Hindi literature is getting international recognition, but at the same time, renowned authors back home do not even get the royalty they deserve. Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand, originally Ret Samadhi in Hindi, has been longlisted for International Booker Prize 2022. Translated by Daisy Rockwell, the book is the first Hindi language work of fiction to have made the cut for the prestigious literary prize.
The translation of literature in English rarely conveys the beauty and the nuances of the language itself. This is one of the main reasons why English translations of other regional languages are often found insufficient. It’s often said that the translated versions do not carry the same literary value as compared with the original. But Tomb of Sand has rekindled hope amid regional authors and readers that translations can prove to be closer to the original novel.
This is great news for Hindi readers, but it also comes at a time when we have just witnessed a new low in terms of publishing houses exploiting Hindi authors. Actor and author Manav Kaul recently shared a video on Instagram, in which prominent Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla accused his publishers of paying him pittance, for years. The 86-year-old writer, who has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Deewar Mein Ek Khidki Rahti Thi, said he got only Rs 1.35 lakh in the past 25 years by Vani Prakashan, while Rajkamal Books paid him Rs 14,000 annually for six books. Both are leading publishing houses of Hindi language.
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The double standards
The publishing house versus author debate over royalty isn’t something new, especially for Hindi and regional languages. For Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Jawaharlal Nehru once had to intervene when the poet complained about not getting enough royalties for his books. But in this new age where readers are more informed, thanks to social media, and have a direct connection with authors, publishing houses’ arbitrariness vis a vis payment does not make sense.
Novelist Surendra Mohan Pathak had once in an interview said that no Hindi writer can run his/her household just by writing. Stalwarts like Mohan Rakesh and Kamleshwar used to do full-time jobs along with writing. The trend continues even today. Below-par novels and books of English language authors can help them earn millions; they are invited to reality shows, literature festivals, and films are made based on their novels. But we only realise the plight of a Hindi author when a Bollywood actor posts a video on their situation.
I don’t think any Hindi or regional writer would aspire for that kind of fame, but giving them royalties for their hard work and talent is the least that publishing houses can do. We can feel as happy as we want on the international recognition of one of our Indian language works, but as committed readers of the language, we cannot ignore the plight of our beloved authors. When this can happen to a prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award winning author, imagine where small, unnoticed, young regional authors stand.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)