The compilation of folklore and legends fascinated her right from childhood.
As a mother and grandmother, she narrated tales from it to her sons and grandchildren. But when one of her sons, a voracious reader who is not fluent in Malayalam, pleaded her into translating ‘Aithihyamaala’ into English, little did Sreekumari Ramachandran realise the enormity of the task at hand.
“I’ve always taken pride in the culture and heritage of Kerala. Kottarathil Sankunni’s ‘Aithihyamaala’ is a book that essentially encapsulates these. My son wanted me to translate it for the benefit of readers like him who can’t read Malayalam but are interested in knowing the legends and lores of Kerala,” says Sreekumari. Though there have been translations of select stories and retold versions, this is the first time that the entire body of the work has been translated. “I completed my schooling in Malayalam medium - one of the reasons why I prefer reading Malayalam literature to English. A majority of the new generation attend English medium schools and are more comfortable using English than Malayalam.
Full report here New Indian Express
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