6/9/22, 4:38 PM Geetanjali Shree's Tomb of Sand - WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2022 - The Literature Times

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Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand – WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER

PRIZE 2022
 June 8, 2022  5 min read  The Literature Times

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6/9/22, 4:38 PM Geetanjali Shree's Tomb of Sand - WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2022 - The Literature Times

What this Booker means for Indian literature?

Hindi writer Geetanjali Shree, whose novel Ret Samadhi translated into English as Tomb of Sand won the Booker recently
deserves accolades on more than one count. Hers is indeed a well-known signature in the field of Hindi fiction, as she already
has to her credit five collections of short stories and an equal number of novels. Also, it may be noted that the translation of her
works is not happening for the first time. Her works have been translated into many other languages like French, German,
Japanese and even Serbian and Korean.

For one, Shree’s present novel Tomb of Sand carries forward her faith in woman power even as she explores different
relationships – mother-daughter, siblings, friends, etc. Her earlier novel Mai too broke the stereotypical image of women whom
she presented as powerful female characters. In the present novel, we have an octogenarian woman protagonist riven
between memory and desire. When her husband dies at a ripe old age, she looks forward to leading life with her daughter who
has strong feminist views but soon there is the entry of a transgender and things change. The lady in question is fully
rejuvenated and has the longing to lead life afresh. That at her age indeed shows her grit. The narrative has the Desi flavor –
something expected of writing in an Indian language. She has also employed monologues, flashback, and even magic realism
bringing to life several authors. The Hindi edition of the novel also shows the beauty of Shree’s impressionistic narrative style
and crisp prose. However, the English translation is also impressive.

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The story takes a turn with the memory of pre-Partition days haunting the old woman, and she crosses the border with
Pakistan illegally to meet her lost love, but does not have the luck of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and is shot dead. The Partition of India
in 1947 was a cataclysmic event that has been all time favourite with the Indian writers writing in English. Starting from
Bhabani Bhattacharya’s So Many Hungers and Khushwant Singh’s Train to Pakistan, to Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children
and Amitav Ghosh’s The Shadow Lines, the theme continues to inspire many writers. Renowned Hindi writer and Shree’s guru
by latter’s own admission Krishna Sobti’s Zindginama and Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas are a few other titles that come to mind. In
more recent times, the Partition of India has attracted many foreign authors also.

Secondly, the award of the Booker Prize to Tomb of Sand is a great boost to Hindi language, and in a way, to an Indian
language since 1912 when Rabindranath Tagore won the Noble for his Gitanjali written in Bengali and translated by himself.
Taking note of a work in what the erstwhile colonizers called “vernacular” language (meaning the language of the slaves) may
or may not be condescending for them, but for many in India it would still be uplifting due to the colonial mindset. It is also
welcome because it can provide opportunity to Bhasha literature to at least get noticed by foreign publishing houses which
have so far been fed by mostly Indian writing done originally in English.

One may look at some factors which could be incidental or conditioning depending on individual predilection. While Tagore’s
Gitanjali had an introduction by W.B. Yeats, the great Irish poet, Shree’s novel has been translated by Daisy Rockwell, a
renowned American translator settled in England. In the process, we can overlook the fact that the Booker is considered for
those works which have been published in UK or Ireland at the most. This is not to underrate Shree’s work but to stress the
point that there may be great books penned in Indian languages which cannot be considered by the Booker jury. For the
present, we can celebrate the award as an enabler that puts our national language at par with the language of power that
English is in India.

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Thirdly, the award is expected to encourage translators and the publishers won’t have to get a European interlocutor to
recognize the Indian talent. There have been wonderful translations earlier too, like Sri Aurobindo’s translation of
Bankimchandra’s Anandmath, U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Kannada classic Samskara by A.K. Ramanujan, himself an accomplished
poet. Similarly, Prem Chand’s Hindi novel Godan translated by Jai Ratan and P. Lal, and Tagore’s Bangla novel Ghare Baire by
Tagore’s nephew Surendranath Tagore. There is no doubt that Indian translators can play a big role in highlighting the Bhasha
literature which is truly rooted in the soil unlike the diasporic literature that is faulted for its lack of authenticity, depend as it
does on controlled media platforms for all type of information.

Even though translation is considered to be an imperfect art, what with the personal choices that the translator has to make
with regard to language, the untranslateable stylistic aspect, the cultural difference at the receiving point, and above all, the
political/ideological slant that unconsciously creeps in at the point of translation, yet a good, and to the extent possible, an
objective and aesthetically appealing translation is the dire need in the contemporary world where despite the hiccups in the
globalization process, the demands of multiculturalism are and will remain perpetually relevant and will be greatly helped
through translations of great works. The Tomb of Sand is quite carefully translated and is sure to help the world understand
the Indian situation and culture in a better and a bit more authentic manner.

Reviewed By: Dr. Jagdish Batra

Dr. Jagdish Batra is a professor of English at O.P. Jindal Global University. His book Indian English Fiction
(2001-2020): History and Reflections was published last year. Apart from it, he has authored ten more
books and 60+ research papers majorly on contemporary Indian English Fiction.

jbatra@jgu.edu.in

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Interview questions with Saurabh D. Lohogaonkar June 9, 2022
1. Tell us a bit about the subtitle of the book. Ans: As you rightly pointed out here rather than the title, the subtitle conveys the central
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Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand – WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE 2022 June 8, 2022
Hindi writer Geetanjali Shree, whose novel Ret Samadhi translated into English as Tomb of Sand won the Booker recently deserves
accolades on more than one count. The post Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand – WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE
2022 appeared first on The Literature Times.

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