Lord Jhulelal: An Analytical Study
by Thakkar Harish Gopalji | 2018 | 62,623 words
This thesis studies Lord Jhulelal, the most important deity revered by Sindhis in India and beyond. Traditional views hold Lord Jhulelal as an incarnation of Vedic Deity Varuna (the river God). Historically, Jhulelal is a binding force for the Sindhi community who had to leave Sindh during the partition of India in order to settle at distant places...
Part 6.2 - Dariyalal by Gunvantrai Acharya in English, translated by Kamal Sanyal
This is the English version of Gujarati novel of the same name i.e. Dariyalal which is published by Dictum, Calcutta in March 2000. It is mentioned that this book Dariyalal (Lord of the seas) by Gunvantrai Acharya is translated into English from the original Gujarati. The English version has One hundred and thirty pages divided into twenty-seven chapters. The Gujarati version also has twenty-seven chapters and the number of pages is two hundred and seventy-two. The difference in the number of pages could be because of two reasons. One, that the size of pages in the English version is about one and a half to two times larger than the Gujarati edition and second, that the English version is somewhat condensed in nature.
The translator has given full justice to the contents of the novel and has not distorted or changed the essence of the story. The captions of many of the chapters remain unchanged and the names of the characters are also identical as per the original novel.
Another fact that the English version has many illustrations which make the reading more interesting and helps in understanding the environment of East Africa where the events of the story take place. The language is such that it does not appear to be a mere translation, but it catches the core and substance of the story very well.
The story is so interesting that the reader would remain glued to it and even if one has to keep it down for some reason, one would keep on wondering about what happens next? The original writer of the novel is from Gujarat and the language and script of it are Gujarati. Today one finds that more and more people are turning towards English medium for their primary and secondary education, hence they find it difficult to understand the writing in their mother tongue. In the current situation, this book would be useful for those who do not understand Gujarati and still they can enjoy the novel. The illustrations in English version would attract young readers and the objective of attracting them seems to be fulfilled. The publisher has stated that it is an effort to bring classics in translation for young readers.
Ms. Kamal Sanyal, the translator has done a commendable job by bringing this classic into English and making it available to a large number of readers. It is stated on the back cover of the book that the writer has translated stories and plays from Gujarati and Marathi as well for readers and she is the winner of prestigious �Katha� award for her work. The work needs to be applauded and more and more such works should be translated into English and regional languages opening up this treasure to the readers of all age groups. Though it is stated that this novel is �Children’s Classic�, it is, in fact, classic for not only children but for all.
The title of the book is ‘Dariyalal�, the meaning of which is Lord of the seas, and the front cover picture of a large ship with sails, both are so attractive that anyone would be tempted to read it and once taken in hand, it is difficult to put the book down. The fact that it introduces the reader to ‘Dariyalal� who is believed to be lord of seas by Lohanas of Kutch and Saurashtra to this day.
The tales of adventures on the oceans, the Mariners and seafarers, the pirates, the ships and sailors, the strange lands and strange people, all this makes it very interesting. At the same time, it introduces to the reader the glory of our past and the ancient sea God Dariyalal.
Such efforts to bring classic stories from regional languages to translate into English and other regional languages of India should be encouraged. The private publishers or educational departments of State Government or Central Government should take interest and help in such endeavours. The former U.S.S.R. was known for such work and had made available hundreds of books translated from Russian into English and many other world languages which opened a treasure of rich Russian folk tales and their traditional stories to everyone.
In India, such efforts are not seen and therefore Indian population remains deprived to a certain extent of the rich heritage and culture of its own. The Puranas can make a very interesting reading if made available in regional languages along with illustrations for Indian readers.
The English translation would provide to the reader an introduction to Dariyalal also known as Jhulelal and the respect and reverence of the people, especially the Lohana, Bhatia and Sindhi community who were known to be seafarers, towards their deity.