A new voice

English translation of Bengali classics find new avenues

Sankar’s 1973 novel Jana Aranya is often talked about only because of its film adaptation by Satyajit Ray. As a part of Ray’s Calcutta trilogy (the previous two being Seemabaddha and Pratidwandi), Jana Arnaya performs a definite function. It talks about the moral corruption of the youth in the ravaged 1970s. It was a well-written book made into a thought-provoking film.

Celebrated? Not really. Yet, close to four decades after it was written and 35 years after it was made into a film, this novel has enamoured Pradipta Biswas, a first year student of English with the Jadavpur University. “I am reading the translation of the original novel and I love every bit of it. It evokes a different era but the ethos remains the same. The protagonist is torn between his morality and ambition and I can identify with his struggle,” says Biswas.

Full report here Indian Express