Pluralistic, polyglot U.P. bureaucrat wins hearts with her 3rd Ramcharitmanas adaptation

LUCKNOW As they say — ‘great literature knows no bounds’. Born in Kerala, Ministhy S, currently serving as the commissioner of commercial tax in Uttar Pradesh, grew up reading and hearing the tales of Ramayana in her mother tongue Malayalam. Her love for the epic prompted her to learn its Hindi version as well. A literature aficionado from her early childhood, Ministhy S also read the Ramcharitmanas, which was originally written in Awadhi by Goswami Tulsidas.

Enamoured by the celebrated devotional literature, Ministhy S pledged to take the poetic epic to a wider audience and make it accessible to more readers. In her pursuit, she started translating the scripture to English in her WordPress blogs. Later, she decided to take the plunge and pen separate books translating the episodes of Ramcharitmanas to English despite her neck-breaking schedule as a bureaucrat.

So far, she has released three books translating as many chapters of the Ramcharitmanas from Awadhi to English. Her latest book — ‘Aranya Kanda’ (Forest Episode) — translates the corresponding episode of the Ramcharitmanas to English. The previous two books she released in 2017 and 2018 respectively were Awadhi-to-English translations of the Sundara Kanda (Pleasant Episode) and Kishkindha Kanda (meeting between Lord Rama and Hanuman).

“The Awadhi language is not understood by many. Therefore, these translations are an effort to make this beautiful classic, revered as a gem of devotional literature and an epitome of poetic mastery, accessible to more readers,” said Ministhy. Talking about her latest book, she added, “This is the Sopan in which the beauty of the forest and nature is explored in all its splendour. I wrote this one during the Covid-19 pandemic to handle stress.”

Her third book on Ramcharitmanas episodes, just like the previous two translations, has been published by Nageen Prakashan Private Limited. It has 102 glossy colourful pages with pictures and graphics to make it more attractive to readers, especially the children. “The use of graphics and pictures will not only help readers understand it easily but also help parents introduce the epic to their children. The chaupais (verses) and their meaning are in English along with notes highlighting special events,” she pointed out.

When asked to give an update about her next book, Ministhy S said that her fourth translation would be of the ‘Lanka Kanda’ which details the episodes where Lord Ram comes face-to-face with demon king Ravan. Notably, the Ramcharitmanas has seven kandas (episodes).

Taking vernacular works beyond geographical confines

Apart from the three Ramcharitmanas translations, Ministhy S has also translated multiple Malayalam books into English. These include — VJ James’s ‘Anti clock’, which was shortlisted for JCB awards 2021; ‘Nireeswaran’, which won Vayalar and Kerala Sahitya Akademi; and the latest being ‘Dattapaharam: Call of the Forest’. All of them have been published by Penguin publishers.

Besides, the 50-year-old bureaucrat has also translated two books of the another well-known Malyali writer KR Meera. These are — ‘Unseeing Idol of Light’, and ‘Poison of Love’ — also published by Penguin publishers. She also remembers reading Ashapurna Devi’s Bengali novels, VS Khandekar’s Marathi books, and Russian classics, all in Malayalam.

“These books have instilled a life-long love for literature. I started dabbling in translation in 2014, translating American poet Daniel Ladinsky’s work into Malayalam. Since then, I have translated many such books,” said Ministhy S.

She added, “When I started out, I wrote my translations on a paper with pen because I didn’t know how to type in Malayalam back then. I used to do it whenever I got free time… So, I did not start out in a particular workspace. However, once I bagged book projects, things became systematic.”

PIC CAPTION: Ministhy S, author and the commissioner of commercial tax in Uttar Pradesh.