A treasure trove for non-Kannada readers

This is perhaps the first time Yakshagana compositions have been translated into English effectively.

This book is a window to medieval Kannada literature and is aimed at non-Kannada readers. C N Ramachandran and B A Viveka Rai, two erudite professors, have produced this milestone work.

Medieval Kannada Literature: A Reader fills a much-needed void as non-Kannada readers can now get a glimpse of Kannada literature spanning 700 years, between the 12th and 19th centuries. It complements the authors’ ‘Classical Kannada Poetry and Prose: A Reader’ which traces Kannada literature between the fifth and the 13th centuries. That book came out in 2015.

Authentic works that chronicle medieval Kannada literature in English translation are rare. Earlier attempts either lacked quality or were narrow in approach. This work touches on the highest peaks of the era, analysing how medieval Kannada experimented with new forms and styles to establish a native cultural identity.

The 10 chapters cover 82 vachanas, 97 satpadis, 60 Haridasa compositions, 70 sangatya verses, and selections from tatwa pada and Yakshagana compositions. Medieval prose and Sataka poetry are covered as well.

Each of these forms gets a chapter, with its history being delineated and major writers and their works being presented in English translation. The book discusses 32 composers and traces accounts of the period found in documentations of oral narratives such as Kaifiyats, Bakhairs and Naames.

A note on the diacritical marks comes in useful to understand the pronunciation of local words.

The authors say ‘the criterion for selection and translation from such a vast body of literature was a challenge.’ They eventually chose works ‘going beyond sectarian considerations.’ Compositions with popular appeal make it to the selection. Controversial ones don’t.

This is perhaps the first time that Yakshagana compositions have been translated into English effectively. ‘Individual friendship’ between the authors and ‘institutional (Hampi Kannada University) compulsions’ to acquaint foreign readers with medieval Kannada literature propelled this path-breaking work.

The Kannada poetry of the era is diverse and inclusive and was produced in a period of flux marked by the complexity of language. A technique termed visual equivalence (retaining the number of lines in a poetic composition in translation), deployed by Ramachandran and Rai, is mostly new as far as literary translations from Kannada to English are concerned.

The literary evolution of the period is traced by genre rather than chronology. The claim that ‘the work has fulfilled twin objectives of fidelity to the original text and intelligibility to the intended reader’ is mostly justified.

As medieval Kannada poetry, inclusive, multifaceted and democratic in nature, was produced in a complex period in terms of language and literature, this book took over two years to complete.

The authors avoid archaic and pedantic language and write in an everyday style. The glossary and bibliography benefit scholars taking up any study of medieval Indian literature, and are sure to be of particular interest to those interested in Bhakti literature.

The book derives from the authors’ advanced knowledge and understanding of a glorious period in history when every section of Kannada society participated in literary activity and contributed significantly to it. This work, remarkable in terms of substantiality and representation of medieval Kannada literature, will open up a hitherto hidden treasure trove to non-Kannada readers.