LITERARY TRANSLATIONS Archives

A Critical Appreciation of Vaidehi’s Shakuntale Yondige Kaleda Aparahna (An Afternoon with Shakuntala)

August 18, 2025October 1, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 2 Comments

Reading Time: 4 minutes In Kalidasa’s classical play Abhijnanasakuntalam, Shakuntala is immortalised as an ideal and patient woman who is loved upon recognition. Vaidehi (Janaki Srinivas Murthy, b. 1945), a pioneering writer in Kannada literature, undertakes a radical reimagining of this figure in her work Shakuntale Yondige Kaleda Aparahna. Rooted in her broader literary mission to “build the authenticity…

FICTION, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - PG, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS, SHORT STORIES, WOMEN'S WRITING

Vaidehi – The prominent Kannada writer

August 18, 2025October 1, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 1 Comment

Reading Time: < 1 minuteVaidehi (Janaki Srinivas Murthy, b. 1945) is a prominent Kannada writer known for her short stories, novel, poetry, and translations. Celebrated by fellow writer Vijaya Dabbe as a “new milestone in Kannada literature,” her works stand out for their subtle, unusual, and emotionally resonant style. Rather than advocating ideologies, she reflects on inner life, the…

FICTION, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - PG, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS, SHORT STORIES, WOMEN'S WRITING

An Introduction to ‘Pattumma’s Goat’ and Its Author

November 19, 2024September 30, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 3 Comments

Reading Time: 2 minutesPattummas Goat was published without revisions in the original manuscript. It was written in 1954 during Basheer’s first period of insanity. After writing the manuscript, he considered revising and editing it, but took no action for five years. Later, he dropped the idea and published the original manuscript without any change. Between the writing (1954) and publication…

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS

‘ADVENT’ by D Vinayachandran: The Ruin of Humanity

November 7, 2024September 29, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 3 Comments

Reading Time: 5 minutes STANZA I STANZA II STANZA III STANZA IV STANZA V STANZA VI STANZA VII STANZA VIII WORKS CITED https://www.jstor.org/stable/43856684 https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/poignant-rendition/article3500847.ece Dr Aswathy AravindakshanDr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently…

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS

The Life and Works of D Vinayachandran

November 6, 2024September 29, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 4 Comments

Reading Time: 2 minutesBelow is a brief biography of D. Vinayachandran, a Malayalam poet whose works uniquely blend modernism with traditional folklore and the melody of nature. WORKS CITED “Malayalam poet Vinayachandran passes away”. Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 4 July 2013. “Poet D. Vinayachandran condoled”. The Hindu. Retrieved 4 July 2013. “One with nature in…

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS

‘Fire, My Witness’ – The Story of Feminine Strength and Struggle

October 21, 2024October 2, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 2 Comments

Reading Time: 6 minutes INTRODUCTION WORKS CITED Lalitambika Antharjanam, Agnisakshi, Thrissur: Current Books, 1980. Antharjanam, Lalithambika. Agnisakshi. Translated by Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan, Oxford University Press, 2015. Agnisakshi: Lalitambika Antharjanam’s Critique of Individualism Antharjanam, Lalithambika. Agnisakshi. Translated by Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan, Oxford University Press, 2015. Chandran, Mini. “The Fire Within: A Feminist Reading of Agnisakshi.” Indian…

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS, WOMEN'S WRITING

Lalithambika Antharjanam: Voice of Change

October 21, 2024November 13, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 6 Comments

Reading Time: 4 minutes Introduction Born on March 30, 1909, Lalithambika Antharjanam emerged as a significant figure in Malayalam literature and the social reform movements of the early 20th century. Hailing from a traditional Namboodiri household in Kottavattom, Kerala, Lalithambika’s life unfolded against a patriarchal and caste-ridden society. Despite the societal norms that confined Namboodiri women to a…

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS, WOMEN'S WRITING

‘The Snakes have Hollows’: Crafting Life

October 20, 2024January 2, 2026 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 2 Comments

Reading Time: 3 minutes The poem sketches the household chores of Poonjeli, who is probably from a low socio-economic background. The setting, as stated above, is her kitchen, which may be her workplace assigned to her by the patriarchy. Within this space, she passively sets a mousetrap while humming an old theatre song that becomes both background and symbol….

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS, WOMEN'S WRITING

‘Temple Bell’: Reflecting Decay and Desolation

October 20, 2024October 2, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 3 Comments

Reading Time: 4 minutes The poem “Ambalamani” by B. Sugathakumari was translated into English as “Temple Bell” by P. P. Raveendran. Through the poem, the poet reflects on decay and desolation in a world full of noise. The poem “Temple Bell” is set against the backdrop of a deserted temple, where a broken bronze bell sways in the…

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS, WOMEN'S WRITING

Wisdom of Women: Unveiling the Story of Pattumma’s Goat

October 20, 2024October 2, 2025 Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan 4 Comments

Reading Time: 11 minutesCHAPTER – 1 Basheer begins the story by stating the title and the alternate title, Wisdom of Women. He sets the background in the first paragraph: “After leading a lonely existence for a long time, just wandering from one place to another, I came to live in my own house in Thalayolaparambu near Vaikom, ready to…

20 C MALAYALAM LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION, KERALA UNIVERSITY SYLLABUS - UG, LITERARY TRANSLATIONS