MRP Project Report
“Globalisation of Odia Classics: Translating the short stories of Fakir Mohan Senapati into English”
Fakir Mohan was a master craftsman in modern prose literature. For creation of prose in Odia literature his life was the only suitable source. In the last part of 19th century there was the necessity of genuine Odisha to create pure prose literature. During the last thirty years of the past century the unbecoming campaign of nonOdia language that continued against Odia language, only continued against Odia language, only a pure Odia was needed to obstruct its way. He was the only symbol of this necessity. Fakir Mohan wrote: “At that time the English and Parsi educated Babus of the country felt it to be humiliation to touch the Odia books or speak Odia correctly. The society also did not accept prose literature. The people were incapable of reading prose. They were reading the parables like songs in high time. But when read as song if there was so rhyming they threw away the books. In this situation, Fakir Mohan first took step for the writing of biography and history. Before him some prose books were published, but the language employed was imitative in nature.
What is true for Oriya literature in English translation is more or less truefor literature from other states of India. Globalization, in many subtle ways, devalues the ‘local’ and encourages a homogenization of culture. Here, translation has a role to play in establishing the uniqueness of the ‘local’, in this instance, Orissa or India. Translation assumes a vital importance, for it establishes dialogues between language and culture and acquaints communities with other ways of looking at life andexperience. In so doing, translation helps build traditions of tolerance which we need ifwe don’t want our world to slideinto .
Translation is the force that makes it possible to imagine such a map - a map that, when fully sketched in, would represent a wonderland of literary riches from diverse languages, all made intelligible to one another
Fakir Mohan Senapati (1843-1918) father of Odia novel and short stories is also the first Indian novelist to use vernacular language and rustic characters and dialogues in the fiction. His fiction Chha Mana Anthaguntha (Six Acres and Half), written forty years before Premchand’s Godan was a masterpiece on many accounts. For depiction of a vivid and pathetic picture of rural poors’ oppressed by the Zamindars and upper class people Chha Mana Anthaguntha should be taken as a specimen of first progressive novel. Fakir Mohan’s talents are not confined to the literary pursuits only. He is the saviour of Odia language and literature. At time when there was a serious conspiracy to finish Odia language by dividing them into Bengal and Madras presidency and central province, Fakir Mohan stood as beacon light to save Odia language and literature from extinction. He brought a Printing Press by bullock cart from Calcutta to Balasore in 1868; wrote textbooks in Odia to prevent Bengali access; published Sambada Bahika and Bodhadayini at Balasore. Fakir Mohan also organized public meetings and published articles in Utkal Deepika challenging the move for abolition of Odia - a rich and ancient language spoken by millions of people. He aroused public opinions to confront this conspiracy. With the help of John Beams – district collector of Balasore Fakir Mohan started the language agitation movement for preservation of Odia language.
His contribution to Odia language and its revival is immense. He has translated the Mahabharata, the Geeta, the Ramayana and Boudhavatar Kavya into simple Odia Verse. He started his career as a teacher of MissionSchool at Balasore. In the second phase of his life Fakir Mohan worked as Dewan in the princely states of Nilgiri, Dampada, Dhenkanal, Daspalla, Pallahada and Keonjhar. As an administrator Fakir Mohan was very efficient and successful. During Keonjhar Praja Meli (people’s agitation) he escaped very cunningly writing a symbolic letter to the king.
The time to which Fakir Mohan survived was the Dark Age in the history. The famous Na anka Famine occurred in 1866. It disordered and distorted the economic and social condition of Odisha. It has been reflected in his stories, Dak Munshi (The Post Master), Sabhya Zamindar (The Educated Feudal Lord) and even in the fiction Chhaman Atha guntha (Six Acres and Eight Gunthas)
He is yet unsurpassable, so far as the Odia fiction is concerned. Most of his short stories reflect the conflict between western and eastern culture and tradition. He has highlighted, too, the superstitious beliefs cherished by the rural people. Rebati can be taken as an illustration. Its pathetic tone is beyond comparison. The grand old mother represents the old belief and tradition, whereas, the teacher Basu and Rebati represent modern generation. Gopal in Dak Munshi represents new generation taught in western education. Fakir Mohan has denounced the new educated youths vehemently, who blindly initiated the western lifestyle. Hari Singh is the true specimen of Indian life and culture, though his son Gopal, the so called affluent, a Babu, has been influenced by the English style. His Patent Medicine is artistic and didactic.
He is the national hero, the leader of linguistic battle and pioneer of Odia prose fiction, protector of Odia language and literature. In words of Dr. J.V. Boulton Fakir Mohan is the Gorky of Odisha. Durbar of Damapada state conferred on him the enviable title Saraswati. Dr. Mayadhar Mansingh calls him Thomas Hardy of Odisha. People call him the forerunner of Premchand and the first Indian author to deal with social realism through rustics and pastoral theme. Fakir Mohan has contributed only four novels and twenty five stories which endowed him the title of Katha Samrat (Emperor of Fiction) of the literature. He is a great genius, a versatile personality and an ardent literary artist in true sense of the term. This great son of our soil breathed his last on June 14, 1918 at Balasore before Odisha had become a separate province.
A great many of the Odia writers have not been adequately translated into English or Hindi, the two major link languages for the non-Odia readership; this anomaly needs urgent attention of the authorities concerned. Translation as a literary activity has not garnered enough institutionalized support, and is often left to the responsibility of the individual authors.
The epics and classics when translated in English become an important part in Indian English literature. Translated texts when taught to the students, increase their creativity and English translations popularize the Indian tradition among the scholars. Translations of regional drama also serve as a pillar for the emergence of ―national theatre‟ into which the streams of theatrical art seem to converge. The translations have forged a link between the east and west, north and south and they contributed to the growing richness of contemporary creative consciousness.
The term ‗Globalization‘ in itself is self-explanatory. It is an international platform for maintaining consistency in the living mode of the people all over the world. Globalization is the resultant of the interchange of worldly views, opinions and the various aspects of the culture everywhere around the world. This is the means for providing an international arena for intermingling of people from different sectors, culture and dialects and learns to move and approach socially without hurting and affecting each others‘ prestige. Being Global means a change in one‘s view of looking at life, Values, Culture & Language. This aspect has been captured wonderfully by Writers all over the World. This paper Presents Girish Karnad‘s ―The Fire & the Rain‖ in the light of the concept of Globalization and its various effects.
The interchange of world views and ideas has resulted in a major transformation of the lifestyle and living standards of people globally. Indian culture is no exception to this transformation process. With the emergence of globalization, our deep rooted traditions and customs have loosened up their hold. India has a rich cultural background which is famous throughout the world. Globalization has not only helped in the westernization of India, but conversely, the Indian culture has also spread its impact globally. Culture and traditions of any geographic region hold a special significance with respect to their uniqueness and that is the differentiating factor for a population within a geographic boundary. This uniqueness has been disturbed in varying degrees in lieu of globalization. Such an impact is very much pronounced when they hit a developing country like India.
I am excited about translating 10 short stories of Fakir Mohan Senapati. Those stories are “Rebati, Patent Medicine, Dakmunsi, Sabhya Jamidar, Pathoi bahu, Garudi Mantra, Adharma Bitta, Suna Bahu, Randi Pua Ananta, and Dhulia Baba” which are some of the master poieces of Fakir Mohan. I have done the translation for the young readers, especially the English-medium ones, most of whom are little aware about the brilliant humour of Fakir Mohan Senapati, the father of modern Odia short story.
This project has translations of the celebrated storyteller's ten masterpieces, includingRebati, Patent Medicine, Daka Munshiand Randi Pua Anta, which were written over a century ago "but still have the same attraction" The present collection contains English translation of ten stories in Odia written by fakir Mohan Senapati (1843-1918). All these stories are noted for graphic details of the locality , keen observation of the social trends, the writer’s awareness of the lack of medical facilities in rural areas of illiteracy and superstitions; the presence of colonial rule is also evident in these stories. For all these qualities in his writings Fakir Mohan is recognized as the first modern Odia writer who paved the way for realistic stories , deviating from the prevalent tales with their “one up on a time” ambience written in the backdrop of northern Odisha during the colonial period , Rebati is powerful tragic story in which an old woman witnesses the death of her only son Shyamabandhu , a faithful tax collector working under the local land lord, and of her daughter in law caused by the epidemic of cholera that devastated the area. The oppressive administrative system is evident in the utter disgrace to which Shyamabandhu’s mother and his only daughter were thrown after his demise. The two milky cows were seized by the man of the land lord and the land that had been given to Shyamabandhu for maintaining his family in lieu of his service was immediately taken back. The only well wisher of the family , Basudev the village teacher , being the latest victim of cholera , the old woman lost all support to live on and was destined to witness the death of her grand daughter Rebati whom she had held responsible for the tragedy , because of the later’s sin of trespassing the limit for women through her attempt to e literate. .According to the superstitions, women, all of them are destined to die because Rebati committed the sin and three others encouraged and supported her sin , while the old woman herself , unable to resist the sin , was destined to suffer as the witness of the massacre. The author’s skill lies in the objective rendering of the pathetic situation caused by the lack of sanitation and medical facilities in colonial India , mixed with the old woman’s superstitions view of her life , her firm faith that Rebati was the cause of behind the havoc that elevated the pathos in the story to a tragic sense of loss.
The theme of the story “Patient medicine” is surprisingly feminist, depicting in a funny way how a drug edict was cured after he had been beaten with a broom by his wife. The Post master is an ironic presentation of te blind imitation of the new way of life taken up by some English educated young men in Indian cities during 19th century. “The cultured landlord “ is an ironic story of the out come of a blind imitation of the Babu culture , a new way of life adopted by some English educated youth in Calcutta during colonial period in an Indian village. The loferate daughter in law reveals in a funny way of necessity of women’s education. The author could not, of course, imagine a scene of dressed up women attending offices in the morning but felt the necessity of educating girls so that they could read religious scriptures and understand the meaning of the words uttered by educated man. “Garudi Mantra” is also a funny story displaying Senapati’s view on the necessity of mutual love in conjugal relationship. “Ill got wealth” throws light on the exploitation of the poor villagers by the greedy money lenders even during the early 20th Century. The illiterate villagers are often cheated as they would give their finger prints on government papers not knowing that their landed property got mortgaged. The theme of “Good daughter in Law” though unpalatable to modern mind for dictating the ways of exploiting house wives , may be viewed as an authentic description of the social practices of the time when household duty was the only duty meant for women fold. “Ananta, the widow’s son” is a short of character sketch based on some stray incidents in the life on an adolescent boy Ananta, the son of a widow, the boy was pampered by his mother who possessed enough physical strength to unburden on attacking bull and who was much prod of being widow of a British Man’s Jamadar, demanding special status for her late husbands service. The last story of the “The Dusty Monk” portraits a greedy saint who would be fool the mass by using tricks to show his intimacy with the God and his capacity to perform what ever he wishes. The accidental death of the dusty monk and his disciples while performing a trick indicates the writer’s faith in poetic justice.
Fakir Mohan’s stories were not modeled on the modern western short story- say the stories of Maupassant or of the O’ Henry – in which a single incident revealing some characteristic trait of the principal character of indicating a turn of events is focused narration in typical Indian style of story telling in which the narrator takes the liberty of moving from one incident to other, covering a wide span and ignoring the theory of evoking single emotion. Surprisingly, yet , he keeps away from authorial comment and maintains objectivity. As realistic portraits of rural Odisha during the colonial days , these stories demand serious discussion in the context of Indian literature and translation of his stories into English is the first step towards such venture.
Dr Subhranshu Kumar Mohapatra
Lecturer in English, U.N.College, Soro, Balasore