History of Swami Mudaliandan

Paduke Yethirajasya Gathayenthi Yethakkyaya |
Thasya Dasarathehe Pathow Sirasa Daryamyaham||

Brief History:

                    Swami Mudaliandan was born in 1027 A.D at Pachhai Vaarana Perumal Sannidhi (referred to as “NazarethPettai” today) in Thondai mandalam, to Anandanarayana Dheekshidar and Nachiyaramman. Anandanarayana Dheekshidar did not have any children for a long time. He undertook a yatra to Thiruvengadam to worship Lord Thiruvengadamudayan and pray for a child. On his way at Thiruninravor, where he stayed overnight at Yeri Katha Ramar’s sannadhi, Sriramar (Anandanarayana Dheekshidar’s thiruvaradana perumal) appeared in his dream and instructed that he need not undertake yatra to Thiruvengadam for begetting a son as Thiruanandazvan(Adi Shesha, Five headed Serpent, on whom The Lord reclines ) has taken birth as Ramanujar in Sriperumbudur and that he (Lord) will be born as his son to serve Sri Ramanuja.   

                           It is believed that Perumal was very impressed by Thiruvananthazvan’s kainkaryam as Lakshmana to him (Lord Rama) in Ramavatharam and wanted to taste kainkarya ruchi(Taste of Servitude) himself. Thus, when he was born as Krishna in Krishnavataram he performed kainkaryam to Balarama (Who in turn is Thiruvananthazvan’s amsam). Not fully satisfied with this, when Thiruvananthazvan appeared as Sri Ramanuja in Kaliyuga, he was reborn as Mudaliandan and did kainkaryam to Sri Ramanuja and felt satisfied. Thus Mudaliandan is an amsam of Lord Rama  

                             Nachiyaramman was the elder of Swami Emburumanar’s two sisters. Hence Mudaliyandan is called SrI-ramanuja's BhaginEya (sister's son). Anandanarayana Dheekshidar named the child as Dasarathy. Dasarathy refers to Dasaratha’s sons. This normally refers to Lord Rama. He was born in Vadamal Kulam, Vadhoola Gothram, Yajus sakhaai, Apasthamba Soothram in Prabava varusham, Chitra masam, Punarvasu natchatram.   

                                 His other names are Ramanujan Ponnadi, Sri Vaishnana Serobooshanam and Ramanuja Paduka. The 'Tiruvadinilai' (= the sanctified mount of the footwear, The ~~ pAdukA ~~ of divinity and holy personages) of the Lord is named after Swami Nammazhvar as 'SrI-Sathakopam' or 'Sathari', and the tiruvadi-nilai of Swami Nammazhvar is known as Ramanujan. In the same vein, the pAdukA-pITham of svAmi emperumAnAr is referred to as 'mudali-ANDAn'. This honorofic is cited in the 'taniyan' of SrI ANDAn which goes: -

"pAdukE yati-rAjasya kathayanti yad-AkhyayA
tasya dASarathE: pAadav SirasA dhArayAam yaham".

                              svAmi mudali-ANDAn is accordingly referred to as the rAmAnuja-pAdukA or yatirAja-pAdukA. The short name is simply 'ANDAn'.   When Sri Ramanuja took sanyasam, Mudaliandan and Koorathalwan paid respects at his feet and obtained pancha samskarams from him. Sri Ramanujar taught Sribashyam and other rahasyartham to Swami Mudaliandan while his father Anandanarayana Dheekshidar taught him Divya prabandam. 

                                       The high affection which Udayavar had on Andan and Azhvan came out in the episode of Sri Ramanujar seeking instruction from Tirukkotiyur Nambi (Nambi) on rahasyartham. Sri Ramanuja visited Triukottiyur Nambi 18 times for upadesam on Thiru mantram, but he could not get the upadesam. Sri Ramanuja once told this to one of nambi’s sishyas and Nambi heard that and told Udayavar to come alone to get upadesam with tAndam (Sacred staff) and pavithram (pennant). However, Sri Ramanuja took Dasarathi and Kuresa with him. When Nambi asked Sri ramanuja why he brought Andan and Azhwan inspite of his instruction to come alone, Sri Ramanuja replied that Andaan is his tAndam and Azhwan is his pavithram. Nambi took all three of them and instructed them the Thirumantram and asked them not to tell them to anyone else. He also told Sri Ramanuja to come alone later to learn the Charama slokam. Nambi later instructed Sri Ramanuja the Charama slokam.  

                             When Sri Ramanuja was instructing Kuresa on the Charama-Slokam, Andaan too wanted to know the meaning of the sloka, and hence approached Sri Ramanuja. Due to Tirukkottiyur Nambi's instructions, Sir Ramanuja, asked Andaan to obtain the upadesam from Nambi himself. Andaan went and submitted himself to Nambi, who never gave him audience. This continued for about six months and Andaan never gave up. At this point Nambi inquired Andaan about the reason for his being there. When Andaan requested to be taught the meaning of Charama Sloka, he said "Let the three egotism that troubles the mankind, that of having knowledge, wealth and ancestry. Ramanuja will be the best judge in these matters. Go to him and wait on him on his will and pleasure. He will bless you". Dasarathi returned to Srirangam, fell to Sri Ramanuja's feet and related all that happened at Tirukkottiyur. Pleased with Andaan, Sri Ramanuja lauded the change in him and instructed Charama slokam to Andaan.  

                                    Ramanuja had a very intimate attachment towards Swami Mudaliandan which was expressed by Ramanuja himself many times. Even at the time when he embraced Sanyasa, Ramanuja renounced everything except Swami Mudaliandan, his priya Bagineyar. While going to kaveri for his daily bath, he used to lean on Dasarathi for support. One day, while on his way to the river, he was asked why, when he donned the robes of a Sannyaasin (a Pontiff) he did not give up Dasarathi, as that order demanded that all kith and kin should be renounced. To this Ramanuja replied that Dasarathi was an exception as he was his triplestaff (triTAndam) (the same reason he gave to Tirukkottiyur Nambi) and added "Just as a Pontiff cannot do without his triplestaff, I cannot do without                                   Andaan”. Thus Andaan is referred to as a Triplestaf(TriTAndam) which is always found with a pontiff. Andaan had the privilege of having both Bodily relationship (Thega sambandam) and Spiritual relationship (Atma sambandam). Bodily relationship as Sri Ramanuja’s Bagineyar and Spritual relationship as a Servant of Sri Ramanuja. 

                              In our Srivaishanava Sampradayam, Pontiffs carry a staff (tridanda) made out of three small wooden sticks. This is to signify the three components of our philosophy - chit, achit and easwara. It is mandatory for our Pontiffs to carry tridanda always with them. It is also said that “Vishnuroopam Tridandagyam” i.e., Tridandam is Vishnu’s roopam. As Andaan is Mahavishnu’s amsam, it is said “Paki Neyas Tridandaga : Thus it is appropriate that he is called Sriramanuja’s triplestaff (tridanda).  

                                  When Ramanuja went to North India to collect the work of Brahma Sutra, he sought Namperumal’s approval to leave Srirangam temple activities in the hands of Dasarathi. Namperumal willingly consented to this and instructing Ramanuja to spread the message of Srivaishnavism in all directions. Andaan meticulously took care of the activities of Srirangam temple and handled Srikarayam, Thiru meni upacharam and thirupuvana upacharam with great care.  

                              Once, on Ramanuja’s instructions Andaan went to Periya Nambi’s daughter Athuzhai to her in-law’s house as “Attuzhai's stri dhana vellatti”(Servants who are sent with bride to her In law’s house during olden times to work in groom’s house). Just to comply with his Acharya’s words, Aandaan served athuzhai’s and her in laws for several months until they realized who he was and regretted it all. This incident shows Andaan’s unabiding devotion to his acharya, which is the essence of our Sri Vasihanava sampradayam.   

                                   Ramanuja’s Passage to Melkote from Srirangam constitutes a poignant episode in SrIvaishNava history. The occasion once again demonstrated the precious loyalty of ANDAn and AzhvAn to uDaiyavar. ANDAn simply went with uDaiyavar on the virtually uncharted emergency evacuation from Srirangam, and AzhvAn (together with periya nambi) substituted for uDaiyavar to answer the vicious summons of the bigoted chOzha ruler. Before reaching mElkOTE, the Udayavar and Andaan halted at a place known as SalagrAmam where they were baited and harassed by a cynical group of people. Udaiyavar, directed Andan just to step into the waters of the local pool and come out. The villagers are said to have unknowingly been converted to gentle ways by imbibing the pool-water sanctified as the washing of Andan's feet (SrIpada-tIrtham). That is why, even today, in Mudalinadan Thirumaligai, Sripada Theertham is administered to even those who has have not obtained Pancha Samaskaram.  

                               Udayavar converted the great Hoysala king bittidEva\vishNu-vardhana to SrIvaishNavam and constructed Thirunarayana temple and then visited thondanur and won over mayavathis. On udayavar’s instructions Anadaan went to Belur and converted people to Srivaishnavism and installed pancha narayana temples.  

The temples are:   

1.      Vaan pugaz narayanan at Thazaikadu

2.      Sriman narayanan at Thondanur

3.      Veera narayanan at Kadookalam

4.      Vijaya narayanan at Vijayapuram; and

5.      Kesava narayanan at Belur  

                        The 'pancha-nArAyaNa-pratishThA', as it came to be known, was not only the glory of vaishNava religion per se, but the temples figures in the nation's cultural history as it has so many marvels of architecture and stone-crafting. This comprehensive project got executed under the supervision of svAmi mudali-ANDAn and these temples stand, especially, as monuments to uDaiyavar's trust in the skills and integrity of ANDAn.  

                                                  Sri Ramanuja returned from Thirunarayanan puram and reached srirangam via thirumalai and thirumaliruncholai and received perumal mariyadai and sadari and theertha prasadam. On hearing ramanuja’s return, kulothugna chozan (son of kirimikanda chozan) fell at Ramanuja’s feet and surrendered the rights of srirangam temple to ramanuja and became a disciple of Andaan. Kulothunga chozhan’s donating srirangam temple is recorded at arya battal vasal in srirangam, which can be seen even today.    

Andaan's service   

                            uDaiyavar is admired for his administrative acumen, revered for his philosophic integrity, and adored for his surpassing compassion; he was like the clouds which bring their consoling showers, ~~ "kArEi karuNai-yirAmAnuSa" ~~ says amutanAr.He streamlined the entire administration of properties and revenues of the 'peria kOil' (Great Temple) ~~ "tiruvarankan Selva-muRRum tirutti-vaittAn". This was possible principally because he had entrusted ANDAn with the entirety of temple administration, in the capacity of SrI-kArya-dhurandhara, or ANDAn kuRaTTu-maNiam.It was tirumankai-mannan who had initially organised the temple functionaries into five groups. By the time uDaiyavar became responsible for the periya kOyil, he amplified the functions and organised the ten-fold temple 'parijanam' (functionaries). 

They were:-
(1) tiruppatiyAr, (2) tiruppaNi-seyivAr, (3) bhAgavatanambi-s, (4) uLLUrAr and todavattimAr, (5) viNNappamseyivAr, (6) tiruk-karakak-kAiyAr, (7) sthAnattAr,(8) pattuk-kottu, (9) Arya-bhaTAL, and (10) dAsa-nambi-s.  

                              This reorganisation was known as 'uDaiyavar tiTTam'. Since ANDAn was made the chief of the entirety of mudalikaL (temple functionaries), ANDAn came to be known as mudali-ANDAn.  

Other vishayam on Andaan   

In early times in Srirangam, only the temple functionaries lived inside the 'sapta-prAkAra', but uDaiyavar made a significant departure in favour of three persons, by allotting them residential ground in the 'seventh enclosure' itself. periya nambi (who was an AchArya of uDaiyavar, but mentally came to regard his disciple as his master instead) was granted occupation of SrI ALavandAr's maTha (monastery); ANDAn and AzhvAn were granted land facing nambi 'tirumALikai' on the east mADa / chitra street.  

In the shrine of nammAzhvAr in Srirangam, the icons of madhura-kavikaL and nAthamunikaL are also worshipped by his side. Likewise, ANDAn and AzhvAn are represented in images on both sides of entrance to the uDaiyavar 'sannidhi' as well as in several pUrvAchArya residences (tiru-mALikai) in Srirangam.  

Andaan had deep interest in Divya Prabandam and especially, Thiruvozhmozhi. It is interesting to note that in an earlier avataram perumal was born as Rama and listened to Vedas through Valmiki. Similary in later births, when he was born as Mudaliandaan he enjoyed veda saram in the form of Divya prabandam and Thiruvozhmozhi.   

Andaan had a great liking for the archavataram of perumal. Once when he was taking care of kovil srikaryam, he wanted to serve Naval Pazham to the lord (as he is kannan- vennai unda vazhyan—who likes naval pazham very much). When udayavar worshipped the lord that day he realised that perumal’s thirumugamandalam (Face) is dull and enquired about the happenings and found that the same is the result of serving naval pazham. He called Garuda Vahana Panditar (the asthana vaidyar) and administered kashayam(Traditional medicine) to perumal. This shows andaan deep interest in archavatharam of perumal.

Andaan's pedigree  

ANDAn is the mUla-purusha of the vAdhUla-gOtra clan renowned as 'koyil-kandADai'(a Tamil-Sanskrit hybrid),for being honoured with perumAL's fragrant robe. The clan is famous to the extent that a whole street [north mADa street] in SrIvilli-puttUr bears the name 'kandADaiyAr vIthi', perhaps ever since the name was established in the 'sampradAyam' itself.  

Swami Desikan on Swami Mudaliandan. 

Our 'SampradAyam' is in debt to swAmi dESikan for having preserved in his 'rahasya-traya-sAram', a nugget SrI-sUkti ( of ANDAn, as the latter's metaphor for our association with uDaiyavar, as under,   

MudaliyANDAn (a nephew and disciple of rAmAnuja) said:   

"When a lion leaps from one hill to another, the little insects on its body are transported with him. Similarly, when bhAshyakAra (rAmAnuja) leaped over the cycle of birth and death, we were saved because of our connection with him." 

This terse exposition of AchArya-pratipatti stemmed from ANDAn's unwavering faith in and unsullied devotion to his preceptor. Hence his unique identity as 'yatirAja-pAdukA', verily the footwear of SrIrAmAnuja.   

Vaduga Nambi on Mudaliandan   

Vaduganambi, like Madura kavigal, did not worship anyone other than his acharya, was once visited by relatives who had not obtained samasrayanam from acharyas. When they left, Nambi threw away all the vessels and cleaned the thirumaligai and brought the left over vessels from Andaan’s thirumaligai and felt happy as he firmly believed that vessels used by such a srivaishanava as Andaan are good to use even when they are very old. 

Azhvaan on Mudaliandan   

KoorathAzhvAn is known as the Pavithram of Sri Ramanuja had unique intellectual powers... Sri Kurathalvan, has expressed the greatness of Swami Mudaliandan by saying as,  

"Padakku Atma Sambandham Irundhalum, Uzhakku Deha Sambandham Illaye",  meaning,

"Though I have the Atma Sambandham(Spiritual relatiobship) with Ramanuja, I am not bodily related(Thega sampandam) to him like Mudaliandan is related to Ramanuja".
Such was the greatness of Mudaliandan Swami.

ANDAn's modesty   

Andaan composed the taniyan to be sung before Mudal Tiruvantati. He was very well educated in both the Sanskrit and Tamil Vedas and instructed many such as Embar and others on the meaning of Tiruvaimozhi and other paasurams of the 4000 Divya Prabandham.  

ANDAn was instinctively self-effacing and left no written works as such, and the reason was obvious, that his hands were full in administering the Great Temple and in coordinating and executing the numerous and continuing assignments of uDaiyavar. 

ANDAns remembered through numerous references in our extensive 'vyAkhyA' (exegetic) literature, and in the temple chronicle 'kOyil ozhugu' and hagiological works. The ANDAn-AzhvAn pair was renowned for devotion and great concern for namperumAL. Every time namperumAL returned to the AsthAnam (sanctum) after sojourning in the holy streets, the two would, in the spirit of periAzhvAr, sigh and hold each other's hands in thanksgiving that the Lord returned to safety after his festive wandering right in the sight of cynical men.  

When one looks at the bond and the close relationship that existed between Sri Ramanuja, Andaan and Azhwan, one tends to think that the Lord himself was born as three persons to propagate Srivaishnavism in this world.

Kandadai Andaan 

Swami Mudaliandan did not have children for long time. Once, while discussing with Sri Ramanuja, Andaan regretted about not having a child. At the same, Sri Ramanuja received prasadam from the Temple which was covered with a garment (Kandadai- Gandam + aadai – a piece of cloth with fragrance) worn on Lord’s thirumeni (Lord’s archaamurthy). Sri Ramanuja indicated to Andaan about the auspicious happening and told him he will get a son soon. Soon, a son was born to Andaan. Thus, Andaan vamsam (family) was called Kandadayar family. It is said that a whole street [north mADa street] in SrIvilli-puttUr bears the name 'kandADaiyAr vIthi', to signify the importance of the family.  

Kandadai Andaan was born in Kumba (Masi) month punarvasu star as an amsam of Chatrukana azhwar. He was born at Koil (Srirangam) and his acharya was Sri Ramanuja. He learnt Sri Bashya, Veda, Sastra and Divya Prabandam from his father Swami Mudaliandaan. He learnt rahasyartham from Atkonda Villi Jeeyar. Like Sri Ramanuja, Kandadai Andaan had three acharyas – Sri Ramanuja, Swami Mudalinadaan and Atkonda Villi Jeeyar.  

Out of deep love and respect for Sri Ramanuja, he requested Sri Ramanuja’s permission for installing a statue of Sri Ramanuja at his birth place – Sriperumbudur and Sri Ramanjua also agreed to the same. He immediately called a sculptor and got a statue of Sri Ramanuja done. Sri Ramanuja was impressed with the statue, embraced it and gave his blessings to install the same at Sriperumbudur on Pushya natchatram in the month of Panguni. Swami Andaan after receiving Sri Ramanuja’s instructions made arrangements for installing the statue at the appointed day and time. He also codified performing of festivities for Swami’s thirumeni at Sriperumbudur.  

Kandadai Thozappar   

Ramaanujarya satputram varanatheesa desigam
Lokacharyaa kripapathram vande guna kanaarnavam

Kandadai Thozappar was the son of Kandadai Andaan. His other names are Vaaranadeesar, Shyamahastheesar. His acharya and teacher was his father Kandadai Andaan. Lord Varadarajar considered him as his friend (thozar) and named him “Thozappar”. Kandadai Thozappar installed “Andal” statue at kanchipuram and performed Thirukalyana utchavam (marriage festivities). It is said that Lord Varadarajar gave him “Azhaithu Vazhvithavar” one of his aaradanai perumal for performing thiruvaradanam. “Azhaithu Vazhvithavar” is the thiruvaradana perumal of Mudaliandaan thirumaligai even today. The Azhaithu Vazhvithavar is one of the “Shat Berams”, ie, one of the six Archa moorthies of Varadaraja Perumal of Kanchi.

Appachiaranna

Appachiaranna is the direct decendant of Sri Mudaliandan Swami and occupies the nineth (9) position in the order. Swami Appachiaranna was addresed by Swami Manavala Mamunigal as "Nam Appachiarannao".

Sri manavala mamunigal gave two similar vigrahas of sri swami manavala mamunigal to sri Appachiaranna (one for the worship of Sri Appachiaranna Swamy himself and the other for Sri Vanamamalai jeer Swami, the acharya of Appachiaranna) , made from the theerthapathram used by sri swami emperumanar received by sri manavala mamunigal in a damged condition and later named as 'RAMANUJAN'.

Sri Manavala Mamunigal also gave Appachiaranna the idol of "Sri Teemanam Keduthar", the Perumal worshipped by Sri Atkondavilli Jeer. As directed by Swami Manavala Mamunigal, Appachiaranna lived at Kancheepuram in the Thirumaligai of sri swami mudaliandan thirumaligai performing Nithya Thiruvaradhanam to "Sri Azhaithu Vazhivithavar" (the Moorthi given to kandhadai thozzppar by perulala perumal himself) one among the shad bheras of kanchi Perarulalan. In the foot steps of Swami Ramanuja, Appachiaranna also spent his life time doing theSalaikinaru Kainkaryam for the thirumanjanam of Perarulalan and Perundevi Thayar. Such is the Mahatvam of Sri Appachiaranna Swami, the nineth decendant in the Vadhula race.

Swami Annavilappan

Swami Annavilappan, Thirukumarar of Appachiaranna Swami lived in Singaperumal koil in the service of Sri Pataladhri Narasimha Perumal as ordained by Lord Narasimha. The Lord of Singapermal Koil Pataladhri Narasimha, appeared in the dream of Swami Annavilappan and ordered him to set right His abode which was covered under sand dunes and establish a place with agraharam and kainkaryaparas and to live ever in HIS Service. Accordingly, Swami Annavilappan followed the divine order and lived his full life time in the service of the Lord of Singaperumal Koil.

Ramanuja divya tiruvadigalla sharanam

Dr. G. Mohana Charyulu,

Dynamics of K. Damodar Rao’s Credo of

Translation-as-Activism

                                                                                   

                                                                                    G. Mohana Charyulu

                                                                                     Asso. Prof of English,

Dept of Humanities and Science

                                                                     Bomma Institute of Tech and Science,

                                                                                                    Khammam.

Indian Literature in English translation has become, of late, an indispensable component of literary and cultural studies in India. It projects the multilingual composition of Indian society with all its multiple facets. A greater impetus to its growing importance comes, however, from certain sociological changes affecting the nation. These changes have propagated the importance of education, awareness of one’s own position in the society, and questioned the validity of dominant structures. As a result, writers from different levels and classes have started producing literary works in their vernaculars. The regional writers some of whose work is available in English translation have created a substantial body of literature, contributing an unprecedented variety of literary subjects and styles. A plethora of Indian myths, epics, and oral forms have been made use of in many regional literatures in India; in some cases the myths have been subverted and new legends created; variants of folk forms employed and new genres came to be appreciated; diversity of the nation and its implicit unity came to be celebrated.  The voices of anguish, protest, resentment have found a new idiom borrowing from and making use of folk and oral corpus of regional literatures.  

_________________________________________________________________________

This is the modified version of a paper presented at a National Seminar on “Indian Literature in English Translation” organized by the Department of English, Kakatiya University, Warangal, during March 28-29, 2009, and subsequently published in Kakatiya Journal of English Studies, Vol.28, 2008-09.

         English translation has become a bridge between the literature of the past and the literature of the present, between one regional language and another. The mainstreaming of

marginal sections coincided with juxtaposition/subversion of larger and smaller traditions.

The bridging of the gap between the two paved way for the emergence of new literatures in

India which are anti-authoritarian in nature and anti-colonial in tone and temperament, their purpose being decolonizing the min Regional literatures fare well in this respect when compared to Indian writing in English. Writers like Mahasveta Devi, Gopinath Mohanty, Sivasankara Pillai, Ismat Chugthai, Ravi Shastry, O.V Vijayan, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Sri Sri, Girish Karnad, Vijay Tendulkar, Bama, K Siva Reddy and contemporary dalit and feminist poets in different languages demonstrated this through their substantial body of poetics of resistance. Telugu Literature has been in the forefront of foregrounding such liberation movements in fiction and poetry, particularly in the field of poetry through the second half of 20^th century, more so in 1980s and 1990s. Translation, in such a scenario, especially in English, becomes a means of empowerment.

         In this context, an analysis of K. Damodar Rao’s translations of modern Telugu poetry into English published over a period of fifteen years reveals the significance of cultural transmission, a writing-back to the centre, the postcolonial way. This is on account of the fact that translation-as-regeneration lies beyond the mere linguistic and semantic levels and branch out into cultural, ideological and philosophical domains. An attempt has been made in this paper to examine closely specific areas like sociological dimensions, style, sense of the sound, and cultural nuances reflected in the translations of K. Damodar Rao as part of his cultural activism. He is an intense translator, his area is obviously very vast, and I offer a few glimpses of the impact they have on bi-lingual readers. While translating a poem into another language i.e. from source language to target language, the translator naturally keeps in mind the cultural and social background of the text. Translation is not merely a simple transfer but it is rewriting of the source text with reworking of the meaning. It is not merely a question of linguistics, but in addition, it deals with concepts and contexts. The literary trends and tastes of the period also come into play either for substantiation or interrogation.

         In recent Telugu poetry we find a marked change in style, form in tune with content and tone.  Various political, social and literary movements of the world influenced Telugu poetry so much that many poems read like poetic manifestoes. Apart from traditional and classical way of writing, one can find abundant ways of writing, themes,  styles, oral and revolutionary idiom in Telugu poetry conveying a large scope, but ridden with risks as always, for the translator. Dalit, feminist, progressive, revolutionary, minority strains in Telugu poetry, in particular, dominated the literary scene in the last two decades of the 20^th century. The smell of the soil, class struggle, humanistic strain, protest against oppression of all forms, resistance-manifestations became part of poetic expression; poets from different social-economic strata have started giving a shape to their ideas. Some of them acquired world wide popularity in literary circles through the medium of English translations.

          K. Damodar Rao, a Kakatiya University academic and a reputed translator with innovative style and creative touch, has so far translated hundreds of poems of a number of Telugu poets into English and provided them visibility on the national scene publishing their poems in journals of repute. Individual collections like Dr. Banna Ilaiah’s Fire Spark, Dr. Madiraju Ranga Rao’s Cease fire and Crossfire, Prof. Anumandla Bhoomaiah’s Velugu Nagala Hansa as Brilliance Jewelled Swan, are all praiseworthy, full fledged translations. Based on his translations published in journals like Indian Literature, New Quest and Kavya Bharati, many poets received invitations to poetry festivals at national and international level. His translations of Vemana, the poet of the people, have a distinct oral flavour in tune with the rhythms and musical intones of the original poems. There are many versions of Vemana’s translations, one even published by the Sahitya Akademi, but Damodar Rao’s translations stand apart as the essence is sought to be captured in a rhythmic fashion. To understand the complexity of words the reader has to move from a linear way of reading the poem to an associative reconstruction of those words and expressions that are linked by a similarity of what they suggest. No reading of a poem can be more intense than that which proceeds through the study of multiple translations. Two translations of the same poem by Vemana are cited below to prove the point:

                                 Translation 1

                                 If an enemy deserving of death

                                 Falls into your hands

                                 You must not harm him.

                                 Help him

                                 And send him off.

                                 That itself is death.¹

                                            

                                 Translation 2

                                 Don’t think of avenging

                                 your enemy even if caught:

                                

                                 One generous gesture is enough

                                 to let him go

                                 and die.

                                 Vema

                                 you endeared yourself to the Creator,

                                 now listen!²

                                                                                

T1 is prosaic and offers a gist of the original; whereas T2 comes closest to capturing the nuances and rhythms of the original. Besides, T1 does not make use of the refrain, so crucial to the original, essential in translation too. T2 done by K. Damodar Rao proves that alternative paradigms could be created in translations which only add to significance of the melody and meaning of the original. The study of a poem through the medium of various translations displays the complex associations of poetic thinking. After reading K. Damodar Rao’s translation of Vemana the readers formulate their own ways of seeing and interpreting the poem. These kinds of thought provoking translations offer an extraordinary richness of perception, a living-inside-the poem of other language. I quote another poem of Vemana translated by  K. Damodar Rao to make this point very clear:

                     Countless are those who find fault with others

                                 Anyone born on the earth is prone to blunder

                     Those always engaged in pointing fingers at others

                                 Are not conscious of their very own errors

                    

                     Vema, you endeared yourself to the creator, now listen!³

         The modern Telugu poetry in English translation published in literary journals reflects the creative sensibility and temperament of Damodar Rao as also his panache for mechanics of translation and flair for language and style. The seemingly simple yet profound poetic statements comes naturally in his translations and it must be the reason why the great Telugu poet Gunturu Seshendra Sharma termed him as “the wizard of translation”⁴ in his Preface to Brilliance Jewelled Swan.

         His “Sword–greeting”⁵ is the translation of  “Khadga Chalanam” originally written in Telugu by Tripuraneni Srinivas. The entire poem is in free verse with 16 lines in source language, 29 lines in target language. It is an ‘ought to’ expression. The poet directs the people to fight against exploitation by sword greeting. The translator is sensitive to giving shape to the layers of meaning, besides finding equivalents to the high-sounding words used by the poet. Expressions like ‘Mabbu latha’ as ‘cloud creeper’,  ‘Doors of space,’  ‘heart of the sun,’ ‘streak of the blood’ and other figures of speech reflect the intensity of source language superbly captured in translation. The poem suggests the reader to do at least one adventure once in a life which should change the entire world. The poem concludes, as in many other translations of K. Damodar Rao, on a strikingly forceful note:

                                 Each one should shake hands

                                 drawing his own sword,

                                 his own streak of blood.

         In another translation, “Broken Plough”⁶, written in the original by Papineni Sivasankar, the problems and tears of the cotton farmers are traced. The poet expresses his view that the pesticides which fail to kill the pests are prompt in killing the farmers:

                                 Vultures find no fault with

                                 The pesticides that killed farmers

                                 instead of insects.

He goes on finding fault with the people at the helm as well as the ordinary citizens who do not care for the death of the farmers who simply watch the scenes on television sitting relaxed and then coolly forget. The poet blames the rulers of the country who pledged the wealth of the nation at the feet of ‘intercontinental transactions.’ “booju filello vastavalu samadhuloutai” is translated as “facts will be buried in mouldy files.” As the poem reaches its climax, the voice of agony is turned into a voice of protest and curse:

                                 I question the dark money and its watch-dogs

                                 that will earn the wrath of the corpses.

         In another translation of Jnanapeeth Awardee, Dr C. Narayana Reddy’s poem, “kadalika” as “Mobility”⁷ K. Damodar Rao describes multiple layers of relationships between words, meanings and the contextual placement which contributed to the effectiveness and the power of words:

                                 When the duty-minded Vikramarkas

                                 move along carrying corpses of travails

                                 soil kisses their feet with lips of grass.

He concludes the poem by advocating that in a suffocating country agitation is movement.       The fond memories of mother are described in the poem “Amma”⁸ by Allam Narayana, a renowned journalist-poet of Telangana. The problems of the woman as girl child, as wife, as mother are described in the poem. The ending of the poem is quite heart touching even from a linguistic and semantic perspective:

                                 To the witness of the book written by our ancestor

                                 on the duties of chaste women,

                                 my mother was crucified

                                 to the threshold of her kitchen.

         In the translation of ‘Valasa’ by Naleswaram Shankaram as “migration”,  “siggu, siggu” by Paravati as “Shame”, “Aame Evaraite Maatram” by Siva Reddy as “Whoever She is”,  “Manishi Maranam” by Varavara Rao as “Death of a Man”,  “nadi na diksuchi” by Ganesh Babu as “Water Compass” and “Sagam Prapancham” by S. Jaya as “Half of the World”  and so many other translations⁹ of K. Damodar Rao clearly show the specific interpretive perspectives of the content and atmosphere that readers can easily re-create. His choice of words used in translation reflects the multiplicity of possible approaches that could be generated in each reader’s understanding of the text. It shows the art and craft of translation.  A translator like K. Damodar Rao places the verbal texts inside the word to create a magnetic field, to uncover the streams that flow into the semantic fields of ‘other’ words. It is well known that in translation, as soon as a word is surrounded by other words, it begins to lose some of its clearly defined contours generating new ways of thinking. The translator chooses words that indicate a similar direction of thinking in order to create a particular atmosphere or aesthetic experience within a given work. K Damodar Rao reinforces his experience of reading-as-appreciation in a source text for the reader of target language. In the translation of the poem, “Naa Kosam Eduru chudu” by Sivasagar, one can find the dexterity of Damodar Rao in translating the original local oral idiom by using words in an evocative, incantatory manner:

         You look out for me, wait for me.

         I will emerge again, come to see you once again

         from the song that was hanged

         from the waterfall that was imprisoned

         from the oath that was wounded.

                     I will emerge again, come to see you once again

                     From the breathing-air, from the wafting breeze

                     You look out for me, wait for me.¹⁰

         In the source language, in an inspiring tone, the poet pays a tribute to the martyrs of the revolutionary cause mentioning that the hero has no death as such, and he will emerge again from ‘awakened sand particles,’ ‘first rain-drop,’ ‘from the whistling of wind,’ and  ‘from the smell of soil.’ Another expression “The fallen trees unravel secrets of life in winter” is a heart touching expression where it competes with the original in capturing the poignant situation.  

         “Nishidha Charitra” by Challapalli Swarupa Rani translated as “Prohibited History” is another fine example of the translator empathizing with the poet as she voices her anguish, torment and protest at being ‘labeled as untouchable’ even before she took ‘shape in her mother’s womb.’ The poet laments:

                                 I am the one carrying the onus of

                                 age-old rejections

                                 generations of humiliations

                                 as my legacy…

As is Rao’s wont in his selected poems for translation, powerful expressions are reserved at the end as the poem closes on a pointed note with a pertinent question:

                                 In which canto of your country’s famed history

                                 Will you write it down, my story?

This poem published in Indian Literature¹¹ received wide acclaim as Ambai, a noted Tamil writer, quoted it extensively in The Hindu,¹² and Sudipta Mukherjee, a physicist by profession, mentioned it as one of the poems that he liked most in recent times.¹³ 

         An ideal situation for the translator is a balanced and intermediate posture where he is faithful at the linguistic level—syntactic, semantic, and structural, and then to create a framework of references and connections for proper appreciation of the original in the TL. This is best reflected in the translation of one of the most sensitive poems, ‘Aku Ralu Kalam’ by Mahe Jabeen.  With simple words the poet builds up a structure of complex emotions. The poet carefully weaves her  re-living of the past. The poem’s significance lies in the past becoming her present. The thing actually happened is not known to the readers until the last stanza. The poet maintains irony, anxiety and suspense throughout. Therefore, until the last stanza, it is the presentness of the past that is of significance in the poem.

            ‘Athaneppudu anthe/Ontariga rammante vasanthanni venta thestadu’

‘Venta thestadu’ is habitual action, a routine—he did it in the past, he is still doing it (the poet is re-living in her memories). Hence the verb form that should be used is present tense, not past tense. If the past form of verb is used here the spirit of the poem is gone, and in literary terms, irony is lost. This is what Prof. Velcheru did by opening the poem with a line of past tense: “He always did that.”¹⁴ The original does not support the past tense form of the expression. Instead of maintaining suspense, the translator begins and approaches the poem from the end. The idiom, ‘Athaneppudu anthe’ also substantiates the present tense.

            ‘Chetlu kavathu chestunnayi’ indicates present continuous or simple present. Prof Velcheru’s “Trees were parading outside” is a different interpretation of the poem. Damodar Rao’s  version is like this:

                                   

                                    He is always like that.

                                    Even when asked to come alone

                                    he brings spring along.   (present tense)

                                    Silent leaves witness,

                                    in the open space,

                                    the march-fast of the trees.¹⁵

                                   

It is not finding fault with anyone, only thing is, there could be many translations of a poem, but the ones that capture the soul of the poem will survive.

            An analysis of the postcolonial dynamics of translation could shed light on the relations of mutual sustenance and nourishment of both the languages. The labour of love of Rao is all the more commendable because the feel and worth of the poem seems to be the sole criterion for his translation enterprise, and that’s how he came to be known as one “mostly dedicated to bringing to limelight the popular and unsung Telugu poets through his translations.”¹⁶ A common credo of all his translations is that they are all anti-authoritarian, anti-hegemonic, celebrating values of freedom, dignity, democracy, equality and humanism. Personal gestures are thus converted into political postures in Damodar Rao’s  translation activity-as-empowerment.

Notes

         1. J.S.R.L. Narayana Moorthy and Elliot Roberts, ed and trans. Selected Verses of

                     Vemana.  (New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi, 1995)

         2. Vemana, “Second Tradition” Tr. K. Damodar Rao. Indian Literature, 166, (March-                       April, 1995): 55.

         3. Vemana, “Second Tradition,” Indian Literature, 55.

         4. Gunturu Seshendra Sharma, “Preface.” Brilliance Jewelled Swan (Calcutta:                                     Writers’ Workshop, 2000) 20.

5.      Trupuraneni  Srinivas, “Sword-Greeting.” New Quest 104 (March-April 1994)       120.

6.  Papineni Sivashankar, “Broken Plough.”  Indian Literature, 166, (March-April,      1995) 45-46.

         7.  C. Narayana Reddy, “Mobility.”  Indian Literature, 166 (March-April, 1995) 9.

         8. Allam Narayana, “Amma.”  Revaluations, 2. 2 (Autumn 1996) 48.

         9. Modern Telugu Poetry, Tr. K. Damodar Rao,  New Quest Nos. 95, 101, 111, 112,                         113. (1994 & 1995)

         10. Sivasagar, “Wait for Me.” Indian Literature 166 (March-April 1995) 49-50.

         11.Challapalli Swarupa Rani, “Prohibited History.” Indian Literature 200   (November-December, 2000) 91-92.

         12. Ambai, “Cantos in History.”  The Hindu (Literary Supplement) (11the September, 2004).

         13. Sudipta Mukherjee, http://www.sudipta/ mukherjee.com.

         14. Velcheru Narayana Rao, An Anthology of Modern Telugu Poetry (New Delhi,                    OUP, 2000)

         15. Telugu Women Poets,   New Quest 101, (September-October, 1993) 308. 

         16. Gollapudi SrinivasaRao, “Introducing Telugu Poets to English Readers.” The                                  Hindu (Monday, July 13, 2009) 2.

TELANGANA MARTYRS

         Prakash Kumar, Khammam

            The only son of a rich businessman Jai Kumar of Garla, Khammam district was burnt alive in the jamai Osmania Railway Station incident on 28th March 1969. He breathed last with the words “Jai Telangana”. Mr.Prakash Kumar was born in Garla, educated up to School final at the same place and P.U.C in Anwar-uloom College. He was the student of B.E 3rd year when he died with a handsome personality, he had much interest in music and dance and was also a student of Government College of music and dance. The incident as well as death of his unrevealed as the Government never accepted to conduct judicial enquiry about the incident.