Sunita Singh In A Heart-to-Heart Conversation with Prof. Seema Jain discussing her latest book, Listen Radhika

Seema Jain

SS: Prof Seema Jain ji, let me congratulate you for the fantastic translation of Madhav Kaushik ji’s long poem Suno Radhika titled Listen Radhika in English. What was the reason that you chose this long poem for translation, I am sure it must have been a daunting task. Please let us know a little bit about it.

 

SJ: Thanks, dear Sunita Singh Ji for your appreciative reading of my translation of Madhav Kaushik Ji’s long poem Suno Radhika into English as Listen Radhika published by Readomania.

I have always been fond of translation of poetry and fiction; being a bilingual poet, perhaps it came naturally to me. After having translated two novels (one published by Sahitya Akademi) and two collections of selected poems by reputed writers, when I happened to read Suno Radhika, its unusual content and its gripping tone and tenor inspired me to undertake its translation in English. After having obtained permission from the author, Shri Madhav Kaushik Ji, I undertook this challenging but extremely rewarding task; challenging I say, because of its use of chaste Hindi language and the immensely rich cultural meanings and nuances.

Sunita Singh

SS: Can you tell us your favourite part of the book - the verse which appeals to you the most and why?

SJ: Although the entire poem, with Krishna as the speaker addressing Radha, is unique and poignant at many levels, I would say it was Canto 3, which appealed most to my sensibility as a woman, a poet and a feminist. This multi-faceted poem

focuses upon the eternal bond of love between Radha and Krishna, transcending the bounds of time and space, talks of the motherhood of Ma Yashoda, of Baba Nand's vatsalay, of the Gopis, Vrindavan, Krishna's childhood et al. It talks about the battle of Mahabharata, the political intrigues, the decline of ethical and religious values that is to be found in all times and climes. The third Canto, which talks about Draupadi's predicament and her anguish, and extends it to the present- day context, by observing that nothing much has changed resonates with me at a deeper level.

Madhav Kaushik

SS: You are a poet and an author and have published 14 books, which include 5 collections of English and Hindi poems, 2 edited poetry anthologies and translated many books and novels, tell us something about your journey as a poet, writer and translator. Who or what has been your inspiration?

SJ: When I talk about my journey as a poet and writer, my mind goes back to my early childhood years, where my natural inclination for reading and writing found a spontaneous expression. I used to write verses and stories but then forgot all about them, they continued to exist only in the back pages of my notebooks or in my diary. Then, after a long hiatus, I resumed writing about two decades ago. Since then, my poems have been published in the form of solo books and have also found a place in various literary magazines and journals. I have been invited previously and continue being asked to recite them at the Doordarshan and All India Radio. I have also been fortunate to have recited my poems for Sahitya Akademi’s annual Festival of Letters, for FOSWAL (Federation of SAARC Writers and Literature), and at myriad platforms globally with some of the stalwarts of Indian poetry.

My journey as a translator and editor, started much later. My first translated book, a collection of select Hindi poems by Dr Narendra Mohan, got published in 2020. This was followed by The Vanquished Queen: the Diary of Kaikeyi, an English translation of Mr. Ramkishore Mehta's Hindi novel Parajita Ka Atmkathya published by Hawakal Prokashana. Next came Gavaad, Madhu Acharya Ashavaadi's Sahitya Akademi award-winning novel in Rajasthani, published as Mohalla by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Another poetry collection Dil Se, selected poems of eminent Hindi poet Dr Veena Vij came followed by Listen Radhika. A few other translation projects are ongoing.

In-between, I have also edited two poetry anthologies: one titled Vibrant Voices: An Anthology of 21st Century Indian Women Poets in English was published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, and the other, Mosaic of Poetic Musings: Contemporary Women Poets from India was published by AuthorsPress.

Here, I would like to add that my literary journey got new wings after my retirement and apart from the above-mentioned ventures, I have also recited poems and short stories for multiple Online and Offline poetry groups, and contributed to more than a hundred anthologies, headed a few poetry groups, wrote forewords for books, reviewed books, was on editorial panels of literary journals, gave talks and recited poems and so on and so forth.

SS: Apart from being an educator, you are an acclaimed writer; you wear many hats – you are the founder president of Litspark: A Literary Forum, the Vice President of the Punjab unit of Mahila Kavya Manch and are also associated with many other literary forums. Do you think, as a woman writer or literary personality, you had to work harder?

SJ: My roles as a teacher and as a writer have been complimentary, I can say with conviction. Since I have been involved with the study and teaching of English language and literature, it meant reading a lot, and that is a pre-requisite for writing. The habit of reading, when coupled with some creative spark or zeal, can inspire one to scale newer peaks.

I do not think I had to work harder because of being a woman writer. I strongly believe that in today's world, with lots of bastions of gender discrimination already crumbling, if you have "fire in the heart, and iron in the soul," no one can stop you from realizing your dream, irrespective of gender.

SS: Samuel Johnson, the English writer says, “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write…” Do you agree with him? Which genre of writing do you identify with the most and why?

SJ: I think Samuel Johnson has aptly observed that reading is very crucial to writing. If reading is the root and stem, writing is the leaves, blossoms and fruits of that tree. It is the manure that makes the mind fertile ground for the seeds of intellect and creativity to grow.

Coming to my favourite genre, I would say that I enjoy reading fiction, apart from poetry. But when it comes to writing, I feel most comfortable with poetry, as it comes naturally to me. Though I also write short stories, and plan to venture into penning a longer work of fiction, poetry is my all-time romance. Another kind of trans-creation that is fascinating for me is translation. I think in the days to come, there will be a lot more, some work in fact is in the pipeline.

SS: That’s wonderful news, Prof. Seema Jain ji. It was a most interesting conversation coming to know about your literary journey. Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to interview you, it was an honour.

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Sunita Singh is a bi-lingual poet, writer, and storyteller, conversant in both - English and Hindi. Her verses and stories are dipped in the ink of her heart and the fact that they are well-accepted is incidental. They have found a place in many Indian and International anthologies and e- magazines. Her solo book of poems, ‘Dance of the Flamingoes’ has won an award. Sunita has written lyrics for private albums and co -edited an anthology of Roseate Sonnet poems. She has been actively involved in promoting Indian languages by doing dramatized readings of stories by famous writers on various forums and events. She has also hosted online storytelling sessions on digital portals. Recently she has come out with a biography titled, ‘The Making of A Chief Justice Of India, Life And Times Of Justice Kamal Narain Singh’, which has been received well.

Seema Jain is a bilingual poet, short story writer, translator, editor and reviewer. Ex-Vice Principal, Dean Academics & Head, Dept of English, KMV Jalandhar, she has fifteen published books (two from Sahitya Akademi). Her poems are housed in the digital pandemic archives of Stanford University, and have been published in more than 130 International/ National Anthologies, Journals etc.  A recipient of many prestigious awards, she has recited her poems globally with many stalwarts of English poetry, at Sahitya Akademi’s Sahityotsav 2023 & 2024, FOSWAL Literature Festival and Washington DC South Asian Literature Festival 2023.

Madhav Kaushik is an eminent Hindi poet and author. He is presently the President of the National Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, Chairman, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, and Member, Press Council of India. He has to his credit the publication of 42 books, which include 19 Collections of Ghazals, two Khand Kavyas  (Suno Radhika, Laut Aao Paarth), 4 Collections of Poems, 2 Collections of Navgeets, 3 Collections of Short Stories, 2 books of Criticism, 2 books  of Children Literature, 2 translations and 3 edited books. All these books have been published by prestigious publication houses like Penguin India, Bhartiya Gyan Peeth, Vani Prakashan, Sahitya Akademi, Samayik Prakashan, Sasta Sahitya Mandal Prakashan etc. Some of his books have been included in the curriculum at graduate and postgraduate levels in some Universities of Northern India. Research work has been carried out on his writings in ten reputed universities. He is a recipient of many prestigious awards at national and international levels, some  prominent ones being the Millennium Award at World Hindi Conference New Delhi (2000), Akhil Bhartiya Balraj Sahni Award (2006), Shiromani Sahitykar Samman by Punjab Govt. (2012), Subramanaya Bharati Award by Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (2018), Ajeevan Sahitya Sadhna Samman 2019 by Haryana Sahitya Akademi and many more. His works have been translated in multiple Indian languages. He has participated in world Hindi conference in South Africa (2012) and World Authors Conferences globally at Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Mexico etc. He is a Jury Member of Bhartiya Gyan Peeth, Haryana Sahitya Akademi and Urdu Akademi, President of Jury of Bihar Rajbhasha Samman Samiti, Member Programme Selection Committee of Doordarshan, and Member Governing Council (Humanities) IGNOU. Email: k.madhav9@gmail.com

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Setu, July 2024