Hindustani maestro Bade Ghulam Ali Khan once complimented the legendary Carnatic vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi, “You are not Subbulakshmi, you are Suswaralakshmi (goddess of perfect tone).”A Kannada translation of ‘MS: A life in Music’, a book by T.J.S. George, aptly bears the name Suswaralakshmi Subbulakshmi . Journalist Jayaprakash Narayana took up the translation. He has
handled several translations, including writings of U.R. Ananthamurthy, Rahul Pandita’s ‘The Exodus of Kashmiri Pundits’, and Malala Yousafzai’s ‘I am Malala’ for which he received the Best Translation Award from the Kuvempu Bhasha Bharati Pradhikara in 2014.
Mr. Narayana completed Suswaralakshmi Subbulakshmi , published by IBS, in less than three months.
The original was a huge draw as MS is mirrored in her true and simple form.
The book mentions her contemporaries M.L. Vasanthakumari and Pattammal who made their mark in the otherwise male-dominated world of music, the political and cultural scene of the time and some personal snippets from her life.
‘Karnataka part of her life’
T.J.S. George says, “Karnataka was a big part of her life. She performed in the State every year. It should mean a lot to Kannada readers. I am confident about the handling of the book by Jayaprakash, who has earlier translated several columns of mine.”
But Mr. George isn’t happy about the state of translations, which he called an ‘undeveloped art’ in India.
“Publishers, translators and people who fund these projects should realise the nascent stage that we are still stuck in and come together to develop the art that deserves immediate attention,” he said.
The book will be released at the Indian Institute of World Culture on July 10 at 10.30 am.
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