As acclaimed poet and author
@RealVikramSeth’s English translation of the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ hits the stands, Seth says he intends for his book to reclaim the Chalisa’s beauty at a time when the politics of division is pitting one Indian against another in the name of religion.
Originally written in Awadhi or Hindi of the 16th century, A Suitable Boy author believes the translated chalisa will help people get acquainted or re-acquainted with a poem which holds the power to truly move people.
Seth’s vision is not to misuse the “great, wonderful, sacred text”, he says in a conversation with Outlook, because Hanuman was not an arrogant person; he did it in the service of someone else, he adds.
One of his motivations to translate the religious text which encapsulates a whole culture in fewer than ninety lines, was to spread the joy, solace, and the delightful leaps of imagination that animate the poem, he said at a book launch.
In Outlook’s Literary Lens Issue from March 2022, which was released just after polls in five states, featured writers and poets who looked back and ahead, analysed the changes around them -- politically and socially.
While Uttar Pradesh’s Hindi Literati said the literature coming out of the state once celebrated communal harmony, recent political developments had led to a shift, resulting in a loss of its secular and inclusive character. There was also decline in Urdu literature traditionally associated with Awadh.
On the other hand, Damodar Mauzo, Konkani writer and critic, wrote how despite an attempted colonial wipe-out, Goa’s official language had survived, giving hope to people that their Goanness could be preserved.
#VikramSeth #HanumanChalisa #Literature #ReligiousTexts #LiteraryTranslation #Culture #Heritage #Poetry