Reclaimed In Translation

Much to the delight of readers everywhere, poet and novelist Vikram Seth has come out with a new book after a gap of about ten years. His English translation of 바카라�The Hanuman Chalisa바카라� (pub: Speaking Tiger Books), one of the 바카라�best-known and best-loved poems in the world바카라�, was released at New Delhi on June 21. The bilingual edition features the original verses of 16th-century Bhakti poet Tulsidas in Devanagari and Roman script alongside Seth바카라�s English translations.

Speaking at the book launch, Seth, who revels in the pleasures of both religious poetry and translation, called his translation of the 바카라�The Hanuman Chalisa바카라� a labour of love. He has dedicated it to Bhaskar, a character in his epic novel A Suitable Boy (1993). In the novel, Bhaskar learns the poem before he is five. When he is older, he resists the co-option of this poem and other religious texts by those with vested interests. 바카라�I learnt the 바카라�Chalisa바카라� because I had to know what my characters were seeped in,바카라� Seth says. 바카라�How do you write about them from the inside without understanding the religious and linguistic texture of their world?바카라� [Incidentally, Bhaskar will reappear in Seth바카라�s novel, A Suitable Girl, a work-in-progress. In it, Bhaskar plans to translate the beloved devotional poem himself.

What motivated Seth to translate 바카라�The Chalisa바카라� into English? Many reasons: to share its mesmerising incantatory quality with those who can바카라�t follow the Awadhi or Hindi of the 16th century; to acquaint or re-acquaint people with a poem which 바카라�encapsulates a whole culture in fewer than ninety lines바카라�; to spread the joy, solace, and the delightful leaps of imagination that animate the poem; to reclaim its beauty at a time when the politics of division is pitting one Indian against another in the name of religion; to celebrate a text that consoles, gives people courage, and is 바카라�impressed in the memories and affections of millions바카라�.

Translating 바카라�The Hanuman Chalisa바카라� in rhyme and metre threw up its own set of challenges. Seth writes about them in the Introduction to the book. He decided to use 바카라�바카라�falling metres바카라�바카라� in his translation because he wanted to retain the 바카라�incantatory pleasure바카라� of Tulsidas바카라� verses. But rhymes stressed on the last-but-one syllable (바카라�feminine rhymes바카라�) are relatively rare in English. Another hurdle: it was impossible to recreate some of the 바카라�musical echoes and alliterations of the original, such as the repeated nasal vowels of the 23rd chaupai or the repeated retroflex sounds of the 36th chaupai바카라�.

Despite the constraints, Seth is hopeful that his labour of love will appeal to readers. Translation, as he puts it poetically, is like 바카라�dancing in chains바카라� and even if a translation can convey a small fraction of the joy of the original to people, the purpose is served. Seth바카라�s fascination for translations dates back to the time he read Pushkin바카라�s novel-in-verse Eugene Onegin. The 19th-century Russian poet바카라�s work gave Seth the idea of writing his first novel The Golden Gate (1986). The rest, as they say, is literary history바카라�

When asked about poetry having a dwindling readership, Seth is quick to dismiss such qualms. 바카라�So many people sing film songs,바카라� he says. 바카라�Insta poetry has a big following, Rap songs are very popular. I think poetry is definitely a presence in our everyday lives.바카라�

***

Seth is in awe of 바카라�The Hanuman Chalisa바카라�s바카라� power to move people. Whether you are a 바카라�believer or a half-believer바카라�, 바카라�The Chalisa바카라� is bound to affect you, to lift your spirits. Hanuman takes on many roles in this hymn: teacher, warrior, advisor, friend, devotee, remover of obstacles, miracle worker. 바카라�Hanuman is not a self-aggrandising figure,바카라� says Seth. 바카라�He is always worshipping someone or something.바카라� The attempts to cherry-pick particular traits and portray him as an angry, vengeful god is nothing but politicking, Seth points out. 바카라�It is a tactic used by some to gain power,바카라� he says. The co-option of Hinduism by power-hungry politicians creates divisions and weakens the country. India is a pluralistic nation that boasts of a wealth of cultures: Hindu, Christian, Islamic, Sikh, among others. 바카라�All cultures belong to us,바카라� Seth says. To deprive us of the richness of any culture would spell disaster for the country and for democracy. 바카라�The 2024 Lok Sabha elections has placed some sort of limitation on autocracy,바카라� he adds, a glint of hope lighting up his eyes. 바카라�Let바카라�s see what happens now.바카라�