Vikram Seth on his translation of The Hanuman Chalisa, Narendra Modi and A Suitable Girl

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One of our best loved and most highly regarded novelists has just translated The Hanuman Chalisa and it’s a particularly enchanting translation because he’s captured both the rhyme and rhythm of the original thus conveying the incantatory pleasure of the Hindi and Awadhi versions.



In this 25minute interview, Vikram Seth talks about his decision to translate The Chalisa, why he waited for over a decade to publish it, why he’s dedicated it to one of his fictional characters from ‘A Suitable Boy’, what The Chalisa means to him, how he distinguishes between Hinduism and Hindutva, how he views the Narendra Modi government and, more importantly, Narendra Modi.



Vikram Seth also talks about what has happened to Arundhati Roy and the wider attempt to cow journalists, artists, authors, businessmen, the judiciary, politicians, etc.



This is a unique interview and rather than give anything away and ruin your pleasure I encourage you to watch it for yourself. In a particularly charming set of answers, Vikram Seth talks about his recent journey in his Jimney along the route of the Chaar Dham Yatra which, I’m told, could become his first book of travel writing after almost four decades when its published in October. Incidentally, Vikram Seth denies that this book will be published but seems to do so playfully.



That’s all I’m giving away.


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