Our ancient humour deserves an audience: Translator A.N.D. Haksar
Hindustan TimesAs a career diplomat and former ambassador to Portugal and Yugoslavia, words were his stock in trade. Since he retired 30 years ago, Haksar, who is based in Delhi and now nearing 90, has spent hours translating Sanskrit works into English, to make them accessible to more readers. He’s translated the Hitopadesa, Narayan Pandit’s collection of fables compiled circa 850 CE; the Simhasana Dvatrimsika, tales of the 4th-century king Vikramaditya, compiled circa 1200; Subhashitavali, an anthology of verse compiled by Vallabhadeva in 15th-century Kashmir; and Chanakya Niti, aphorisms by the 3rd century BCE strategist and philosopher, among other works. His most recent translation, Anthology of Humorous Sanskrit Verses, features 200 hasya or humorous verses drawn from various works of Sanskrit literature ranging from the millennia-old Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata to compilations from the 13th and 14th centuries. Haksar, now nearing 90, has been translating Sanskrit works into English for 30 years, in an effort to take them to a wider audience.
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