"two by premchand", translations by prasenjit gupta Options

[arnab]

another subcontinent is proud to present translations by prasenjit gupta of two short stories by premchand: "rasik sampaadak" and "motar ke chhiten". these translations are now available on our home page. we invite you to read them and discuss both the stories and the translations (and related issues) here. prasenjit gupta will join the discussion.

this is the second time another subcontinent has featured prasenjit's translations. we published "the happy life", prasenjit's translation of chandradhar sharma guleri's short story, "sukhmay jivan", in the summer of 2005. the discussion of that translation is here.

[Rumali Roti]

Premchand is especially gifted in revealing to his reader the character of the subject through the subject's inner thoughts. I can never forget this line from Godan, "Can a two-eyed man ever feel the hurt that a one-eyed man feels at the taunt of being called a one eyed man?"

In Motar ke Chhiten, the narrator says, "I accept invitations only after considering the client's generosity. If someone looks worried while he feeds me, my appetite vanishes."

Prasenjit, can you tell us when Motar ki Chhiten was written so we have an idea as to how common (or uncommon) the sight -- and splashing! -- of a motor car might have been?

From what language did you translate these two stories -- Hindi (or Urdu or Bhojpuri)?

Could you give the original statement from which "Pandit-ji, you is my father!" came?

I love how well Premchand portrays the politics of power: caste over caste, rich over poor, male over female, person-with-rank over street guy in his stories. Thanks for making these works accessible to us.

This post has been edited by roshna: Aug 18 2006, 10:49 PM

[arnab]

roshna, the original publication history of a lot of premchand's stories is not clear. it would be great if there are premchand scholars reading along who could fill in some of the original publication information for us. i have two other translation compilations at hand in which different translations of "motar ke chhiten" appear. neither lists a date or original source, but one describes it as a late story--so, perhaps from the 30s.

i think prasenjit translated the stories as collected in the 8 volume "mansarovar" compilation. and so the translation would have been from the hindi text. the language question is interesting since premchand wrote in urdu most of his life, having his stories and novels transliterated into devnagari after the fact. so while translators may translate from one or the other final text it is difficult to say which language they were written in--and of course many maintain that urdu and hindi are the same language with two scripts.

i don't believe premchand ever wrote in bhojpuri, though i could be wrong. i am very far from being a premchand scholar.

[prasenjit gupta]

Could you give the original statement from which "Pandit-ji, you is my father!" came?

Arnab, thanks for addressing Roshna's other questions.

Roshna, the original line was "Panditji, aap mera baap hai!" Translating nonstandard grammar is often tricky, as you know, and I wrestled with the line about giving him in the police. I did want to get the bad grammar across, though.

Thanks for reading---
Prasenjit

[Rumali Roti]

Translating nonstandard grammar is often tricky, as you know, and I wrestled with the line about giving him in the police. I did want to get the bad grammar across, though.

Shabaash! It's perfect.

[Sridhar]

Roshna: I have read the original story "Motar ki chhii.nte.n" (perhaps in my Hindi textbook in school many years ago). But I went back to read it again last night before reading the translation. It is definitely in Hindi, not in Urdu. There are a large number of words that somebody who knows only Urdu would find hard to understand, but none that a somebody trained in Hindi would not understand. That may give some clues about when it was written (Premchand started off writing in language that would be called Urdu, but switched later in life to Hindi).


Prasenjit: Please accept my congratulations for a wonderful translation. The translation of the Anglicized (grammatically incorrect) Hindi is ingenious. However, I am not sure it helps paint the portrait of the person that Premchand used this for - of an Anglicized brown sahib who does not even know how to speak the "native" language. But I can't think of a better way of communicating it either. Once again, thanks for sharing this work with us.

I will read the other story tonight and its translation.

This post has been edited by Sridhar: Aug 30 2006, 09:38 PM

[Rumali Roti]

Thanks Sridhar,

Regarding your second comment,

I am not sure it helps paint the portrait of the person that Premchand used this for - of an Anglicized brown sahib who does not even know how to speak the "native" language.

earlier in the story, this sentence

He drew back his fist and said in bad Hindi, "Pig, I'll give you in the police."

adequately tells the reader about the sahib's incompetence with language, no?.

[Sridhar]

Yes. I seem to have missed that when I wrote my comment. Thanks for pointing me to it.

This post has been edited by Sridhar: Aug 31 2006, 02:54 AM

[frangipani]

Prasenjit, thank you for translating these stories: I liked both of them very much, and would like to read these in the originals someday. Both are very funny but also very sad at the same time.

Motar ki Chhinten was my favourite of the two. the way the onlookers laugh at the fellow's predicament and then join the action later is hilarious. The sheer spontaneity and action come through very well. I imagined Raghuvir Yadav/Mungeri Lal as the protagonist as I was reading it, somehow.

I wonder whether Premchand is making a specific point about the proliferation of pop litt. magazines aimed at women at this time? "Dear Editor" is not really poking fun at the genre of "women's writing" that proliferated from the 1920s, but at the same time it seems to lament it in some way, no? Couldn't quite figure out how to read that.

[Sridhar]

I read Rasik Sampadak and its translation last night. A wonderful translation once again.

[prasenjit gupta]

Frangipani, I appreciate your kind words about the translations, and Sridhar, yours too, especially since you read both the Hindi stories and the translations. Many thanks--
Prasenjit

[milagai]

roshna, the original publication history of a lot of premchand's stories is not clear. it would be great if there are premchand scholars reading along who could fill in some of the original publication information for us. i have two other translation compilations at hand in which different translations of "motar ke chhiten" appear. neither lists a date or original source, but one describes it as a late story--so, perhaps from the 30s.

Hi: I'm reviving my question that I posted ages ago on anothersub....

Can anyone help me locate an approximate publication date and other
citation information for Premchand's novella Boorhi Kaki?

I've had no luck so far...

Thanks ...

Milagai