By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Panchlight & Other Stories, eminent writer Rakhshanda Jalil’s English translation of a collection of short stories by one of Hindi’s foremost writer Phanishwar Nath Renu, was released by Jawahar Sircar, Secretary, Union Ministry of Culture, on 17th February at India International Centre, in the presence of a galaxy of noted writers including Harish Trivedi, Sudhir Chandra and Mushirul Hassan.
The stories in this collection are set in rural Bihar, a world of poverty, ignorance, helplessness, superstition and exploitation. The characters are the landless, the disenfranchised and the marginalized. Phanishwar Nath Renu wrote of passions spent, hurts unresolved, dreams unfulfilled, in the context of a changing world and a crumbling social order, thus making the appeal of the stories universal.
L-R: Jawahar Sircar, Rakhshanda Jalil, Harish Trivedi, Sudhir Chandra
“It is pity to put regional Indian literature in pigeon’s hole. It is pity that Renu has been branded as a regional writer. In fact, Renu should be read in textbooks like Premchand,” said Rakhshanda Jalil, author of several books.
“Abba, who was an Urdu person, suggested me to translate Renu. I started reading Renu in 1993. I have translated it, now the audience will judge it,” she said. Panchlight & Other Stories has been published by Orient BlackSwan, new version of Orient Longman.
Earlier launching the book, Jawahar Sircar, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, stressed on cross translation of Indian literature. “Cross translation of Indian literature should be given more attention. Cross translation will strengthen the bond of Indian literature. English will make its own way,” Sircar said.
He, however, also pitched for bringing Indian literature to the literary world. “How many people outside India know about Indian writers except Premchand,” Sircar asked and called for translation of Indian literature in top five UN languages other than English, like Spanish, Arabic and Russian.