Colonial Encounter: Telugu–English Literary and Cultural Interface

160 Pages·2018·1.4 MB·English

by  C. Vijayasree (editor), M. Sridhar (editor), Mahasweta Sengupta (editor)

COLONIAL ENCOUNTER
This book focuses on transactions between English and Telugu through a study of
translations and related works published from about the early-nineteenth century
to mid-twentieth century. Moving beyond Edward Said’s theoretical paradigms
which suggests that these interfaces were driven by imperial and colonial interests,
the essays in this volume look at how they also triggered developments within the
indigenous literary and cultural practices and evolved new forms of expression.
The book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of linguistics,
translation studies, comparative literature, cultural studies and modern South
Asian history.
C. Vijayasree was a Professor of English at Osmania University, Hyderabad;
the Director of Osmania University’s Centre for International Programmes
(OUCIP); and Vice-Chairperson of the Indian Association for Commonwealth
Literature and Language Studies (IACLALS), Hyderabad, India. As the
author of twenty books and fifty research papers, she is well-known in the field
of postcolonial studies. Her publications include S uniti Namjoshi: The Artful
Transgressor (2001), Mulk Raj Anand: The Writer and the Raj (1998), Writing
the West: Representation of the West in Indian Literatures (2004, editor) and
Nation in Imagination: Essays on Nationalism, Sub-Nationalisms and Narration
(2007, coeditor). She also co-translated (with T. Vijay Kumar) Gurajada Appa
Rao’s Kanyasulkam and Volga’s V imukta as The Liberation of Sita.
M. Sridhar is a former Professor in the Department of English at the University
of Hyderabad, India. He has published extensively in the areas of literary theory,
comparative literature and translation. He has been engaged in translations
(with Alladi Uma) for over two decades – among their recent translations are
Untouchable Spring by Kalyana Rao and Sorajjem by Akkineni Kutumba Rao.
Mahasweta Sengupta is a former Professor and Head of the Department
of Literature in English at the English and Foreign Languages University,
Hyderabad, India. Trained in English literature, she later moved into comparative
literature and translation studies in the 1980s and published seminal articles
in books including T ranslation, History and Culture (edited by Susan Bassnett
and André Lefevere, 1990) and B etween Languages and Cultures (edited by
Carol Maier and Anuradha Dingwaney, 1995). Her interest in postcolonial
literatures and translation studies prompted her to look into translations done
during the colonial period in India from Bengali to English. Widely published,
her inclination towards translation studies grew out of her interest in literary
theory and cultural studies.

COLONIAL
ENCOUNTER
Telugu–English
Literary and Cultural Interface
Edited by
C. Vijayasree,
M. Sridhar and
Mahasweta Sengupta
First published 2018
by Routledge
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Mahasweta Sengupta; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of C. Vijayasree, M. Sridhar and Mahasweta Sengupta
to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the
authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
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ISBN: 978-1-138-06893-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-46746-2 (ebk)
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CONTENTS
List of contributors vii
Introduction 1
MAHASWETA SENGUPTA
1 A religion in translation: the Bible in Telugu 5
T. VIJAY KUMAR
2 Between the translator and the reader: Brown’s
translation of The Verses of Vemana and
Sumati Satakam 23
ALLADI UMA AND M. SRIDHAR
3 The moment of transition/translation: Kandukuri
Veeresalingam 32
C. VIJAYASREE
4 Calibans and cannibals: Shakespeare
in Telugu literature 47
G. K. SUBBARAYUDU
5 Re/presenting poetry: translations in the Telugu–English
interface 71
M. SRIDHAR AND ALLADI UMA
6 Translations and contexts 78
K. SUNEETHA RANI
v
CONTENTS
7 Translation that followed influence: Telugu–English
interface 90
N. VENUGOPAL RAO
8 Gender in translations 96
KATYAYANI VIDMAHE AND MRUNALINI
9 Children’s literature in translation 111
C. VIJAYASREE
10 Translation in the media 123
K. DURGA BHAVANI
11 Urdu–English interface: a survey 136
AFEEFA BANU
vi
CONTRIBUTORS
Afeefa Banu has taught at both the school and university levels. She
has a Masters degree in English Literature degree and a Doctorate
in Linguistics from the Central Institute of English and Foreign Lan-
guages (CIEFL), Hyderabad, India. Her research interests are in the
fields of English language, literature, stylistics, linguistics, applied
linguistics, sociolinguistics, language planning and pragmatics.
K. Durga Bhavani is a Professor of English at Osmania University,
Hyderabad, India. She specialized in English Language Teaching and
Learning. She is the author of six books and many papers in the field
of ELT, stylistics and interpretation of literature and media studies.
As a teacher trainer and a teacher educator, she has organized teacher
training programmes/workshops in the university and outside. She has
conducted several training programmes for personnel of the industry
viz., BHEL, MIDHANI, RCI and the Judicial Academy.
T. Vijay Kumar is a Professor of English at Osmania University, Hyder-
abad, India. His publications include Globalisation: Australian-
Asian Perspectives (co-ed; 2014) and Focus India: Postcolonial
Narratives of the Nation (co-ed; 2007). He has translated into Eng-
lish (with C. Vijayasree) Volga’s Vimukta as The Liberation of Sita
(2016) and Gurajada Venkata Appa Rao’s Kanyasulkam (2002). He
is one of the Directors of the annual Hyderabad Literary Festival.
Mrunalini retired as a Professor of Comparative Literature from Potti
Sreeramulu Telugu University, Hyderabad, India. She is a critic,
translator and creative writer in Telugu. She is also well versed in
classical and modern literature and has published seventeen books
of translations and criticism. She has received several awards for
translation and criticism.
vii
CONTRIBUTORS
K. Suneetha Rani is a Professor at the Centre for Women’s Studies,
University of Hyderabad, India. Her areas of interest include gen-
der studies, cultural studies, comparative studies, new literatures
in English and translation studies. She translates from Telugu to
English and vice-versa. Her recent major publications include A
House on the Outskirts and Other Stories, Influence of English on
Indian Women Writers: Voices from Regional Languages and Iden-
tities and Assertions: Dalit Women’s Narratives.
N. Venugopal Rao is a poet, literary critic, translator, social scientist,
journalist and public speaker. He has published twenty-five original
books in Telugu and translated as many from English into Telugu.
He is currently the editor of V eekshanam , a Telugu Monthly Jour-
nal of Political Economy and Society, Hyderabad, India.
Mahasweta Sengupta is a former Professor and Head of the Depart-
ment of Literature in English at the English and Foreign Languages
University, Hyderabad, India. Trained in English literature, she later
moved into comparative literature and translation studies in the
1980s and published seminal articles in books including Translation,
History and Culture (edited by Susan Bassnett and André Lefevere,
1990) and Between Languages and Cultures (edited by Carol Maier
and Anuradha Dingwaney, 1995). Her interest in postcolonial litera-
tures and translation studies prompted her to look into translations
done during the colonial period in India from Bengali to English.
Widely published, her inclination towards translation studies grew
out of her interest in literary theory and cultural studies.
M. Sridhar is a former Professor in the Department of English at the
University of Hyderabad, India. He has published extensively in the
areas of literary theory, comparative literature and translation.
He has been engaged in translations (with Alladi Uma) for over two
decades – among their recent translations are Untouchable Spring
by Kalyana Rao and Sorajjem by Akkineni Kutumba Rao.
G. K. Subbarayudu retired from Osmania University, Hyderabad,
India, after teaching English from 1980 to 2010. His published
work includes literary theory and translations (notably Rani Siva-
sankara Sarma’s Grahaantaravaasi , 2014).
Alladi Uma taught in the Department of English, University of
Hyderabad, India, before she took voluntary retirement. She has
published extensively in the areas of African-American literature,
viii
CONTRIBUTORS
Indian writing in English, women’s studies and translation. She has
been translating (with M. Sridhar) for over two decades. Among
their recent translations are U ntouchable Spring by Kalyana Rao
and Sorajjem by Akkineni Kutumba Rao.
Katyayani Vidmahe retired as Professor of Telugu from Kakatiya Univer-
sity, Warangal, Telangana, India. She is an acclaimed critic in Telugu
literature, known specifically for her excellent writings on Marxist
and feminist literature. She is well versed in both classical and mod-
ern literature and has written extensively on both. She has presented
papers in numerous seminars and published more than twenty books
of criticism. She has received many awards as a critic.
C. Vijayasree was a Professor of English at Osmania University,
Hyderabad; the Director of Osmania University’s Centre for Inter-
national Programmes (OUCIP); and Vice-Chairperson of the Indian
Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies
(IACLALS), Hyderabad, India. As the author of twenty books and
fifty research papers, she is well-known in the field of postcolonial
studies. Her publications include Suniti Namjoshi: The Artful Trans-
gressor (2001), Mulk Raj Anand: The Writer and the Raj (1998),
Writing the West: Representation of the West in Indian Literatures
(2004, editor) and Nation in Imagination: Essays on Nationalism,
Sub-Nationalisms and Narration (2007, coeditor). She also co-
translated (with T. Vijay Kumar) Gurajada Appa Rao’s Kanyas-
ulkam and Volga’s Vimukta as The Liberation of Sita.
ix