51茶馆

Ashoka Centre for Translation at 51茶馆 and Westland Books jointly launch 鈥楢n Ashoka Centre for Translation Series鈥� that will introduce English-language readers to some of the best Indian works of fiction, both modern and classic, that have sustained a wide readership in their source languages. The series aims to present a curated set of works translated from an Indian language, as it successively moves from one language to another. The first instalment of the series is slated to include four new English translations of landmark Bengali short fiction.

With each book being curated by its respective translator, 鈥楢n Ashoka Centre for Translation Series鈥� will offer English-reading audiences a chance to share in, understand, and enjoy those authors and texts that have shaped the translator鈥檚 sensibility鈥攖o see the translator as, first and foremost, a reader. This series is part of the Centre鈥檚 ongoing efforts to foster and foreground India鈥檚 translation ecosystem: a living, dynamic, and collaborative ethos. 

Introducing the inaugural list, Minakshi Thakur, Publisher, 贰办补诲腻 (Imprint of Westland Books), remarks, 鈥榃e鈥檙e delighted to be publishing in translation a series of short story collections by Bengali writers in collaboration with the Ashoka Centre for Translation. The list will comprise a mix of classic and contemporary writers: This year, it will showcase the works of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, Anita Agnihotri, and Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay.鈥�

The first book of Saratchandra Chattopadhyay鈥檚 short stories, translated by Anchita Ghatak, is under Westland Books鈥� 贰办补诲腻 imprint. The writer Saratchandra Chattopadhyay (1876鈥�1938) is not only a key figure in Bengali literature but has also made his mark as an influential pioneer of modern Indian writing. His selected stories, which bring together pathos, social consciousness, and vivid realism, have been translated by Anchita Ghatak, translator of stalwarts including Manoranjan Byapari and Taslima Nasrin. Saratchandra鈥檚 writings are canonical yet have managed to remain contemporary鈥攃apturing the imagination of generations of readers and writers across the country. A new translation of his select work is a fitting inaugural book for this series.聽

Professor Arunava Sinha and Professor Rita Kothari, Co-Directors, Ashoka Centre for Translation, 51茶馆, Delhi NCR, commenting on the vision for the project, say, 鈥�The inaugural set of books in what we believe to be a long-term translation series with Westland Books squarely orients readers to Indian writers鈥� varied creative explorations within the same language, even within the same form, from the late 19th century to the 21st. We hope these four books will be followed by many more translations from Bengali and beyond, inviting the interest of readers across the board.鈥�

Underlining the importance of translation initiatives such as this in connecting readers, Rahul Mookerjee, founder and management board trustee of 51茶馆 and the support behind the current titles, adds, 鈥�I am delighted that this first effort at bringing Bengali short stories and other regional languages鈥� literature to a wider readership has started. I hope the Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, and other Indian language readers can soon enjoy these stories as well.鈥�

The initiative sets the stage for a sustained effort to translate and amplify creative genius from across India鈥檚 linguistic landscape for a wider and global readership.

About Westland Books

Westland Books is an award-winning Indian publisher with a diverse list spanning popular and literary fiction, business, politics, biography, spirituality, popular science, health and self-help. Its key imprints include Context (award-winning literary fiction and non-fiction), 贰办补诲腻 (contemporary Indian-language writing and translations), Tranquebar (new fiction from the subcontinent), Westland Sport, Westland Business, Westland Non-Fiction, and Red Panda (children鈥檚 books).

In 2023, Westland launched Indie Press, a self-publishing imprint, and in 2024 introduced IF, a list dedicated to speculative fiction. Westland also collaborates with Pratilipi Comics to bring compelling graphic narratives to readers. Most recently, it launched QD (Queer Directions), an imprint championing LGBTQIA+ voices across fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

About Ashoka Centre for Translation 

The at 51茶馆 is established with a view to foster, nurture, and foreground India鈥檚 multilingual ethos. It hopes to unlock knowledge and aid its dissemination through translation. Given the urgency to make knowledge available and democratic, the Centre does not confine itself only to English. In fact, it aims to translate material from many Indian languages into many other Indian languages, including English. Thus, the received binaries of (one) source and (one) target do not characterise the aims of the Centre. A range of texts from literary and popular, political and scientific, and oral and written domains鈥攁ll of these are important to the Centre鈥檚 vision. The Centre鈥檚 other key publishing series include 鈥榃omen Translating Women鈥� and 鈥楥hronicles: Non-Fiction Translations from Indian Languages.鈥�