VoW 3 Days to Go:
By Bijoya Sawian
Translations are an integral part of the literary firmament and more so in the present times. Old translations are being studied and new ones are being written. The importance of translations is immeasurable.
For me, translation is a journey of discovery into a culture I grew up in, a discovery also of the importance of the work I had undertaken in order to connect with the rest of the country. This is, indeed, one of the best ways in an increasingly divisive world.
It all began the day my aunt, Sitimon Sawian, told me to translate, ‘Ka Jingsneng Tymmen, The Teachings of Elders’. This is the Khasi book of ethics and etiquette, a literary masterpiece consisting of 109 stanzas written by Radhon Sing Kharwanlang. It was first published in 1897. Before that, it was handed down orally from generation to generation from time immemorial. Ours was purely an oral tradition until 1843, when the Welsh Methodist, Reverend Thomas Jones introduced the Roman Alphabet.
When I expressed my dismay and diffidence at such a huge endeavour, my aunt said, “Then this aspect of Khasi indigenous culture will sink into oblivion.” She was right and I am indebted to her for her insistence. After Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture published my work, it gained enormous popularity and accolades. Most importantly, however, it opened up a whole new world to the rest of the country about a little-known community in our country. It also emphasises and reinforces the belief that we can connect through books. Soon after, I translated ‘The Main Ceremonies of the Khasis – Naming, Marriage and Death-The Last Rites’ and The Book About One God. Translating or rather transcreating Khasi Myths, Legends and Folktales was an absolute joy. These are the records of Origins as are jokes, riddles, songs, lullabies, proverbs and sayings.
The advantage of translating is immense. One learns in detail about one’s own culture and tradition and this brings about confidence and that invaluable feeling of self-worth and of being rooted. Having studied in a convent and, later, in an alien space, Delhi University, I had unknowingly, become a cultural and spiritual wanderer. Delving into translation changed all that. As I said earlier, through translation we connect with each other by learning through the joy of reading.
Translation also made me realise the delightful experience of playing hide and seek with words, the eventual formation of sentences and paragraphs that come alive into stories and poems that, till then, lie deeply imbedded in one’s subconscious. This resulted in my debut novel, Shadow Men and Two Stories published by Speaking Tiger Books and a collection of short stories. These books reveal the hitherto unknown facets of the North East, the ‘enchanted frontiers’ of our country. And, now, a biography of my father, ‘From Sylhet to Shillong’, which is being launched by VoW on 16 December. It charts the life and times of my father through a narrative that spans the social and political history of Bengal and Assam during the 19th and 20th centuries. He was the last IGP of undivided Assam.
While reading Lalit Kumar’s translation of the Maithili classic, The Bride, I learnt about the culture and social history of the community. It is a brilliant work. A phrase, a piece of dialogue, a word conveys so much and opened up a whole new world for me. Then one learns that so many aspects are common to all and some so different.
There is a time and place when a particular translation comes into prominence. My maternal great grandfather, U Jeebon Roy, had translated from Sanskrit into Khasi the great classics of our country. Among them are Hit-Upodesa in 1898, History of India in 1900, Buddha Charitra and Chaitanya Charitra in 1901. My grand uncle, Sib Charan Roy translated the Bhagvad Gita soon after. All these precious works were lying in their first edition in our family library. Last year, after over a century there is an encouraging and great show of interest in these translations. They are being digitised and will be in all the libraries soon.
I would like to urge writers to translate. Works in regional languages are precious records of the times when they were written. They contain the social, spiritual and political history in a way no other discipline can. Translations need to be read so that the future generations can move ahead with understanding.
The Valley of Words\Shabdavali has been giving awards for translations in Hindi and English. Special sessions revolving around translations are also held every year. This year, during the 7th edition of the Valley of Words, the session ‘The World of Translations’ is being held on 17 December. It will be one of the most awaited sessions of the festival. It features Lalit Kumar and Amrita Bera and their commendable translation works. It is chaired by the celebrated writer, Mrinal Pande. I look forward to it as a discussant.
(Bijoya Sawian is a translator and writer who lives in Shillong and Dehradun. She studied at Seng Khasi High School and Loreto Convent in Shillong, and did her Masters in English at Miranda House, Delhi, after graduating in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram College. Her works essentially deal with the life and culture of the Khasi community of North East India. The Teachings of Elders, Khasi Myths, Legends and Folktales and About One God are three of several books that she has translated from Khasi into English. Several institutes of repute, including the Sahitya Akademi and the Institute of Folklore Studies, Bhopal, have published her short stories and critical essays. Her original works in English include A Family Secret and Other Stories.)
