‘Translation: The Bridge Over Lives and Landscapes’ is a part of the 13th edition of The Hindu Lit for Life, with Chandan Gowda, Gowri Ramnarayan and Vanamala Viswanatha as speakers

“Translation isn’t crucial only in the context of literature; it’s important for civilisation itself — for people to enter each other’s lives and experiences and feel for populations one has never known and gain insights into regions one will perhaps never visit. Translation is crucial to human growth,” says Mini Krishnan, writer, publisher and editor, whose contribution to the landscape of Indian literature — particularly through her work in translating regional voices into English — is distinct and significant. 

Gowri Ramnarayan has translated Kalki R. Krishnamurthy’s epic novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

At the 13^th edition of The Hindu Lit for Life, in a session aptly-titled ‘Translation: The Bridge Over Lives and Landscapes’, three speakers — Chandan Gowda, Gowri Ramnarayan and Vanamala Viswanatha — will share their journey in navigating the world of translation and shine the spotlight on the writers and the works they have had the privilege of re-creating for the world of Indian writing in English. Moderated by Mini Krishnan, the conversation will unfold as a discussion on form, content, aesthetics and how these discoveries have shaped their own world view of literature. 

Chandan Gowda
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

 Three years ago, Chandan Gowda — writer, editor and Dean of School of Liberal Arts, Vidyashilp University, Bengaluru — discovered the “extraordinary” voice and world of modernist Kannada writer, Rajalakshmi N. Rao. Following his meeting with her, he retrieved many of her stories from archival sources. The conversations that he had with her resulted in the revival of a powerful voice, long forgotten.

The re-appearance of her stories and translations in his edited anthology titled Sangama – Pastorale, the world of literature, he believes, has been enriched by these works of short fiction written in the mid 50s; and only for four years when the author was aged between 19 and 23 years.

Vanamala Viswanatha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

“Hers is a sophisticated voice,” Gowda says, “She wrote both in Kannada and English. Her voice is vivid, visual, sensitive, musical, psychologically rich and one that boldly seeks a sense of liberation in relationships. That a woman in her time, where women essentially tended to their families, wrote stories such as these makes her nothing short of a phenomenon.”

For writer, editor, translator and theatre director, Gowri Ramnarayan, who has translated Kalki R. Krishnamurthy’s biography and fiction, and his epic novel ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, translation has been a journey of understanding how authentic you can be to the spirit of the original. “The English language is stark and spare; it moves and flows differently; when you deploy words, they have different connotations. I have learnt, over time, that real translation cannot transpose.”

Vanamala Viswanatha will share insights from her book, ‘Bride in the Hills’, her English translation of Kuvempu’s epic novel — Malegalalli Madumagalu (1967)
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

In the session, while Gowri Ramnarayan will approach translation from the perspective of Kalki’s writings, Vanamala Viswanatha, a bilingual scholar and translator, will share insights from her book, ‘Bride in the Hills’, her English translation of Kuvempu’s epic novel — Malegalalli Madumagalu (1967)  — and a part of the Penguin Modern Classics Series. 

Gowri Ramnarayan
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Speaking of Kalki’s writings, Gowri says, “Kalki spends pages in descriptions of landscapes but you need to understand that landscapes in his world are as important as mindscapes — the fields, ponds, lotuses in Chola naadu— are not just an indication of the culture and civilisation but also they have an impact on the actions and attitudes of the characters who inhabit that land and his stories.”