If a kid pesters you with 'Say sorry', you can be very sure that he/she will retort with something that rhymes with 'sorry'. If the kid is from Mangalore, the retort is sure to be 'Hampankatte Byaari' ( Elsewhere in K'taka, the retort will be 'One plate poori' ) !
Hampankatta (katte in local lingo) has been one of M'lore's business localities for centuries. Byaari is the local Muslim tradesman...a descendant of the 12th-13th century Middle East trader who settled down.
This bit of nonsense - 'Sorry....Hampankatte Byaari' - comes to me every time I pass by Hampankatta! And, that hot afternoon in May was no different. Thinking of HB & other things, I was walking down the main street. Huge buildings on either side of the road had barred Mr.Sunshine... making the whole experience of walking on a summer afternoon very eerie!
Suddenly, this very attractive cover on a book-shop window caught my attention.
Durgesh Nandini (d/o the lord of the fort) by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya --- an author I'd read and liked before. Turning over, I read the opening line...'The first novel in Indian literature'
Really?! I HAD to read this!
Written nearly 150 years ago, Durgesh Nandini has been translated into English from the original Bengali by several people. This version is by Arunava Sinha.
'The Chieftain's Daughter' - as the title has been translated - is a triangular love story set in the Bengal - Orissa region of the Mughal era ... Akbar's era, to be precise. It is romance and drama with a dash of history!
The chieftain's daughter falls in love with the prince of the enemy camp. Prince is captured by a second enemy. Wounded, he is revived by the second enemy's daughter - and, guess what? She falls for him too! Wow! some Prince Charming here!
Quite a lot of sub-plots and surprises later, things end neatly... of course, not happily for everyone involved. The unhappy, thankfully, accept their situations matter-of-factly and move on.
Like in other Bankimda books, women here have a strong presence. They're free spirited and independent in thoughts and deeds. Wonder if women in the 16th century really had that freedom!
You know, one of the two women in love is bold enough to write a letter to the prince. When the ink smudges due to fallen tears, she tears up the sheet and takes a fresh one! I'm not at all sure if 'ink' & 'sheet', that too in the women's quarters, were known in the Bengal-Orissa of the 16th century. Also, if a Pathan princess could write in a language that could be understood by a Rajput prince!
On the other hand, it could be some local stuff that had to be translated as 'ink', 'sheet'... and, as for the language issue, lets assume that our Prince Charming/ Pathan Princess were linguists!
Actually, the theme of Durgesh Nandini has been replicated several times in several stories/ movies. Inspite of that, there is a certain charm to the story... maybe, the translator has quite succeeded in bringing out the flamboyant prose that Bankimda is well known for.
It is a book that's witty and fast paced enough to quell the misery and gloom caused by pre-monsoon thunder storms. Read it if you don't mind something that has been written by and for a different generation.
Hampankatta (katte in local lingo) has been one of M'lore's business localities for centuries. Byaari is the local Muslim tradesman...a descendant of the 12th-13th century Middle East trader who settled down.
This bit of nonsense - 'Sorry....Hampankatte Byaari' - comes to me every time I pass by Hampankatta! And, that hot afternoon in May was no different. Thinking of HB & other things, I was walking down the main street. Huge buildings on either side of the road had barred Mr.Sunshine... making the whole experience of walking on a summer afternoon very eerie!
Suddenly, this very attractive cover on a book-shop window caught my attention.
Durgesh Nandini (d/o the lord of the fort) by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya --- an author I'd read and liked before. Turning over, I read the opening line...'The first novel in Indian literature'
Really?! I HAD to read this!
Written nearly 150 years ago, Durgesh Nandini has been translated into English from the original Bengali by several people. This version is by Arunava Sinha.
'The Chieftain's Daughter' - as the title has been translated - is a triangular love story set in the Bengal - Orissa region of the Mughal era ... Akbar's era, to be precise. It is romance and drama with a dash of history!
The chieftain's daughter falls in love with the prince of the enemy camp. Prince is captured by a second enemy. Wounded, he is revived by the second enemy's daughter - and, guess what? She falls for him too! Wow! some Prince Charming here!
Quite a lot of sub-plots and surprises later, things end neatly... of course, not happily for everyone involved. The unhappy, thankfully, accept their situations matter-of-factly and move on.
Like in other Bankimda books, women here have a strong presence. They're free spirited and independent in thoughts and deeds. Wonder if women in the 16th century really had that freedom!
You know, one of the two women in love is bold enough to write a letter to the prince. When the ink smudges due to fallen tears, she tears up the sheet and takes a fresh one! I'm not at all sure if 'ink' & 'sheet', that too in the women's quarters, were known in the Bengal-Orissa of the 16th century. Also, if a Pathan princess could write in a language that could be understood by a Rajput prince!
On the other hand, it could be some local stuff that had to be translated as 'ink', 'sheet'... and, as for the language issue, lets assume that our Prince Charming/ Pathan Princess were linguists!
Actually, the theme of Durgesh Nandini has been replicated several times in several stories/ movies. Inspite of that, there is a certain charm to the story... maybe, the translator has quite succeeded in bringing out the flamboyant prose that Bankimda is well known for.
It is a book that's witty and fast paced enough to quell the misery and gloom caused by pre-monsoon thunder storms. Read it if you don't mind something that has been written by and for a different generation.
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