Darling Earth, an english translation of Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s Bengali novel ‘Parthibo’, was launched by Prasenjit Saha in Kolkata on Monday evening. The classic novel explores questions about life, meaning, and human consciousness through interwoven narratives set in villages and cities, focusing on diverse characters grappling with existence, fate and search for answers.
The novel is noted for its philosophical depth and relatable portrayal of everyday life’s complexities.
The novel moves from a small scene in a remote village, linking numerous characters and storylines from urban to rural settings, revealing the unpredictable nature of life.
“This novel influenced me a lot as the theme was very contemporary, talked about the environmental issues and conflicts within the family. All this attracted me… values like truth, honesty and respect matter in life and drive humanity,” said Saha, who took 15 years to translate the novel.
Saha has been working full-time as an engineer in the renewable energy sector. “Translation is a challenging work. I have internalised the characters. I feel that Bengali literature is not widely translated.The quality of literature that we have does not get enough promotion,” Saha said.
Speaking on the occasion, author Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay said, “He (Saha) was in contact with me for a long time for this translation. I commend his patience. I liked the translation of the transcripts he had shared with me. When I write, I only stay with myself, I have no fight with the world, it really does not matter if people read or throw away my writing. For me, the challenge is whether I am able to write in a manner that I am thinking”.
Sharing about the time when he had written the book in the 1990s, he said, “The first five chapters were five different stories as there was not enough material for continuity… once there was continuity and I saw that the readers were reading, I continued writing and the novel concluded…there are many ups and downs, like I studied under lantern light and now there is mobile, so there is a huge transition. If one moves with time …it is good… I never think separately about society. When I started writing I had no readers, initially they had not accepted me. But I never wrote anything to please the readers, I only wrote what I wanted to write. Sometimes it took me 2.5 years to write a story as I was unable to get the right words”.
According to Mukhopadhyay, when he wrote about the ecological issues in the novel, it was not like today, stating that what he had written back then probably could not be written in today’s time. “The environment is a burning issue now. Through the book I wanted to warn people. I just wanted to say ‘bachao ar beche thako’ (save and stay alive ). If one is not careful now, then it will not be possible to save the world and its destruction is inevitable”.
Samik Bandhopadhay, Kolkata-based critic of art, theatre and films told The Indian Express, “I have also worked as a translator. It is important for translators that they should get into the spirit and style of the author. One has to get the feel of the work. In this case, 15 years is quite natural due to the volume (of the work). Among his contemporaries, Mukhopadhyay has concentrated on language. He chooses his words carefully. One of the thrills and joys that I get in the Kolkata Book Fair is that young people who have got some time, look out for the books and read . A very new and interesting readership is evolving”.