Literary Odyssey
KAUSALYA SANTHANAM
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Sivasankari on the Knit India project and the manner in which it will deepen our understanding of the country. Excerpts from an interview...
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Photo: Vino John
One-woman army: Sivasankari in the cause of the nation and literature.
"It is a one-woman army," says Tamil writer Sivasankari, referring to the Knit India Through Literature project she has been working on for the past 12 years. The writer from Chennai has undertaken to crisscross the country to "introduce Indians to other Indians and bring them closer through a knowledge of each other's literary heritage and culture." Three volumes — on the South, West and East — have already been published and the fourth and final one, on the North, is in the process of being compiled. Hindi, Kashmiri, Sanskrit, Urdu and Punjabi are the languages being covered. "Seventy per cent of the work is done," she says. Each section of the books has a travelogue, interviews by Sivasankari with well-known writers, translation of their carefully chosen work and an overview of the literature of the language.
How it began
I attended a national seminar in Mysore in 1992 on a leading Black woman writer. It set me thinking how little we know about writers in our own country in the various languages. I was also inspired by Baba Amte.
Enormous task
I thought that since I was a fast worker, it would take only six years to complete. I approached the project, covering 18 languages, on three levels: home work on the region, its languages and literature; identifying the writers through State and literary bodies; then travelling to the "lion's den" as it were. Transcribing the tapes, writing and editing were the next steps. Each volume is simultaneously brought out in English and Tamil.
A highly fulfilling journey
I have been able to meet the literary giants of the country. I am deeply moved when I recall my meeting with Vaikom Mohammed Basheer. M.T. Vasudevan Nair, who accompanied me, later wrote to me how it was the last in-depth interview Basheer gave. I remember him as he gave it, sitting on the veranda of his house. Though very ill, he displayed a great sense of humour and seemed to enjoy every moment of it. Another memorable interview was the one with Sivarama Karanth. At 92, he was very fit and had a prodigious memory, recalling the time and date of every event he narrated even if it had taken place 50 years ago. When he said we should pray not just for all people but all living beings, it brought about a spiritual awakening in me.
Moments of unexpected rewards
The Nepali writer-turned-revolutionary-activist-politician, Subhas Ghising, not only agreed to meet me when I called him after reaching Darjeeling but stretched the allotted 10 minutes to 70 and then showed me around the palatial residence. The Sindhi writer Popati Hiranandani, who was suffering from a serious illness, took time to talk to me at length. Gulzar, who had picked up a copy of the first edition of Knit India at an airport, was so impressed that he agreed to meet me as soon as I contacted him later. After the first volume was published, writer Gurdial Singh wrote saying he would meet me when I worked on Punjabi literature.
Moments of grief and poignancy
The Bengali writer Subash Mukhopadyaya, who had spoken to me a few years ago, had completely lost his sense of hearing when I revisited him. The angry young writer of Manipur, Sri Biren, had become a middle-aged sick man when I went to meet him. A few writers who had answered questions with great commitment have passed way in these intervening years and I feel a sense of loss.
Disappointments and drawbacks
The Kannada writer, the late P. Lankesh did not return even one of three calls and many letters asking for an interview. I had an extensive interview with Vijay Tendulkar. But the manuscript which I sent to him for correction was returned after more than a year with the note that he couldn't find the time to correct it.
Commonalities and divergences
Except perhaps in Tamil, the first works in most other languages have been the translations of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There are pan-Indian concerns — almost all writers are worried about corruption, religious fundamentalism, violence and the onslaught of Westernisation.
There are more readers for writers in certain languages than for some others and hence more books are sold. I was offered 200 books by a Manipuri writer, who said that of the 1000 printed, just 100 had been sold! In Manipur, I was shocked to find a great writer like Sri Biren living in a run-down street in a tiny house with just the bare necessities.
Responses to the volumes
The volumes are priced quite high. They are reference books which need to be bought by universities and schools. But that is not happening. As for government support, I'd rather not talk about it. Individuals have been helpful. Some organisations, including The Hindu, financed the publication of the first volume. G.K. Moopanar was very supportive. Strangely, we are told that the English books are more expensive to produce than the Tamil books. Does that not speak volumes of the way in which regional language literature is regarded in the country when compared to English?
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