The Avatars of Bhujangaiah
Unarguably, Krishna's Bhujangaiahna Dashavataragalu is the apotheosis of his narrative technique. It is a story that forever teases the reader through the characterization of Bhujangaiah, who while remaining ordinary yet step by step ascends to the spiritual world, through the narrative technique that paints the anxiety, the joy and the trauma of a rural society that is at the crossroads and through the skill of compelling the reader to meditate upon the illusions of life even as he enthusiastically tells a story with elan.
Alanahalli Sri Krishna (1947-1989) was a writer who in a period of two decades wrote four collections of poetry, three novels and three volumes of criticism to create a new wave of modernism in Kannada literature through his irrepressible zest for life, remarkable talent and creative abilities, before hastening in his almost characteristic manner away from this earth. All the three novels of his Kaadu (1972), Parasangada Gendethimma (1978) and Bhujangaiahna Dashavatara (1982) earned immense popularity and were translated into many of the Indian languages, and were successfully made into movies. In all the three novels Krishna has through "events" that resonate the innocence of childhood and the ebullience of youth has behind the screen of cultural interstices explores Man's fundamental nature such as desire, anger, hate and cruelty.
Dr. C.P. Ravichandra, who is a Professor of English in the University of Mysore, is not only known to be a competent translator but also as one who has critically theorized about the problems of translation. He is familiar with the cultural ambiance of Bhujangaiah which is replete with emotionally highly charged details and situations. He has internalized the socialist of the Linguist community in and around Mysore, which the novel uses. Professor Ravichandra has mastery over the target language which provides an exciting cultural transaction between the languages. Through this translation Ravichandra has contributed to the linguistic wealth of English, increasing the borrowing ability of the English language. A genius in Kannada has found an uninhibited expression in the climate of another language without resonating foreignness.
Get it now and save 10%
BECOME A MEMBER
Bibliographic information
C.P. Ravichandran