- Since the times immemorial, the mode of communication between the diverse human race categorized on the lines of the country and within those demarcated boundaries has fascinated language connoisseurs to no end. Generations after generations of humans have struggled to bridge the manmade gap but to no avail. However, the beauty of human evolution gains even more acceptance and triggers unquenchable inquisitiveness amongst humankind wishing to express for wider acceptance those flow of thought processes browsing within the deep recess of the mind. Endeavor to reach out across the wider spectrum has enabled humans to become adventurous.
PC: istockphoto
- We know how the evolution witnessed by humanity over the millennium ensured the languages and the accompanying dialects essay an extremely critical role in bridging the hitherto known gap between comprehension and the intended expressions. As humankind perpetually evolves on the back of mind-boggling modern-day innovations and inventions, there is no stopping from lifting the barriers of languages that otherwise might have posed restrictions in spreading across the messages. This is where the literature as a medium gained prominence in correctly elucidating any topics under the earth and as diverse as the nations, languages, and for that matter, the human race itself.
- Conveniently, the invention and subsequent emergence of written communication in the form of literature has proved to be a big boon for humanity gracefully and impactfully establishing to serve humanity for better inferences. As you are aware, there are certain languages considered and accepted globally as the common mode of communication. And foremost amongst the numerous languages is none other than English which has gained widespread acceptance as the single most important global language preferred by the majority community. To recognize the preeminence of the English language, there are several prestigious literary awards recognized worldwide and International Booker Prize is one of the foremost amongst them.
PC: Porter Anderson
- Interestingly, this year’s Booker Prize has a greater significance for the Indian population including the diaspora spread across the universe. Geetanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell, the Hindi author and the English translator walked hand in hand up to the stage as Tomb of Sand becomes the first novel translated from Hindi to win the much-coveted prize. Indeed, this is a first for all of bhasha literature, as writing in Indian languages has peaceably come to be called thanks to renowned litterateur UR Ananthamurthy. For the uninitiated, this literature hasn’t got its worldly due because an eminent subsection of Indian writers write in English and that sufficed.
- But thanks to Geetanjali Shree, no more the case. Note that within the Indian landscape, English of course remains the commonest target language and hence the main bridge across our richly diverse linguistic spread. Also contributing to the cause is more and more literature festivals are competing to be more multilingual bringing out diverse subjects out in the open for universal consumption. As the saying goes, the limits of any language mean the limits of the world itself, translation is about overcoming these limits. Indians or people from other nations can access abundantly available literary wealth born across their vast land. Further efforts at undertaking translations would only help in enriching humanity itself. Let’s have more of it.
