Shuru Karein?

We’re starting it, tomorrow. The first translation goes up. Everything I feel and haven’t put into words is there in this line on top.

Let me try to break it down:

* Will you be as awestruck as I was when I got my hands on these regional works?

* Will you recognise the single most important fact here – that there are voices speaking in different scripts, and we’re only just beginning to hear them?

* Will you appreciate the true hero of this project: the translator?

* Do you know that anyone can be a translator, but very few choose to?

* Do you know that those who choose to translate, do so keeping aside a bunch of apprehensions – including the most important one, which is, that they’ve never translated before?

* Do you know that all these stories and opinions are individual truths and needn’t signify any overarching Truth, with a capital T?

* Have you truly understood the substance behind this project: that what we’re celebrating here is multiplicity, not singularity, whether of thoughts, or sentiments, or stories? Multiplicity and difference.

* Do you realise that the individual is only as significant as her community, and the community only as powerful as the individual?

This story was about:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I'm a writer living in Mumbai who dreams incessantly of time travel
Read more by
Ruswa

We hate spam as much as you. Enter your email address here.