P. Sainath

Labani Jangi

Illustration

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Today, once again, the People’s Archive of Rural India
celebrates both International Translation Day and our translations team that we
believe to be the best anywhere for a journalism website. As far as I can make
out – and am happy to be corrected on this – PARI is the most multilingual journalism website in the world. Thanks
to a fantastic team of 170 translators, PARI publishes in 14 languages. Sure,
there are media houses that produce output in 40. But there is a strong
hierarchy within those. Some tongues are far less equal than others. 

Also, we publish on the principle that <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/every-indian-language-is-your-language/">every
Indian language is your language</a>.
And this implies parity among tongues. If a piece appears in one language, it
is our mandate to see it appears in all 14. Chhattisgarhi joined PARI’s family
of tongues this year. Bhojpuri is next in a long line. 

We believe promoting of Indian languages is a must for
society as a whole. The linguistic richness of this country gave rise to the
old saying that, over here, if at every three or four kilometres the water
tastes different, well, there’s a different tongue to be heard every 12-15. 

But we cannot be complacent about
that anymore. Not at a time when the
People’s Linguistic Survey of India tells us that this country, with close to
800 living languages, has witnessed 225 tongues die in the past 50 years. Not at a time when the United
Nations claims that
<a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/indigenous-languages.html">90-95 per cent</a> of the world’s spoken languages will be extinct or seriously
endangered by the end of this century. Not at a time when at least one
indigenous language is <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/12/1053711">dying every fortnight</a> across the world.

When a language dies, so does a part of our society, our
culture, our history. With it die memories, music, myths, songs, stories, art,
aural universe, oral traditions, and a way of living. It is the loss of a
community’s competence and connection with the world, its identity and dignity.
It is also a loss for the nation of its overall – and already endangered – diversity.
So much of our ecology, livelihoods and democracy are all intricately linked to
the future of our languages. The enormous variety they bring has never seemed
more precious. Yet, their situation has never been more precarious. 

PARI celebrates Indian languages through stories, poems and
songs. Through translations of these. Many treasures have come to us from
marginalised communities living in remote parts of rural India, each speaking
in their own unique tongue. Our team of dedicated translators has been working
to carry these – wrapped in new scripts and idioms, across many new landscapes,
and far from the place of their origin. These are not one-way translations from
Indian languages to English. PARI’s linguistic universe unfolds around a larger
vision of diversity.

Today our Translations
team, a minuscule representation of the astonishing richness of this country,
have come up with one little gem from each of the Indian languages we presently
work in: Assamese, Bengali, Chhattisgarhi, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam,
Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. We hope you will enjoy this
unity in heterogeneity, delight in its diversity.

Assamese Kabin
Phukan’s idea of a nation in his poem ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%88%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A7%B0%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%B0-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%90%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A7%B0%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%80%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A7%B0%E0%A7%82%E0%A6%AA-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%B0-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%B0-%E0%A6%89%E0%A7%8E%E0%A6%B8/">Dekh rakhibo lagibo</a>’ is all-inclusive.
His nation is made of people, geographies, histories, art and biodiversity of
its forests. It is peace and pralaya; it is punishment and forgiveness.

Bengali This one from Rabindranath Tagore’s <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/bn/articles/বহুত্বে-পূর্ণ-সংহতির-আকরে-পরমানন্দের-সন্ধান">Swadesh songs</a> talks about assimilation, plurality and progress transcending a narrow construction of the idea of nation. The historic cauldron that is India comprises of varied races such as Pre-Aryan, Aryan, Sino-Tibetan and Dravidian, all inter-mixed.

Chhattisgarhi Chhattisgarh’s poet of the people, Shri Koduram ‘Dalit’,
in his poem ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/विषमता-मं-एकता-विविधता-मं-आनंद">Dhan Luwai</a>’,
gives voice to the agonies of a farmer’s life and form to his dream village.

Gujarati In an excerpt from the essay ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/અનેકતામાં-એકતા-વિવિધતામાં-આનંદ">Muslimsamudayoma bolati</a>’, poet
Sadiq Noor Pathan presents the richness of the Gujarati spoken by many Muslim
communities across Gujarat. He shows an interesting mix of Arabic and Persian
with the language, in tune with a long historical and literary tradition.

Hindi The poem by Kedarnath Singh, ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/hi/articles/विविधता-में-ही-एकता-विविधता-में-ही-आनंद">Desh aur ghar</a>’,
presents the ongoing debates around language, identity and resulting dilemmas.

Kannada P. Lankesh’s ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/ವೈವಿಧ್ಯತೆಯ-ಏಕತೆ-ವಿವಿಧತೆಯ-ಹರ್ಷ">Avva</a>’ turns the mother into a
symbol not just of sacrifice but also of the courage and struggles of the most
ordinary people of this country.

Malayalam Kunchan Nambiar’s poem ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/വൈജാത്യത്തിൽ-ഏകത്വം-വൈവിധ്യത്തിൽ-ആനന്ദം">Syamanthakam</a>’
takes us on a journey across the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu, along with a man and his wife on their journey to find food. The verse
offers a treat with a sprinkling of Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Konkani, Kannada
and Hindi, interspersed with Malayalam.

Marathi ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/mr/articles/गंमत-एकसुरी-नसण्यातली-आणि-एकता-वैविध्यातली">Keval majha sahyakada</a>’ by Vasant Bapat is about a poet’s pride in his
land. The not-so-important rivers, mountain ranges and folk songs that make the
land his own as opposed to any metanarrative about the nation.

Odia The poem ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/%E0%AC%85%E0%AC%A8%E0%AD%87%E0%AC%95%E0%AC%A4%E0%AC%BE%E0%AC%B0%E0%AD%87-%E0%AC%8F%E0%AC%95%E0%AC%A4%E0%AC%BE-%E0%AC%AC%E0%AC%BF%E0%AC%AC%E0%AC%BF%E0%AC%A7%E0%AC%A4%E0%AC%BE%E0%AC%B0%E0%AD%87-%E0%AC%86%E0%AC%A8%E0%AC%A8%E0%AD%8D%E0%AC%A6/">Sabhytara Suryodaya</a>’ by
Biswanath Nayak questions the conception of a civilisation that leaves out the
ideas of harmony and equality.

Punjabi A voice of protest against the hegemony
of a singular powerful language, and a voice of support for the languages of
our mothers, can distinctly be heard in this poem by Surjit Patar titled ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/ਅਨੇਕਤਾ-ਵਿੱਚ-ਏਕਤਾ-ਅਨੇਕਤਾ-ਵਿੱਚ-ਹੀ-ਖੇੜਾ">Jurmana</a>’.

Tamil Subramania Bharathi, in his poem ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/பன்முகத்தன்மையில்-ஒற்றுமை-வேற்றுமையில்-மகிழ்ச்சி">Murasu</a>’ sings of
unity in diversity through the image of kittens.

Telugu ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/విభిన్నతల్లో-ఏకత్వం-భిన్నత్వంలో-ఉత్సవ-హేల">Nettuti Prashna</a>’,
a
poem from Yendluri Sudhakar’s Chikkanavutunna
Paata
collection, is a profound assertion of self-respect of the oppressed in
society.

Urdu The poem ‘<a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/ur/articles/کثرت-میں-وحدت،-لسانی-تنوع-کی-لذت">Rotiyaan</a>’ by Nazeer Akbarabadi
illustrates how a mundane object like the daily bread breaks all the barriers
of caste, class, religion, nation, gender that often divide us.

Unity in heterogeneity, delight in diversity

کثرت میں وحدت، لسانی تنوع کی لذت

गंमत एकसुरी नसण्यातली आणि एकता वैविध्यातली

విభిన్నతల్లో ఏకత్వం, భిన్నత్వంలో ఉత్సవ హేల

பன்முகத்தன்மையில் ஒற்றுமை, வேற்றுமையில் மகிழ்ச்சி

ਅਨੇਕਤਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਏਕਤਾ, ਅਨੇਕਤਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੀ ਖੇੜਾ

ଅନେକତାରେ ଏକତା, ବିବିଧତାରେ ଆନନ୍ଦ

വൈജാത്യത്തിൽ ഏകത്വം, വൈവിധ്യത്തിൽ ആനന്ദം

ವೈವಿಧ್ಯತೆಯ ಏಕತೆ, ವಿವಿಧತೆಯ ಹರ್ಷ

विविधता में ही एकता, विविधता में ही आनंद

અનેકતામાં એકતા, વિવિધતામાં આનંદ

विषमता मं एकता, विविधता मं आनंद

বহুত্বে পূর্ণ সংহতির আকরে পরমানন্দের সন্ধান

বৈচিত্ৰতাৰ মাজত ঐক্য, বাৰেৰহনীয়া ৰূপ আমাৰ আনন্দৰ উৎস

Mumbai

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Unity in heterogeneity, delight in diversity

A team of PARI translators celebrates International Translation Day by diving into the diverse world that we inhabit through and beyond our languages

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