Translation series by Ashoka University Westland Books to bring Indian fiction to global audiences

New Delhi, Apr 12 (PTI) Ashoka University and publishing house Westland Books have joined hands to launch a new translation series aimed at bringing landmark works of Indian fiction to a wider, global English-language audience.
    The initiative, titled 'An Ashoka Centre for Translation Series', has been launched by the university's Ashoka Centre for Translation in collaboration with the publisher. It seeks to make both classic and modern works of fiction from various Indian languages more accessible to readers in English.
    The series will present a curated selection of translated works, moving across languages over time. Its first instalment will feature four new English translations of significant Bengali short fiction.
    According to the publisher, each book in the series will be curated by its respective translator, offering readers insight into texts that have shaped the translator’s literary sensibility.
    Minakshi Thakur, publisher at Ekadā, an imprint of Westland Books, said the series will include a mix of classic and contemporary Bengali writers. The inaugural list will feature works by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Anita Agnihotri, and Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay.
    The first title in the series, a collection of short stories by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay translated by Anchita Ghatak, is scheduled for release on April 13 under the Ekadā imprint.
    For the unversed, Chattopadhyay is regarded as a major figure in Bengali literature and a pioneer of modern Indian writing. His stories, known for their social realism and emotional depth, continue to resonate with readers across generations.
    "The inaugural set of books in what we believe to be a long-term translation series with Westland Books squarely orients readers to Indian writers’ varied creative explorations within the same language, even within the same form, from the late 19th century to the 21st.
    "We hope these four books will be followed by many more translations from Bengali and beyond, inviting the interest of readers across the board," professor Arunava Sinha and Professor Rita Kothari, co-directors of Ashoka Centre for Translation, Ashoka University, Delhi NCR, said in a statement.
    The series is expected to expand further, with plans to include more translations from Bengali and other Indian languages, underscoring a long-term effort to amplify literary voices from across the country.

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