IN my 44 years of publishing experience in Telugu, I have seen continuous devaluation of Telugu when compared to English—from a section of readers (snob value of English), from English language publishers ( high royalty payments in spite of being aware of the cost of translation into Telugu, which doesn’t receive grants as English language books do), from managers of literary events, and from the English language media. Some of the best-loved writers whom Indians read and have grown up with, have written in Indian languages. Despite this, why is writing and publishing in Indian languages so devalued today?
While the number of Indians writing in English has gone up astronomically, contemporary Indian language writers like B Jeyamohan, Hareesh, Perumal Murugan, Indira Goswami, Charu Nivedita, N S Madhavan, K R Meera, Benyamin, Daya Pawar, Manoranjan Byapari, and Imayam, among others, have a huge fan following. However, this is not reflected in the Books sections of newspapers and magazines, and at literary festivals.
Translations into English have been at the mercy of multinational publishing houses. Let us call them what they are—when we don’t hesitate to call Nestle or Coca Cola multinationals, why not call Penguin or HarperCollins the same? Aren’t Oxford University Press and Cambridge colonial presses? All of them are based on capital coming in from the West in search of newer markets and greater profits, trawling the hitherto sacred world of Indian language literature. Their shareholders control them.
Denne historien er fra March 11, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra March 11, 2024-utgaven av Outlook.
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The 'Invisible' Dalits
The debate over sub-categorisation of castes is likely to shape the political discourse in the upcoming state elections
Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
Actor-director Rajat Kapoor talks about adapting Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov into a Hindi play
Mad Hatter
When a leader takes off his topi and holds it in his hands while appealing for votes, it signals something extraordinary
Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
The Maratha reservation question may continue to mire the next government in the state
The 69% Exception
Quota within quota: lessons to be learned from Tamil Nadu
United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.
