Choosing the right words

Ira Pande has been an editor and writer for the last 15 years and has also taught at university. Her first book on her mother a famous Hindi writer Shivani, titled Diddi: My Mother’s Voice was published in 2005, which was short-listed for the Hutch-Crossword Prize for the best non-fiction title of that year. Among her various works which include writing for newspapers, editing books, Ira is also a translator. She translated Manohar Shyam Joshi’s novella, T-ta Professor, which won the 2009 Vodaphone-Crossword award for the best translation that year. It has also been awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for the best translated work into English for 2010. Ira is currently the Chief Editor of the Publications Division of the India International Centre. Excerpts from an interview with her:

As a writer, you have taught and written for various segments. How important is it to continuously evolve one’s writing abilities, or should a writer always stick to their writing style?
A writer must evolve and change. Style is important, but it must not become a straitjacket.
 
You have translated Hindi works into English. How difficult is it to work on translations, putting or expressing the writing in a different language?
Translations are not easy, because a translator must never tamper with the voice of the original writer, but yet communicate effectively with the reader. Finding the equivalent voice and metaphors in English, a staid language is always the biggest challenge when translating from Hindi, a very rich and tactile language.
 
Tell us about some of the most interesting and challenging works of translations, that you have worked on?
Writer Manohar Shyam Joshi’s T’Ta Professor was an interesting translation experience, because he uses the Kumaoni dialect and its quaint rhythms to give local colour. Translating that into another language and keeping the nuances intact was really hard.
 
How big is the readership for translated works (Hindi to English) in India?
It’s not large enough yet, but as translations grow, it will increase. So far, we have not had quality translations made available to readers. As contemporary writers become available in English translations, this readership is bound to increase.
 
The Indian fiction segment is currently crowded with a lot of writers, aspiring authors and so on. Since you have worked in the publishing business, what pointers do you think an aspiring writer/author should keep in mind, when planning a book? What are the kinds of ideas that strike a chord with readers?
I think we have to get out of aping western trends, when writing. This only promotes second-rate works of writing. A really good work of fiction must grow organically out of the earth of that country and culture. This is why I feel we have reached a certain plateau in English-writing in India and must find a new path and set of experiences.
 
Could you tell us about your stint as the chairperson of the jury at the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature?
I have not yet started: I am looking forward to it with great anticipation as I am dying to see what is being written currently in South Asian countries outside India.