Margins to mainstream

With two International Booker Prizes in three years, India’s modern publishing practices begin to embrace more diversity in translation

- FAIZAL KHAN

“WHO CARES IF Mahar lives or dies,” says a policeman in Marathi writer Shankarrao Kharat’s novel, Taral Antaral,a stinging critique of atrocities against Dalits first published in 1981.

Based on Kharat’s own life as a member of the Dalit Mahar community in Maharashtra, Taral Antaral was a rude awakening for readers who were suddenly presented with a new anti-caste language in Marathi literature.

A close associate of BR Ambedkar, Kharat was one of the earliest voices in Marathi literature championing class and caste struggle with his powerful novels and short stories. More than four decades later, literary works in Indian languages about people living on the fringes of society are more visible across the country, thanks to resilient modern publishing practices that embrace diversity intranslation.

There is a curious anecdote about Kharat and Ambedkar mentioned in the literature on caste and struggles by Ashoka University’s Centre for Translation, which aims to translate material from many Indian languages into many other Indian languages. It talks about a conversation between Ambedkar and Kharat. According to writer and poet Yogesh Maitreya, Ambedkar is heard telling Kharat: “We have doctors, engineers, lawyers, and many educated people in our community but we don’t have writers. Our community’s literature needs to be established all over India. You must take on this responsibility.’ Adds Maitreya, “That moment led to the birth of a writer in Shankarrao Kharat. Since then, Kharat has been unstoppable, writing six novels, eight short story collections, an autobiography, and several nonfiction books—all focused on the issues important to the Dalits’ struggle.”