Indian Literature In Translation

Description

Indian literary traditions that go across the boundaries of languages. The multilingualism of India has given birth to such a wide world of creative expression in the various regional languages—each responding to its own past, spirit and fantasy. Translation is thus not just a linguistic practice but a cultural crossing, so that through its practice students can gain entry to the common moral, emotional and philosophical world of Indian text.

The course is aimed at developing sensitivity to the diversity and unity of Indian thought through the selected works of the major genres, including short story, poetry, drama, and fiction, and based on various language and periods. Starting with the basics and the nature of translation, students get to understand the transmission of meaning across languages and situations. The next units discuss exemplary literary genres: The Shroud by Premchand and The Quilt by Ismat Chughtai exemplify the social and psychological verisimilarity of the early modern prose; the English classics Kalidasa, Mahabharata, Muktibodh and Jayshankar Prasad as well as the epic works of the latter illustrate the spectrum between classical and modern sensibility; the plays of Dharamveer Bharti and Vijay Tendulkar show moral and social conflict of modern India; and the novels of G.

Such readings allow the learners to refer to the problems of translation ethics, regional identity, gender and caste hierarchies, national consciousness, and modern human experience. The article urges us to think critically about the role of translated texts in constructing our concept of India as a pluralistic society and the literary unity.

It is hoped that this collection will not only make the classroom study more direct but also encourage the reader to open more translations and original works in local languages. Hopefully, this course will serve as an opening to the discovery of the multiplicity of voices of India, which, despite speaking various languages, still speak to the same humanity.