Reaching out

Sukhedu Ray's translation of Rabindranath Tagore's Nashtanir, Dui Bon and Malancha impressed renowned academic Supriya Chaudhuri because of very “fruity” reason.

A still from the film Charulata which was based
on Tagore’s Noshtonir

At the release function of the book, Chaudhuri said—“I came across a previous English translation of Noshtonir, which according to me is a much inferior one. In one of the passages where a garden is being talked about in the novella, bideshi amra is translated as English plum. A translation which I think is almost comical.” Sukhendu Ray, however, avoids such gaffes in Tagore's three Novellas—Nashtanir, Dui Bon and Malancha (OUP).

Bideshi amra remains bideshi amra in the translation, as does complicated Bengali terms of address, such as mashima (mum's sister) and jethima (Father's elder brother's wife). “There are really no equivalents of such words in English language. A few years back I was foxed when I had to translate ah molo ja into English. I realised that it's an impossible task. So I prefer letting such terms be in my translations. I prefer providing a glossary in my books,” says Ray.

full report here Indian Express