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By:

Dr. Kailash Atkare

24 June 2025 at 1:30:23 pm

Fakira in Translation: Preserving a Revolutionary Legacy

The sublime ideology of translation is aptly expressed by R. Parthasarathy, who describes translation as the oxygen of language, and by Walter Benjamin, who states that translation is not merely a matter of words but of making culture intelligible. This philosophy is exemplified by the eminent translator, distinguished academician, administrator, and humanist Prof. Dr. Baliram Gaikwad through his artistic English translation of Fakira, the groundbreaking Marathi novel by Sahitya Ratna...

Fakira in Translation: Preserving a Revolutionary Legacy

The sublime ideology of translation is aptly expressed by R. Parthasarathy, who describes translation as the oxygen of language, and by Walter Benjamin, who states that translation is not merely a matter of words but of making culture intelligible. This philosophy is exemplified by the eminent translator, distinguished academician, administrator, and humanist Prof. Dr. Baliram Gaikwad through his artistic English translation of Fakira, the groundbreaking Marathi novel by Sahitya Ratna Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe. India has a rich tradition of translation, deeply rooted in its multilingual and multicultural fabric. Mulk Raj Anand explored this tradition in his essay The Importance of English, presenting a perspective free from colonialism. This view aptly justifies the translation of Fakira. Annabhau Sathe was a great social revolutionary, writer, reformer, and people's activist, educated in the school of experience. Fakira, his magnum opus, portrays both an individual and a symbol of resistance against systemic oppression. The narrative traces Fakira's transformation from a victim of caste-based exploitation into a rebel challenging the feudal and colonial order, echoing the spirit of social justice movements inspired by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Deeply rooted in the lived realities of marginalised communities, particularly the Dalit experience in colonial India, Fakira stands as a groundbreaking work. It narrates the class and caste struggle of a hero committed to the welfare of ordinary people while unfolding a saga of social, political, economic, and spiritual awakening through a humanitarian approach. The novel reflects Dr. Ambedkar's philosophy, his struggle against slavery and untouchability, and the spirit of rebellion. Through Fakira, Sathe upholds moral integrity, a strong code of ethics, respect for women, social values, justice, courageous leadership, and the pursuit of freedom. One memorable episode illustrates these ideals. During a raid to seize hoarded wealth, a frightened woman pleads, "Take whatever wealth you want, but please do not dishonour my daughter." Fakira replies, "I am not that kind of man. We are not here to touch anyone's honour. We only take what is unjustly hoarded. Your daughter is like our own sister." Translation is a challenging undertaking, and Dr. Baliram Gaikwad has done full justice to Fakira. By crossing linguistic and regional boundaries, he has made this remarkable work accessible to readers worldwide without diluting its cultural specificity. Translating a work so deeply rooted in regional idiom, folklore, and socio-political context is no easy task. The translator successfully retains the earthy texture of Sathe's prose. Artistic creation, translational finesse, and aesthetic values—the pillars of translation—are reflected throughout his work, enabling readers to experience the emotional intensity and narrative vigour of the original. The rustic dialogues are translated with sensitivity, preserving both authenticity and clarity. The novel stands as a counter-narrative to mainstream literary traditions that have historically marginalised voices from the lower strata of society. Fakira is not merely a character but a collective consciousness representing the aspirations and struggles of an oppressed community. By exposing caste discrimination, poverty, and injustice, the novel challenges romanticised notions of rural life and may be regarded as a precursor to the assertive voice of Dalit literature in modern Indian writing. Although certain nuances of Marathi—its rhythm, cultural connotations, and oral storytelling tradition—are inevitably difficult to reproduce, Dr. Gaikwad addresses these challenges through careful lexical choices and contextual framing. Fakira explores resistance, dignity, and identity, moving far beyond the Robin Hood archetype. The protagonist wages a multilayered struggle against British rule, feudalism, caste oppression, and poverty. Despite enduring caste discrimination, economic exploitation, and humiliation, Fakira and his community fight with dignity, courage, and exceptional nationalist fervour. This layered portrayal elevates the novel from a socio-political document to a profound literary work, while its straightforward narrative effectively sustains dramatic tension and emotional engagement. Dr Gaikwad's balanced use of language, rustic idioms, folk expressions, and region-specific dialect creates a simple, lucid, and accessible English style, making the translation ofFakira a successful bridge between regional literature and global readership. As Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak observed, a translator must surrender to the text. Dr. Gaikwad has fulfilled this responsibility with sincerity, making a valuable contribution to Indian literature in translation. Fakira is a manifestation of India's rural revolution. The protagonist joins the freedom movement and contributes to the larger struggle for social change.
(The writer is an assistant professor of English literature. Views personal.)

Why is Mamata Seeing Ghost of Bangladesh?

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Why is Mamata Seeing Ghost of Bangladesh?

Mamata is seeing a ghost of Bangladesh behind the massive outrage and waves of protest over rape and murder of the trainee doctor. And the reasons are many.

It’s been over a fortnight. Yet with each passing day the voice of protest is getting louder and stronger. From the streets of Kolkata it’s pouring into roads of hinterland. The cry for justice for a rape victim has consolidated into a wail of demands to set a lot of wrongdoings right. Here in lies the fear and trepidation. Wasn’t the issue that brought the youth of Bangladesh out on the thoroughfares a simple, innocent one of quota reform?

The chief minister of Bengal, known for understanding the pulse of people better than many, was quick to read the signages floating in the political horizon.

The most obvious reason for her to be tensed is that both the regime change in Bangladesh and the mass protest in Bengal, were student-driven to begin with. The two incidents---end of 15 year old Sheikh Hasina government and turbulence in West Bengal, over the heinous crime, falling back to back, the first on August 5th and the latter from August 9th onwards, give natural scope for comparisons. More so, because in both the cases the movement strayed beyond an affected constituency to include aggrieved people at large, cutting across socio-economic demography. If the quota reform protest started by students in Bangladesh became a mass uprising against an autocratic regime, the campaign demanding justice for the rape victim and overall safety and security of women in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal soon snowballed into a movement of no-confidence against the government. Slogans--”Mamata must resign” also got floated in social media much in line with the call for ouster of Sheikh Hasina. In fact “Resignation of Hasina” became the single point agenda into which all other fringe demands coalesced.

Incidentally, even before people started drawing parallels, that there could be a thread of commonality in the way the upheaval in Bangladesh and Bengal played out, Mamata was quick to point out that the Opposition were trying to pull off a Bangladesh by politicizing the tragic incident: “A coordinated approach has been executed by the BJP and the CPIM with support from the Centre to defame Bengal and exploit the situation....They want to make a Bangladesh here. They are taking cues from student unrest in Bangladesh and are attempting to capture similarly. I have no longing for the chair. I came here to serve people.”

Not only Mamata, her political lieutenants are consistently equating the turmoil in Bengal with the mayhem in Bangladesh. Cabinet minister for North Bengal development Udayan Guha threatened to take stern action against those, who would be trying to exploit the situation by emulating a Bangladesh like movement. “ Even after the hospital was vandalised, the police did not open fire on anyone. The police will not allow a Bangladesh type situation. We will not allow Bengal to turn into Bangladesh, Guha thundered.

Is the government’s fear unfounded?

Apart from the similarities on ground zero, as to how and where the future course of events are heading to, there are ample reasons for Bengal to mull on-- as to what led to a Bangladesh like boiling point. To begin with, it’ll be appropriate to talk of Bangladesh and the prevailing situation, that made the students’ protest become big in magnitude. The students were out on the streets because of a high reservation in public jobs. Unemployment and stagnant job market in private sector coupled with a high rate of inflation drove the educated youth to rebel against the government.

But soon the students found enormous number of sympathisers, who were equally at the receiving end. According to Bangladesh citizens, the last two terms of the Sheikh Hasina government were a mockery of democracy. Even elections would be compromised. As Hasina grew from strength to strength, she politicized institutions. The rank and file of police owed allegiance to the ruling dispensation. Extortion, harrassment and raids by police and people in power became rampant. An atmosphere of fear and repression reigned and people got restless to overthrow the government.

Politicization of institutions has been happening in Mamata government too. Allegations are quite strong that police in Bengal functions at the beck and call of political bosses. The lapses and alleged loopholes on the part of police in handling the rape and murder of the young doctor have yet again revealed a sense of confused or misplaced loyalty.

But above everything else both Hasina and Mamata governments allegedly seem to have twined in accepting corruption as a way of life. In Bangladesh jobs of primary and secondary teachers got sold at premium, Rs 10-12 lakh in the Hasina regime. Even police had to pay up for prized postings and transfers. In Bengal busting of the teacher’s recruitment scam has revealed how unsuccessful and ineligible candidates got government jobs in schools in exchange of bribes.

Similarities are multiple and inescapable. Mamata has good reasons to be apprehensive. It’s not only she, who can see and connect the dots. People, out on the streets, clamoring for justice, can see a providential pattern somewhere in the unfolding of future events in these two places-- Bangladesh and Bengal. True, they share more than 2,217 odd km of border. They share the same umbilical cord, other than language, culture, ethos, icons. Even emotions are the same. So she cannot take any risk.

(The writer is a senior jounalist based in Kolkata. Views personal)

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