The first Sanskrit translation of the main work of Spanish literature was discovered by Luis García Montero, during his last visit to India.
Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote is widely considered the first modern novel. The first Sanskrit translation of the major work of Spanish literature was unveiled by Luis García Montero, Director General of the Instituto Cervantes, during his recent visit to India. “Cervantes’ book is a work of fiction and it contradicts the medieval era with its superstitions, fantasies, etc. In fact, Cervantes turned to fiction because he wanted to give freedom to human beings so that they could liberate themselves,” explained Montero. . Minnie Sawhney, Professor of Hispanic Studies, University of Delhi, served as his translator.
Don Quixote is much more than just a book, and Cervantes is perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature. The book discusses idealism versus materialism, life and death. “Cervantes invents a character called Don Quixote and gives him complete freedom. Using this freedom, he becomes the Knight of the Middle Ages. Cervantes basically wanted to show that if a person has personal dignity, then even his mistakes are respected. The whole book becomes a defense of freedom, liberty and respect for the human being. The figure of Don Quixote is universal. And we are used to the fact that scholars over the centuries have interpreted this literary work according to the times they lived in,” Montero further explained.
The present book contains a modern Sanskrit translation of eight chapters from Part I of ‘Don Quixote’. The translation was done by two Kashmiri Pandits, Jagaddhar Zadoo and Nityanand Shastri. Shastri’s nephew Surindar Nath Pandita and Dr. Karan Singh. Interestingly, the Sanskrit translation of ‘Don Quixote’ is not the first translation of Cervantes’ novel into an Indian language. There is already a complete Hindi translation by Vibha Maurya who translated directly from Spanish to Hindi. There is also a Bengali translation of ‘Don Quixote’. For the Sanskrit translation, Zadoo and Shastri relied on the English version of the text, which comes from an American collector in 1937.
Montero, who is also a renowned poet and author, is one of the founding members of the Poetry of Experience movement. He is professor of Spanish Literature at the University of Granada. His most famous works include “Someone Speaks Your Name”, “Don’t Tell Me Your Life” and “Fully Friday”, among others. As part of the visit, Montero also made a major announcement as part of the Indian expansion of the Instituto Cervantes. “In 2023, we will open an expansion in Bangalore. Its technological, educational, economic and demographic potential make it the ideal city. Our Bangalore center will have 8 classrooms and an exhibition space,” revealed Montero.
Over the past few years, Spanish has also become one of the most studied foreign languages among Indian students. It is the result of several factors at play. “Spanish has become one of the preferred languages for Indian students. For various reasons: the greater economic and cultural openness of India, the greater importance of Latin America, the growing importance of Spanish in India, the positive image of Spain as a European, democratic and developed country and as an attractive tourist destination , and music, movies and TV series in Spanish,” explained Montero.
Instituto Cervantes was founded in 1991 by the Government of Spain to promote the learning of the Spanish language and make the world more aware of Hispanic culture. In India, the institute was established in 2009. “Since the inauguration of Instituto Cervantes in New Delhi in 2009, there has been a growing demand for Spanish courses. The growing presence of Spanish in Indian private schools is clear, now even in secondary schools, and according to some studies, it has begun to displace French and German,” Montero rejoiced.
During the visit, Montero also met with the Indian Hispanic community and expressed his gratitude to them for creating an important school of thought and influence to spread the heritage of Spanish language, culture and literature. As part of the cultural exchange program organized by Sahitya Akademi, Montero also recited some of his poems. “Cultural exchange occupies a very important place and the Hispanic community here in India has played a wonderful role in the growth of Spanish culture. It is equally important that as part of this cultural exchange we also explore the possibilities for the advancement of literature from India to Spain”, Montero summarized.
