Author- Abanindranath Tagore
Translated from Bengali by Urbi Bhaduri
Publisher- Niyogi Books
Format- Paperback
Genre- Fiction
Year-2019
Rating-4.5/5 stars
Abanindranath Tagore's 'Nalak' is undoubtedly one of his notable works (along with Rajkahini, Budo Angla and Khirer Putul) in the genre of Bengali Children's Literature. But it is the beauty and mastery of his writing and the philosophical meaning infused in it, that makes the creation transcends the boundaries of time and age. The book is equally loved and cherished by readers of all ages due to its beautiful storytelling, sheer lyricism and most importantly the multiplicity of meaning one can infer from the text.
The story traces the life of Buddha in his journey towards attaining enlightenment along with the life of Nalak, a little boy in his quest to unite with Buddha, a soul's journey to unite with the Parmatma. I read Nalak in original and the experience I had then is similar with the experience I get while reading the translation. Translation is a difficult task as it demands not only an excellent command over multiple languages but also the translator has the responsibility to match up with the quality of the original writing. I absolutely loved the way Urvi Bhaduri has managed to preserve the "soul" of the story.Whether it is the lyrical quality of the text or the flow of the narration or the picturesque experience the author has provided through his writing, everything is pretty much intact in the translation.
Shraboni Roy's beautiful design along with Nikita Gandhi's illustrations(inspired from the Buddhist Thangka style of painting) heightens the overall reading experience to a great extent.
I have truly enjoyed going through the work and I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages. This is one of those rare books from which you will get different meanings at different stages of your life.
Happy Reading
No comments:
Post a Comment
If you have any doubts, let me know