The most iconic stories to have come out of the historically and culturally vibrant state of Rajasthan are those of the valour of the fearless Rajputs, their victorious warriors and stouthearted queens. But the desert state also has, in its repository, a rich trove of folktales that offer insight into the simple lives of its common people. The latter is brought to life poignantly in the stories by renowned Padma Shri-winning Rajasthani writer, Vijayan Detha.
The Garden of Tales, translated by equally talented Vishes Kothari, has 18 fascinating and quirky tales. He has pulled out the selection from Detha’s monumental 14-volume collection, Batan ri Phulwari. The stories are imbued with the culture, colour, food and festivities pertinent to the region. Some have surreal endings, but isn’t that what literature is supposed to do? Make you believe in things that never were but could be. The narration style, the playfulness of the language and the translator’s editorial call of retaining certain original terms, only enliven and enrich the reading experience.
The book is, however, more than just a translation. Kothari has evidently done extensive research of archival material, not just to capture the essence of Detha’s storytelling, but also to offer readers the what, why and how of the stories, each of which is complemented with an epigraph in the beginning, detailing its sources and genesis.
That thought that has gone into the curation, is clear. The book transitions from the magical and enchanted world of serpents, witches and sorcery to those about the hard work and devotion of and the sense of duty in ordinary folks effortlessly, painting an expansive picture of the vast state.
The Garden of Tales is also a book that lets you in on the wisdom of a bygone era; it propagates a love for nature and the need for humans to connect with it once again. Take, for instance, ‘In the Donkey’s Skin’, which has lessons about love and deceit, or ‘Kanha, the Cowherd’, where magic and empowerment of the oppressed uncannily intertwine.
Then there’s ‘Lajwanti’, an extraordinarily contemporary read about female desire and sexuality. ‘Jaraav Masi’s Tales’, which moralises the stifling of humanity when man becomes greedy, is reminiscent of Abanindranath Tagore’s ‘Rajkahini’ or ‘Tuntunir Golpo’ by Upendrakishore Ray Chaudhury, the illustrious grandfather of filmmaker Satyajit Ray.
But, it is not just the themes explored in the stories that make the collection a keeper. The musicality of the narration, which Kothari has done a commendable job of translating, is an equal winner. There is no doubt that it will take many travels and reading hundreds of times to even begin truly understanding the cultural and social demography of Rajasthan. This collection is the perfect starting point.
Name: The Garden of Tales
Author: Vijaydan Detha
Translated by: Vishes Kothari
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 368
Price: Rs 399