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 바카라The Hanuman Chalisa바카라 (pub: Speaking Tiger Books), one of the 바카라best-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 Seth바카라s English translations.
Speaking at the book launch, Seth, who revels in the pleasures of both religious poetry and translation, called his translation of the 바카라The 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. 바카라I learnt the 바카라Chalisa바카라 because I had to know what my characters were seeped in,바카라 Seth says. 바카라How do you write about them from the inside without understanding the religious and linguistic texture of their world?바카라 [Incidentally, Bhaskar will reappear in Seth바카라s novel, A Suitable Girl, a work-in-progress. In it, Bhaskar plans to translate the beloved devotional poem himself.
What motivated Seth to translate 바카라The Chalisa바카라 into English? Many reasons: to share its mesmerising incantatory quality with those who can바카라t follow the Awadhi or Hindi of the 16th century; to acquaint or re-acquaint people with a poem which 바카라encapsulates 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 바카라impressed in the memories and affections of millions바카라.
Translating 바카라The 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 바카라바카라falling metres바카라바카라 in his translation because he wanted to retain the 바카라incantatory pleasure바카라 of Tulsidas바카라 verses. But rhymes stressed on the last-but-one syllable (바카라feminine rhymes바카라) are relatively rare in English. Another hurdle: it was impossible to recreate some of the 바카라musical 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 바카라dancing in chains바카라 and even if a translation can convey a small fraction of the joy of the original to people, the purpose is served. Seth바카라s fascination for translations dates back to the time he read Pushkin바카라s novel-in-verse Eugene Onegin. The 19th-century Russian poet바카라s 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. 바카라So many people sing film songs,바카라 he says. 바카라Insta poetry has a big following, Rap songs are very popular. I think poetry is definitely a presence in our everyday lives.바카라
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Seth is in awe of 바카라The Hanuman Chalisa바카라s바카라 power to move people. Whether you are a 바카라believer or a half-believer바카라, 바카라The 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. 바카라Hanuman is not a self-aggrandising figure,바카라 says Seth. 바카라He 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. 바카라It 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. 바카라All 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. 바카라The 2024 Lok Sabha elections has placed some sort of limitation on autocracy,바카라 he adds, a glint of hope lighting up his eyes. 바카라Let바카라s see what happens now.바카라
