JOURNEY OF TWO STORIES

This article has been brought forward from the blog OWN ESSENCE

Author: Sarojini Sahoo



                                                   Journey of a Story-1

In 1989, I wrote a short story ‘Rape’. Actually this was written to read in a workshop arranged by 'Bharat Bhavan', Bhopal. The condition was, a Hindi version of the story should be read on a seminar and the participant would discuss on it. So, I wrote the story and Jagadish translated it into Hindi, which later published in Samakaleen Bharatiya Sahitya, a journal of Sahitya Akademy.

At Bharat Bhavan workshop, the story was highly appreciated and one of Marathi participants translated it into Marathi and it was also published in a Marathi journal. So, before it got published in Odia, it was already translated into Hindi and Marathi, And when it got published in Katha, an Odia fiction oriented magazine, it created an unexpected storm. Some Odia writers and readers blamed me with an allegation to promote obscenity. The controversy has still been remembered.

This story was translated into English and was anthologized in Harper Collins Book of Oriya Short Stories. Later it was translated into Assamese, Telugu and Malayalam. In 2005, when I was in a literary tour to Bangladesh, ‘Pratham Alo’, an established daily of Bangladesh, published Bangla translation of that story in its page to introduce and welcome me to their country.

Other Hindi and Bengali translations of this story by Dinesh Kumar Mali and Arita Bhoumik Adhikary have been anthologized in my Hindi and Bengali short stories collection Rape Tatha Anya Kahaniyan and Dukha Apramita respectively.

After 16 years of debut of this story, a young writer of Odisha once phoned me in a midnight in drunken state and rebuked me with vulgar slang and obscene words. He asked me which sexual urge made me to write this story.

In 2012, it was translated into Spanish and was anthologized in a short story collection. I am yet to get complimentary copy, but have read its reviews from different international journals.

And now, in 2013, I received a complimentary copy of SHAKTI, a French translation anthology of short stories written by 12 Indian women writers, starting from Ashapurna Devi of Bengali to Urmila Pawar of Marathi. I feel glad to see that Jean Claude Walter has translated my story ‘Rape’ as ‘Le Viol’ there. The book is edited by N. Kamala and Clarie Barthez and it has been published by Goyal Publishers and Distributors Pvt Ltd, Delhi.

                           Journey of a Story-2

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        1992

I wrote a story in Odia titled 'Dukha Apramita’ which was published in ‘Jhankar’, a reputed magazine of Odisha.

2006

The story was included in my Odia anthology Dukha Apramit published by Vidyapuri, Cuttack.

2008

Ipsita Sarangi, a very sensitive poetess of Odia translated it into English and was anthologized in my second English short stories collection Waiting for Manna.

2008

Dr. Gopa Nayak translated it for Muse India under the title ‘Misery Knows No Bound’ and was published in its 22nd issue:http://www.museindia.com/viewarticle.asp?myr=2008&issid=22&id=1315

2009

Maithili version of that story was first published in e journal Videha and later was published in print magazine ‘The Sadeha’. Gajendra Thakur was its translator. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/videha/gMwd1dKL2ho/q8C1Edk73QIJ

2009

This story was translated into Bengali first by Mahbub Anindo and was anthologized in Aloklata, published by Bangla Prakash, Dhaka in 2009. Later it was also published in his blog at http://pateswary.blogspot.in/2013/06/blog-post_16.html

2009

Dinesh Kumar Mali translated it into Hindi and published it in his blog ‘Sarojini Sahoo Ki Shreshtha Kahaniyan’http://sarojinisahoostories.blogspot.in/2009_06_01_archive.html

2010

Arita Bhowmick translated it for second time and was anthologized in my Bengali short stories collection Dukha Aparimita, published by Anupam Prakashani, Dhaka.

2012

Hindi translation of this story by Dinesh Kumar Mali was included in my Hindi short stories collection Rape Tatha Anya Kahaniyan, published by Rajpal & Sons.

2013

Chicheng Hsu, a famous contemporary Chinese poet, writer and translator translated it into Chineses and was published in Jume 22 issue of ‘Square’, the literary supplement Weekly of Keng Shen Daily News. http://www.ksnews.com.tw/newsdetail.php?n_id=0000440927&level2_id=118