The path-breaking Tulu novel ‘Nannajjeru Sudhe Thirgayere’, which depicts the transitional Tulunad culture during nineties, is all set to go international.
The novel, which had fetched its author Mahalinga Bhat the first Tulu Sahithya Academy Award, will be released by the Oxford University Press, Chennai, next year.
Manjusha, an MPhil student at the Central University of Kerala, Kasargod, translated the original novel to English for academic purpose. The decision of the Oxford Publishers to publish the translated version of the novel came as a pleasing surprise for her in June this year.
“The 99-page novel is based on the cultural, political and social change happened in the modern times in Dakshin Kannada and neighbouring areas in Tulunadu. Nannajje, the protagonist in the novel, tries to divert a river and thereby he tries to deviate the culture and lifestyle of the society,” Manjusha said. Retitled as ‘Nannajjeru Diverted the River’, the book tells the story of Nannajje with flashbacks, which gives a clear picture of the change around him. Most of the villages described in the book are existing ones such as Kurudapadavu, Nelthade and Mangalore.
“My guide Rizio B Yohannan gave the book to her friend Minimol Krishnan, who is an editor at the Oxford Publishing House, who chose my work for publishing ,” Manjusha said. Though it’s an English novel, a few Tulu words were kept as such to bring the native touch, she said.
Manjusha, who hails from Mulleria in the district, did both the graduation and post-graduation at the Government College, Kasargod.
The original work was published in 1994. It had bagged many awards such as first Paniyadi Prashasthi and AIR national award. Mahalinga Bhat, the book’s author, is a renowned playwright, who has penned many award-winning plays. He is also a lecturer at the Department of Kannada at St Aloysius College in Mangalore.