Only very recently the Jnanpith prize for the year 2017 has been bestowed upon the nonagenarian Hindi Writer Krishna Sobti who has already carved a niche for herself in the domain of contemporary Hindi literature through her outstanding themes chosen for fictional works and by dint of intellectual and artistic integrity which have been her constant companions. Getting the prize at the fag end of her life may not animate the writer herself, but it is bound to be a literature’s privilege to have a writer like Sobti on its lap. I have been a tentative and enthusiast follower of Hindi literary world which is so vast because writers belonging to very different geographical locations have enriched and continue to enrich the domain quite nicely. The prestigious honour coming to the way of Sobti at such a ripe age remains me of the Noble prize for literature being awarded to the writer Dorris Lessing who was an octogenarian when she was bestowed with the most covetous award. If a writer is influential and makes impact through his/her writings, she/he can prove it within a short time indeed. What matters most in the domain of literature is the acceptance of the readers, not prizes and accolades which followed naturally with the passage of time. The Jnanpith prize offered to Sobti at the age of more than ninety raises a few question about India’s prize policy raises itselt. This year veterian Assamese writer Laxminandar Bora was also in the shortlist of the Jananpith award but failed to make it to the winner. Laxminandar Bora is definitely a good/great writer but one of the disadvantage of judging his works turns out to be the fact that Bora’s Works have not been extensively translated into English and Hindi. While Bora’s later novel Kaya Kalpa has been translated into English by Biman Anandhara and published by the esteemed publication house Niyogi books, but the translated version failed to make any impact because seasoned readers throughout the world failed to find in the work any merit which could have contributed to the global acceptance of such a veteran writer. However it should be noted that Laxminandan Bora got the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the aforementioned novel. However it must be remembered that Indira Goswami and Birendra Bhattacharjee were awarded the prestigious Jnanpith award through the intrinsic artistic quality of their writings, not because of any literary politics on lobby. It is really unfortunate to realize and accept the fact that great treasures of Assamese literature are not available in English translation which could have gone a long way to create a general consensus about Assamese literature in a global context. If Laxminandan Bora would have been awarded the prestigious Saraswati Samman for his novel like Gonga Chilonir Pakhi, on Jakir Nahike Upam or Hehi Gunanidhi then it would have been justified and as a common reader I am sure that if these novel were translated into English, they would have surely earned global recognition. However coming back to the issue of the recent Jananpth award declaration one question nags me persistently and it is this fact that makes me more perturbed. Within the short span of last ten years at least four hindi writer were bestowed with the Jananpith award and; is it because Hindi is the most dominating language in India? Or Hindi rules the literary world because who are at the helm of power are Hindi speaking themselves? Writers from Assamese and Bengali literature fail to make a mark in the midst of hullabaloo created by prizes and accolades Krishna Sobti is a great writer indeed because she has made an assault on the ordinary perception of readers through her bold theme and candid expression. In this context I am reminded of Sobti’s work Mitro Marijini which is a bold work as it highlights the fact of sexual right of a girl child within the domain of a tradition patriarchal society. Mitro is a brave girl who does not hesitate to assert her sexual right and she reminds one educated reader of the character of the Wife of Bath in Chaucer’s The Cantubury Tales who is equally bold as one who comes out of the closet of patriarchal framework. In traditional Indian societies marriage is regarded as the ultimate goal of a girl and Mitro reacts against this traditional scheme Sobti uses slang language and the other so-called taboo words in Mitro Margani and a bold girl in a bold manner catches the attention of the readers and it is this precise fact that had jolted the traditional Hindi readers when the novel was published during the first half of the 1960s.
The work that fetched the prestigious Sahitya Akaademy Award to Sobti was her magnum opus Zindaginama which is a pan-Indian Literary tour-de-force. However this novel poses some threat to the non- hindi readers of Hindi literature (which I am) because of its colloquial Punjabi dialects and seemingly complex structure. In this work Sobti has exposed all her artistic strokes positively and bears some resemblance with Dilo Danish and Aye Ladki (Translated into English as Listen Girl). Krishna Sobti is a very erudite person and she sweeps the reader with her narrative power and breathtaking themes. As a person in her own life she has never compromised with her ethics and this fact also has cemented her place in the domain of not only of Hindi literature but Indian literature as a whole. Ayi Ladki ( Listen Girl) is a poignant work that bring to light the pathos of a tortured relation between a dying mother and her daughter who share a love – hate relationship between them. This novel remind one of Leo Tolstoy’s famous story the Death of Ivan Iych which also deals with the trauma of a dying person. Sobti’s novel have often been adapted to the stage with equal success and aplomb. Her memoir Hum Hashmat is a great work that is a pean to the life lived by her. Marfat Dilli is a great work which is a tribute to the city of Delhi and common readers as well as seasoned reader are awestruck by the originality of the theme and delightful descriptions which trigger memories. As one feels that this award must have come to her many years back but it is better late than never. The contemporary literary scenario of India is quite optimistic because in the recent years this has been a conscious effort by the reputed publisher and academician to make the English translation of Indian Literary classic available for the perusal of the reader and acceptance of our writer at the global level. Hindi will continue to be the aggressive language in the coming years but what could decide factor will be the quality of the translation of the indigenous literary works of India into English. the politics of prices is a universal phenomenon and one can still wonder over the fact the writer like Milan Kundera, Philip Roth, Borges and Achebe have not been considered fit for the Nobel prize while Kazu Ishiguro, a much smaller entity compared to the aforementioned stalwarts has pocketed the prestigious price in 2017. Prizes and accolades will count but what will survive the onslaught of time is first rate creative writing with sensitivity and compassion. Krishna Sobti will be remembered even after her demise as the fictional oeuvre will continue to provoke and scintillate readers. The avowed scholar of Assamese literature and academician and the translators of Assam should concentrate on quality translation which alone will clinch a global status for the rich treasures of Assamese literature.
(The author is Asst Professor at PG Department of English Bongaigaon College, Assam. Views are his own)
