Tamil Nadu   

He bridges Russian, English and Tamil cultures through his translations

He is an English professor with a penchant for translating English works into Tamil.

He has translated 90 original English works into Tamil in genres ranging from fiction, philosophy, economics, history, biography and politics to children's stories, still he modestly says that what he has done in the field of translation is very less.

Passionate about translation, he is a voracious reader, having read the writings of Maxim Gorky, Pushkin and Tolstoy. He has translated many of their works into Tamil. He has the vision and foresight to capture the essence of English writing in Tamil.

He is also one of the founders of the Madurai Kamaraj University Teachers' Association in 1970. As an educationist, he has fought for the cause of teachers and sacrificed his job twice.

His deep understanding of the culture of the erstwhile Soviet Union and Marxian philosophy fetched him a career in translation in Moscow in 1980.

During his seven-and-a-half-year tenure there he translated and published 60 books. Impressed with his dedication, post-modernism writer Sundaram Ramaswamy (who died in the United States recently) wanted him to be honoured with a Sahitya Akademi award for translation.

He has received many awards including the Thanjavur Tamil University Award for best translator in 1986, Swaminatha Sharma Award by Swaminatha Sharma Trust, Chennai, in 2004, Tamil Nadu Translators' Association Award in 2005 and Ilakkiya Perumandram Award for his work Michael K. Sila Kurippukal, which is a translation of the Nobel prize winning novel The life and times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee. For a person with 45 years of service in the field, he feels strong and bubbles with enthusiasm.

Meet the prolific 71-year-old N. Dharmarajan, who was in the Temple City on Saturday to participate in a felicitation function organised by the Tamil Nadu Gandhi Smarak Nidhi. He found time amidst a tight schedule to share his experiences and views on translation with T. Saravanan.

"Translation is not a cinch, as you have to imbibe the spirit of the novel and try to retain it. You have to assimilate the unspoken voice of the work." Professor Dharmarajan is right as one can find that some of the good translators are good writers too.

"Take, for instance, Russian writer Boris Pasternack, who is also a good poet in the Russian language. He has translated Shakespeare's works with aplomb," the professor says.

Being an English professor helped him understand the subtle nuances of the language and apply them in translations. "Tamil grammar is so flexible that you can express any feeling found in English works. The poems of William Wordsworth have some of the traits found in Sangam literature. Tamil offers plenty of scope for translating literary works of other languages," he says.

"Good translation is a must for the society. Some of the best views and creative works should be made available for aspiring writers to shape themselves better and for better understanding of other cultures. One has to understand that Tamil literature prospered during the period when the best writings of other countries were available for readers," Prof. Dharmarajan says.

The spark

Commenting on his formative years, he shares: "It was a period of socio-political ferment in Tamil Nadu started by Bharathidasan, E.V. Ramasamy Naicker and C.N. Annadurai, who emphasised the importance of Tamil and empowerment of backward classes. It kindled revolutionary impulses and created a big impact in me and a lot of people took pride in learning Tamil."

From then on there was no looking back for the professor. He started translating Gorky's collection of stories, which was published as Itthaliya Kathaigal (Tales of Italy) in 1962.

He also captured the essence of apartheid in his Thennappirikka Kathaigal, a translation of some of the protest writings of South African writers.

Second innings

In the meantime, he was fed up with the tactics of some of the publishers, which kept him away from writing for a brief period.

His second innings started when poet Meera persuaded him to continue writing.

His Oru Kudumbathin Kathai and Nilavu Vandhu Padumo, translation of the works of Russian writer Chedrin and American writer John Steinbeck respectively, were well received by the public.

He still remembers his most popular translation work, Biography of Jawaharlal Nehru by Russian writers Gorav and Zimyanin. "More than 50,000 copies were printed and sold in Tamil Nadu."

"My work, Mahatma Sila Paarvaikal (Mahatma, some views), a selection of articles, would be a good introduction to the life, struggles and message of Mahatma Gandhi," he says.

A journey, which started in 1958 with the article Uzaipaliyin Sanga Naatham, a translation of The Worker Blows the Bugle by Sean O' K.C., is still going strong as he is interested in translating the works of K.M. Panicker, Rafick Zakaria and especially Raj Mohan Gandhi's Towards Understanding the Muslim Mind.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

He bridges Russian, English and Tamil cultures through his translations
Watch your sugar level closely
Films energise me, says `promising star'
`I am happy to interact with the audience'
Velachery, not Venice
10-day mega crafts bazaar begins
Goldenrock workshop readies to handle General Motors locos
Jayalalithaa orders relief package to all flood-affected families in the State
Briefly

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu