When language sets tone and tenor for debate about larger issues

The city reverberated with literary voices from south Indian languages on Saturday at the Book Brahma Literature Festival.

From discussions on topics ranging from poetry to autobiographies, cinema to literary fiction, the lit fest touched upon the unique sensibilities of languages from south India, which is absent in English. 

In a panel discussion on ‘The Challenges of Publishing from English to Indian Languages’, Ravi Deecee, managing partner of DC Books, said English is a bridge to translate from other South Indian languages. At times, English helps understand the original texts better, he felt. 

However, sharing his experience of working in Marathi publishing, Akil Mehta responded that in most cases, the essence of the original is lost when they use the English translation of a South Indian text as a bridge to translate it into another language. 

Shedding light on the representation of regional languages in cinema, filmmaker P Sheshadri commented on the emergence of pan-Indian cinema and how it triggered the loss of colloquial essence in a session titled ‘A Sneak Peak into Kannada Cinema’.

Abhaya Simha, a national award-winning filmmaker, added to this by sharing his experience of adapting Shakespeare’s Macbeth into Tulu and the sensibilities associated with the Tuluva culture. 

In a panel discussion on ‘Gender Sensitivity in South Indian Languages’, Human Rights activist Akkai Padmashali remarked on the struggle of gender and sexual minorities in asserting their identities. 

Malavika (Lakshman) underscored the absence of the transgender community’s narratives in literature and the challenges faced in publishing their stories.

Malavika (Lakshman) emphasized the importance of including their experiences in textbooks to eradicate discrimination against future generations.   

Kannada author Vasudhendra told DH, “This festival is giving us, the writers of South India, more confidence about our work. This is indeed a major milestone. There is no doubt that literature from Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu are thriving.”

He added that the lit fest has given South Indian writers a platform which was absent in other lit fests. 

The festival concludes on Sunday.