kambar said that Shyama Madhavam was “exciting and strange in many ways.”
“It projects an unexplored portrayal of Krishna, who is depicted as more humane than human beings. Pained by his own actions, he continuously searches for his identity,” he said.
The eminent Kannada littérateur said Mahabharatam had not just been translated to various languages, but “transcreated” with diverse interpretations. He also called for translating Shyama Madhavam to other languages, including Kannada.
He formally launched the Sanskrit translation, published by the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, as the first book in their silver jubilee series, by presenting the first copy to Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Trust secretary C.V. Thrivikraman. The original work has been translated to Sanskrit by scholar N.V.P. Unithiri.
‘Unique in many ways’
Writer George Onakkoor said Shyama Madhavam , which has the structure of a novel, is unique in several respects. It is a novel written is verse and a play at the same time, he said. He added that Mr. Varma was a progressive writer whose works were rooted in Malayalam literary culture.
Presiding over the function, university Vice Chancellor Dharmaraj Adat said the work continued to be relevant at present times when history and mythology were being wrongly interpreted in the name of cultural nationalism.
Replying to the felicitation, Mr. Varma said the book has been translated by incorporating subtle nuances of poetry. He expressed optimism that all other languages would have access to the work through its Sanskrit translation.
Kerala Sahitya Akademi executive member V.N. Murali, university Pro-Vice-Chancellor K.S. Ravikumar, professor K. Muthulakshmi and registrar T.P. Raveendran spoke on the occasion.
