প্রাক্কা মা ঘা60(Anna Bhau Sathe, (Odia Translation, Sahitya Akademi, 2020) by Dr Bajrang Sukhdeo Korde

Abstract

This is a critical review of a monograph on Anna on Anna Bhau published recently by Sweta Mohanty translated by Bajrang Sukhdeo Korde and published by the Sahitya Akademi in 2020. Although at only seventy-one pages, the volume has a significant cultural work to perform, in terms of making Sathe work not only literary but also political beyond the scope of the Marathi readership. The paper places Sathe as a historically based author, whose creative work was based on labour, migration, caste oppression and collective struggle but not reflecting on him as a romanticised figure of a single genius. The monograph is organized into bio, thematic and genre-based segments, and thus, familiarizes the readers with the works of Sathe in the fields of fiction, poetry, folk theatre and performance-based traditions, meaning, prefiguring the work with the popular and public forms. The fact that it comes with a glossary and a bibliography also contributes to its teacher-pedagogical value. Mohanty has chosen a very evident and non-aggressive style of translation to keep the documentary gravity and ideological acuity of the source and make it accessible by novices. The review argues that the inclusion of short textual excerpts as well as wider contextual framing would add further to the volume. All in all, the translation is a perfect example of cultural mediation, which allows having meaningful cross-regional communication and reaffirming the literature in its role to express dignity, resistance, and common histories of marginality.