3. An adult reader might pick up a classic because of its
literary reputation.
The child reader will only accept a book because it offers
a reading experience as appealing as her usual choice.
The selection of the title, its contemporary relevance and
the probability of making it readable in the target
language become important factors.
The translation of classics is also more daunting because
the translator has to rely solely on her own judgement—
the author cannot be consulted when in doubt.
We all know that no version can claim to be perfect, but
the status of such works guarantees that each attempt
will be subject to the severest scrutiny.
4. Could children accustomed to a wide range of writing
in English relate to a work, well-loved in its time, still
extremely popular in the original Hindi, but among a
set of readers whose reading palate was quite
different from theirs?
Unlike many other classic works, very few English
versions of Chandrakanta are in circulation. Was
there something in the language and style that
posed a greater challenge than other works of its
time?
5. A mystery story published in serial form between 1888 and 1891, it is
considered the first modern novel in Hindi.
It was the first runaway bestseller in the contemporary sense of the
word—the Harry Potter of its time.
The book was published serially in short chapters or „bayans’ and the
public eagerly awaited their release.
A trailblazer, Chandrakanta spawned a genre of novels of suspense
and adventure in Hindi as well.
Though written without any literary pretensions, it contributed greatly
to the growth of the Devnagari script, besides nurturing a new
generation of readers in a country where literacy was abysmally low.
The book and its sequel Chandrakanta Santati (Chandrakanta‟s
Offspring) were so popular that many Hindustani speakers who were
only conversant with the Perso-Arabic script used widely at the time,
learned Devnagari in order to read them.
6. Chandrakanta is a work of tilism, an Arabic word said
to have its root in the Greek word telesma meaning
religious rite, from which the English „talisman‟ is
also derived.
A tilism is usually described as a magical structure
and in popular parlance the adjective tilismi has
come to mean something mysterious and
supernatural.
7. Chandrakanta draws partly on the Indo-Islamic dastaan or
storytelling tradition popular in Northern India at that time.
The great Hindi writer Prem Chand has observed that it was
inspired by the Urdu translation of Faizi‟s famous Persian
work, Tilism-e-Hoshruba.
The mysterious ruins full of marvels—princes, princesses,
sorcerers, and the intriguing personas of the aiyaar and
aiyaara—magician tricksters whose machinations dictate most
of the action, can be found in Hoshruba, which was compiled
from oral retellings by two famous storytellers in Lucknow,
Muhammad Husain Jah and Ahmed Husain Qamar.
It is sometimes described as a Hinduised version of Hoshruba
and displays the influence of the Dastaan-e-Amir Hamza
which inspired Hoshruba, as well.
8.
9. The beautiful princess, the dashing prince, the
villains who scheme and plot to keep them apart,
their aiyaars and those opposed to them.
Unexplainable supernatural happenings, and the
mysterious ruins which turn out to be a tilismi trap.
10. Khatri, however, does more than transport these traditional
Perso-Arab narrative devices to the real region of Varanasi-
Chunar and people his tale with Hindu rajas and ranis,
rajkumars and rajkumaris, Rajput and Brahmin aiyaars,
sadhus and yogis.
His novel is far from realistic, yet his kings, princes,
princesses, aiyaars and aiyaaras do not appear to be
creatures that belong in a fantasy world.
And while his main protagonists are part of a feudal system,
the way they interact with each other and their underlings is
removed from the rigid protocol of a courtly society.
In this sense, despite his assertion that he wrote merely to
entertain, Khatri‟s novel reflects the middle class values of a
rapidly changing era and this could be one of the reasons that
endeared it to his countless readers.
11. Khatri consciously moves away from the older narratives
by relying less on the razzle-dazzle of the supernatural
than Hoshruba and Dastaan-e-Amir Hamza do.
The astonishing objects in the tilism are projected as
mechanical marvels rather than the result of wizardry.
The powders and pills that appear so magical are not
powered by any mantra-tantra but are explained as
effective drugs.
Indeed, for these reasons some have attempted to
describe Khatri as a pioneering science fiction writer.
12. Khatri has also stated that his creative roots lay in
the older tradition of the ancient Indian Sanskrit
classic Kathasaritsagar.
In an article titled „Aiyaari‟ he mentions the Sanskrit
play Mudrarakshasa and the exploits of Chanakya
who achieved his ends using his wits rather than
physical force.
13.
14. The material for his work came from real life too.
As a forest contractor he encountered many mysterious
looking ruins in the forests, some of which contained
secret passages, trapdoors, concealed doors operated
by mechanical devices and tunnels like the ones that
crop up again and again in Chandrakanta and his later
works Chandrakanta Santati and Bhootnath.
The characters of Raja Surendra Singh, the ruler of
Naugarh, and his son Virendra are supposedly modelled
on the then ruler of Banaras—Ishwari Narayan Singh and
his son Prabhu Narayan Singh.
This brings an authenticity to his writing which makes a
different kind of impact on the reader.
15. Prince Virendra Singh of Naugarh is in love with Princess Chandrakanta of
Vijaygarh, but their fathers, originally close friends, are now sworn enemies.
This is the result of Krur (Cruel) Singh‟s machinations. The evil son of the
Vijaygarh prime minister, he has designs on the princess and hopes to usurp
the kingdom.
Exposed by Virendra, Krur joins hands with a neighbouring ruler Shivdutt of
Chunar, who plans to conquer Vijaygarh and marry the princess himself.
Virendra comes to Raja Jai Singh of Vijaygarh‟s aid, defeats Shivdutt in
battle but in the meantime enemy aiyaars abduct Chandrakanta and her
companion Chapla.
It is discovered that they are trapped in some mysterious ruins that are
actually a tilism, and it is foretold that Virendra is the only one who can free
the princess.
He achieves his objective after many ingenious twists and turns in the
narrative that keep the reader in confusion till the mystery is unravelled.
16. The labyrinthine but deftly knitted plot and the incredible level
of suspense the author has maintained makes this book
“unputdownable”.
Despite its fairy tale structure, where his female characters are
concerned, Khatri‟s narrative deviates from the formula.
The independent minded heroine, Princess Chandrakanta and
her fearless companions Chapla and Champa are almost like
present-day girls.
While her Prince Charming is trying to break through the tilism,
Chandrakanta is not content to play the role of passive victim.
She may weep and appeal to the prince to rescue her, appear
to be helpless outwardly, but after traversing the multifarious
turns of this maze-like novel we learn that along with her lively
companions Chapla and Champa, she has actually been
orchestrating his moves.
17. The teasing, irreverent exchange between Prince
Virendra, Tej Singh and the other aiyaars is not what
you might expect between a prince and his
attendants, more a contemporary style camaraderie.
The fascinating aiyaars and aiyaaras—magician
tricksters, spies, whose manoeuvrings dictate most
of the action are a crucial element of the story.
I felt the games of wits they indulge in would provide
a lot of entertainment for young readers, not to
mention the delightful passages of humorous
dialogue.
18. For the English version to be as readable as the original, this translation
could not take the conventional route.
The cultural gap between Hindi and English posed a challenge.
The test was greater because the language, an Urdu infused Hindi,
belonged to another period and a modern idiom had to be negotiated.
Some condensation and minor restructuring was also required.
The original had appeared serially in short chapters, leading to an episodic
structure. Transitions had been omitted, so the chapters were reorganized,
gaps in narrative bridged and specifics like geographical location added.
The author‟s numerous asides had to be trimmed to maintain the pace of a
contemporary mystery.
Dialogues that were repetitive were pruned as well.
Great care had to be taken to maintain the core elements of this enthralling
story .
19. „The clash of swords, the magic and the
havoc came alive in the wonderfully „
translated Chandrakanta. The excellent
translation by Deepa Agarwal makes it a
must read. The reason I liked this book is
the magical element, the mayhem and
the suspense. If there was a star rating, I
would vote this book a 5 out of 5.‟
Pranav Nayar
10 years
Class 6
Hyderabad
20. Uttara Kaura, 10 years,
Class 5, Noida
„It‟s a very exciting story. The
magic and mystery were what I
liked best about it. My favourite
part was at the end when
Chandrakanta was found. I
couldn't stop reading the book
once I'd started it.‟
21. „As a kid, I was often upset that there were
hardly any fantasy novels
set in an Indian scenario. While I loved
Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, I could
never fully relate to them. For me,
Chandrakanta was a dream come
true. While it was set in an ancient time
period, I could easily relate to the
characters, owing to the book's simple and
contemporary language. Chandrakanta
was not preachy and did not contain pages
full of moral values, which set it apart from
ancient Indian folk or mythological tales. It
is this quality of the
book, along with the breathless action and
'what will happen next„ moments which
makes it a truly ageless book for all young
generations of Indians.‟
22. It is the power of the story that has prevailed over the
impediments of language and time.
Though we may place Chandrakanta in the category of a
hallowed classic, it was considered a highly irreverent work
when it was first published.
Writing as Khatri did during a period when nationalistic
sentiment was fermenting; many exhorted him to choose
patriotic or moral themes to provide role models for the young
instead of focusing on supposedly inconsequential matters.
In introducing classics to young readers, it is the selection of
the work that is most crucial.
If some judicious adaptation makes the work more accessible
to young readers, the translator should not hesitate.
