Abstract

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer was widely known for his love towards the underprivileged class of the social sector. He attained universality through the sentiments of the neglected. He was a revolutionary in Malayalam literary history. Basheer’s works were translated into 18 languages by many translators, from Ronald Asher to Vanajam Ravindran. The need for translation of a text that belongs to the Indian language has its significance since it is perceived with degradation in eyes of the Orientalists. The Malayalam language is finding its place among many dominant ones. As it is seeking not to be owned but to co-exist certain languages, translating works from Malayalam can regain its importance in the arena of Indian languages in particular and world languages in general. This paper discusses Basheer and his works which made world recognition with the help of linguists and translators into English. Published under UNESCO, Basheer’s works possess a charm in language as well as the story within. The writer is acknowledged not for his grand style, but his simplicity, not imagination but the bitter reality, and for the North Malayalam touch to the words m This colloquial touch is what gives his rather simple stories its humor, and when one reads between the lines, its underlying philosophy. Basheer and his love for nature are also discussed in the paper. A work of translation requires something to connect with the world and nature plays an important role. The words are hard to translate to a foreign language as they are very Indian. The rich culture of Kerala and its emotions might not find the right voice in a western language, but the translations, however, have so far done justice to the writer in the most possible way. The paper attempts to look deep into the writer’s translated works and into Ronald Asher who was Basheer’s first translator.

Key words: Translation, Malayalam Literature, Orientalists, Underprivileged class, Nature