Editorial: Moment of pride
It’s a moment of immense pride for the country as Geetanjali Shree’s translated Hindi Novel, ‘Tomb of Sand’, has won the prestigious International Booker Prize, becoming the first work in any Indian language to receive the honour. Originally published in Hindi as ‘Ret Samadhi‘ in 2018, it is translated into English by Daisy Rockwell. ‘Tomb […]
It’s a moment of immense pride for the country as Geetanjali Shree’s translated Hindi Novel, ‘Tomb of Sand’, has won the prestigious International Booker Prize, becoming the first work in any Indian language to receive the honour. Originally published in Hindi as ‘Ret Samadhi‘ in 2018, it is translated into English by Daisy Rockwell. ‘Tomb of Sand’, a quirky story capturing the journey of an octogenarian woman in search of her roots, the pain of partition, love, loss and redemption, became the unanimous choice of the judges, overcoming challenges from the works of some of the more well-known authors. The international recognition for a literary work in an Indian language will help not just in kindling global interest in the rich and varied tapestry of Indian literature but also boosting the domestic publishing industry and the readership. Great literary works in regional languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi go largely unnoticed by the world because of lack of quality translations, a skill that is rare to find. Some of India’s finest literary works exist in its languages. It is time these were discovered and showcased internationally. The literary world has already acknowledged that many of the amazing writers and poets in English are Indian. The recognition for ‘Tomb of Sand’ is a big boost to the literary translations in India.
Written in a playful style, the novel is an elegy for the world we inhabit, a lasting energy that retains hope in the face of impending doom. The jury members declared that they were captivated by the power, poignancy and playfulness of the novel set in North India. It’s a luminous work of India and partition, weaving youth and age, male and female, family and nation into a kaleidoscopic whole. It is a story that examines boundaries — between nations, religions and genders — as it follows the story of Ma ji, its octogenarian protagonist, whose husband’s death pushes her into depression and forces her to assess her choices. Over time, Ma ji finds her way back into life, shedding conventions and choosing to confront the demons of her past — the trauma of partition — in an attempt to evaluate the many roles she has played through her life: mother, daughter, and, ultimately, a feminist. Reminiscent of the worlds created by Hindi novelists Krishna Sobti, Shrilal Shukla and Vinod Kumar Shukla, Shree’s book is imbued with an old-world charm and an enchanting disregard for convention. It is a narrative that breaks borders and boundaries to assert the human spirit through the protagonist and brings the richness and nuance of contemporary Hindi literature to another wider readership. The Booker Prize is one of the best-known literary awards for fiction writing and is given in two categories—those originally written in English (Booker Prize) and those translated into English (International Booker Prize).
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