These My Words

by Eunice de Souza

  Sarangapani (18 CE) Telugu temple poet, wrote ‘courtesan’ songs.

  Sastri, Chellapilla Venkata (1870-1950) Telugu poet.

  Satchidanandan, K. (b. 1946) Writes in Malayalam; for several years Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi; earlier was a professor of English.

  Sauda, Mirza Mohamed Rafi (1713-80) Urdu satirical poet.

  Saxena, Sarveshwar Dayal (1927-83) Hindi poet, playwright, short- story writer.

  Satavahana Hala (2 CE) Is said to have compiled the Gathasaptasati, possibly the oldest extant anthology of poetry from South Asia.

  Sen, Ramprasad (1718-75) Bangla poet requested by Nadia zamindar to stay at his court and compose hymns to Kali/Uma.

  Seth, Vikram (b. 1952) Poet and novelist writing in English. Best known for his verse novel The Golden Gate and his novel A Suitable Boy.

  Shah, Bullah (1680-1759) Punjabi Sufi poet.

  Shah, Waris (18 CE) Punjabi writer considered the greatest of the romance writers.

  Sharma, B. C. Ramchandra (1925-2005) Writes in Kannada and in English, poet and translator.

  Shetty, Manohar (b. 1953) Poet writing in English, editor of anthologies in English translation.

  Shivarudrappa, G. S. (b. 1926) Kannada poet and academic.

  Shukla, Vinod Kumar (b. 1937) Hindi poet, fiction-writer.

  Siddalingaiah (b. 1954) Poet-playwright writing in Kannada, activist pioneer of Dalit-Bandaya movement in Kannada.

  Siddaramayya (12 CE) Kannada Veerashaiva poet, contemporary of and influenced by Basavanna, and believed like him that one could combine life in the world with both devotion to Siva and a spirit of renunciation. The egalitarian vision of the Veerashaiva poets won them thousands of followers.

  Silgardo, Melanie (b. 1956) Writes in English, co-founder of Newground, a poets’ publishing cooperative; later worked with Virago.

  Singh, Kedarnath (b. 1934) Hindi poet, literary critic, translator, editor of two anthologies of Hindi poetry, and the journal Shabd.

  Soma (5 BCE) Buddhist nun, Pali.

  Sri Sri (1910-83) Telugu poet, journalist, critic, playwright, revolutionary.

  Sriharsha (12 CE) Epic poet whose Naiadhiyacarita, or Naiadha, is among the most popular mahakavyas in Sanskrit literature.

  Subbiah, Shanmuga (b. 1924) Writes in Tamil.

  Subramaniam, Arundhathi (b. 1967) Writes in English, editor of the India domain, Poetry International Web.

  Sunani, Basudev (b. 1962) Dalit poet, writes in Oriya.

  Surendran, C.P. (b. 1959) Poet writing in English, novelist, journalist, editor.

  Suri, Hemacandra (12 CE) Jain scholar writing in Prakrit/Apabhramsa.

  Suri, Tenneti (1911-58) Telugu poet, playwright, journalist.

  Surve, Narayan (c. 1926) Marathi Dalit poet, teacher, activist.

  Tagore, Rabindranath (1866-1941) Bangla poet and writer of fiction, plays, songs. He was also a painter, musician, educator, and, inspired partly by experiences abroad, reshaped Bangla literature, music and the arts. Received Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

  Thakore, Anand (b. 1971) Writes poetry in English; Hindustani classical singer.

  Thayil, Jeet (b. 1959) Writes in English, poet, musician, songwriter. Editor of 60 Poets, an anthology of Indian poetry in English by writers living in India and abroad.

  Trilochan (1917-2007) Hindi Progressive poet who wrote about ordinary people, introduced the sonnet form in Hindi.

  Tukaram (b. 1608) Vanished without trace in 1649. A bhakti poet, considered the greatest of the Marathi poets.

  Tulsidas (1532-1623) Poet and philosopher regarded as the greatest Hindi poet, dedicated his life to Ram. Ram Charit Manas is his major work.

  Tyagaraja (1767-1847) The most famous South Indian saint-poet/musician, wrote in Telugu.

  Usha, S. A. (b. 1954) Kannada poet and academic.

  Vajpeyi, Kailash (b. 1936) Prolific Hindi poet, awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award 2009.

  Vallana (c. 900 CE-1100 CE) Sanskrit poet.

  Vallathol (Vallathol Narayana Menon) (1878-1958) Poet, translator, freedom fighter, revived Kathakali, founded the Kerala Kalamandalam as part of this revival. Considered the greatest Malayalam poet.

  Valmiki (c. 400 BCE-250 CE) The ‘first poet of Hinduism,’ post-Vedic but dates vary; created the first Indian verse form.

  Vanparanar (c. 100 CE-250 CE) Classical Tamil poet.

  Varma, Attoor Ravi (b. 1931) Malayalam, poet, critic, academic.

  Varma, Shrikant (1931-86) Hindi poet, fiction writer, parliamentarian.

  Vemana (c. 17 CE-18 CE) Telugu poet-philosopher, his poems are critical of caste, rituals, and externals; among the favourites of Telugu readers.

  Verma, Mahadevi (1907-87) Described as the first woman to become a leading Hindi writer, helped to create the Chhayavad Movement.

  Vidyapati (15 CE) Maithili and Sanskrit scholar and poet.

  Vijayalakshmi (b. 1960) Writes in Malayalam.

  Yashaschandra, Sitanshu (b. 1941) Poet and playwright in Gujarati.

  Zote, Mona (b. 1973) Lives in Mizoram, writes in English, employed in government service.

  While every effort has been made to find information about the poets, this has not been possible in all cases; any omissions brought to our attention will be remedied in future editions.

  Notes on the Translators*

  Acharya, Pradip Teaches English literature in Guwahati, literary critic, translator of writing from Assam, translation theorist.

  Adarkar, Priya Retired regional manager, Longmans, translates from Marathi.

  Amur, G.S. Professor of literature, considered a leading writer and critic in Kannada.

  Anamika Hindi poet, novelist, critic, translator, lectures on English literature at Satyawati College.

  Annamalai, E. Linguist specializing in Tamil grammar, has taught at various universities in Europe, and the University of Chicago, published several books in the area.

  Ashokamitran Influential novelist, critic in post-Independence Tamil literature.

  Atkins, A.G. Protestant missionary in India whose rhyming-verse translation of Tulsidas is considered poetically sensitive to the music of Tulsidas.

  Avalon, Arthur (1865-1936) Pseudonym for Sir John Woodroffe, British Orientalist with a deep interest in Hindu philosophy and yogic practice, a leading authority on Shaktic and Tantric thought. Reader in Indian Law at the University of Oxford, translated more than twenty Sanskrit texts.

  Bahadur, Krishna P. Served the Uttar Pradesh government in various administrative assignments and retired as commissioner, has written on Indian philosophy, culture, sociology, Sufi mysticism, and edited a volume of Bharati’s Satasai.

  Bakht, Baidar Adjunct professor of civil engineering at the Universities of Toronto and Manitoba; translates modern Urdu poetry in collaboration with Canadian poets and scholars.

  Basham, A. L. (1912-86) Professor of Asian studies, Australian National University.

  Bezboruah, D.N. Taught English and linguistics for two decades before starting an English newspaper, The Sentinel, from Guwahati.

  Bhagat, Niranjan Poet, professor of English literature, critic.

  Bhagwat, Durga (1910-2002) Studied Sanskrit and Buddhist literature, spent time researching tribes in Madhya Pradesh, writer in Marathi.

  Bhatia, Manjit Kaur Hindi writer and translator, in the publication department of the Sahitya Akademi, Delhi.

  Brasch, Charles (1909-73) New Zealand poet, founded literary journal Landfall, arts patron.

  Bronner, Yigal Assistant professor of Sanskrit language and literature, department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago.

  Brough, John (1917-84) Professor of Sanskrit at SOAS and then at Cambridge.

  Brown, Carolyn B. Taught courses in American and British literature at the University of Iowa; translation co-ordinator and editor of the International Writing Program; translates from the Bangla and several other languages.

  Bryce, Winifred Sociologist, educationist, former principal of Ind
ore Christian College, later head of Indore School of Social Work; retired and died in Canada in 1967.

  Chattarji, Sampurna Mumbai-based poet, novelist, translator.

  Chaudhuri, Sukanta Taught at Jadhavpur University, specialist in Renaissance studies, has translated from the Bangla, also lectures and writes on textual theory and criticism.

  Dharwadker, Vinay Poet, professor, department of languages and cultures of Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  Doniger, Wendy Professor of the history of religions and Indian studies at the University of Chicago.

  Doraiswamy, T. K. (1921-2007) Pen name ‘Nakulan,’ Poet, novelist, professor of English, translator.

  D’Souza, Priya Project co-ordinator for SPARROW, which collects and stores material about women; photographer.

  Dube, S. C. (1922-96) Anthropologist, wrote on tribals and rural India, academic connected with various universities, among them Osmania University in Hyderabad.

  Duggal, K. S. Writes in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, English; writes on Sikhs and Sikhism, and Punjabi mystic poets.

  Dutt, Romesh C. (1848-1909) Indian civil service, economic historian, translator, lecturer in University College, London, Dewan of Baroda State.

  Dyson, Ketaki Kushari Has published poetry, fiction, drama and criticism, in Bangla and in English.

  Elwin, Verrier (1902-1964) Christian missionary who came to India, anthropologist, worked with the Gond tribals of Central India (now Madhya Pradesh).

  Fallon, Oliver American Sanskrit scholar.

  Farooqi, Mehr Afshan Professor of South Asian Literature at the University of Virginia.

  Faruqui, Shamsher Rahman Urdu writer and critic, has published the literary journal Shabkhoon from Allahabad for forty years.

  Gay, Thomas ICS member who made India his home. Educated at Oxford, published extensively in journals and periodicals.

  Gohain, Hiren Department of English, Guwahati University, has written on the Vaishnavite movement in Assam, visiting professor at Delhi and at the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla.

  Gombrich, Richard British Indologist, scholar of Sanskrit, Pali and Buddhist Studies, retired Boden professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford.

  Gomes, Olvinho Konkani writer, and former head of department of Konkani, Goa University.

  Griffith, Ralph T.H. (1826-1906) Scholar of Indology and Sanskrit translator.

  Haksar, A.N.D. Indian foreign service, served as high commissioner or ambassador in various places, concentrated on writing and translating after his retirement.

  Hart, George L. Professor in the Department of South East Asian Studies at University of California, Berkeley.

  Hasan, Noorul Retired professor of English from the North Eastern Hill University, Shillong.

  Hawley, J. S. Professor of Religion, Barnard College, writes and has edited books on Hinduism.

  Heifetz, Hank Novelist, poet, journalist, doctorate in South and South East Asian Studies, taught at University of Wisconsin and at the City University of New York.

  Hivale, Shamrao (1903-84) Worked among tribals with Verrier Elwin, but also started various welfare measures for them on his own; collected their songs.

  Hooper, J.S.M. (1837-1922) Missionary, pilot of the Methodist Union Movement in South India; translated one of the earliest books in the Heritage of India Series sponsored by YMCA Publishing House in Calcutta, which was also one of the earliest books on the Alvars.

  Hyder, Qurratulain (1928-2007) Urdu novelist, short-story writer, academic, journalist.

  Isherwood, Christopher (1904-86) British writer/later American of fiction, drama, film, travel, autobiography; became interested in Hindu teaching and collaborated with Swami Prabhavananda on the translation of the Bhagvad Gita.

  Jackson, William J. Professor in the department of religious studies at Indiana University, Purdue.

  Jaeger, Kathleen Grant Canadian poet, and translator from Urdu.

  Jahangirdas, Chandrashekhar Marathi writer and critic, concerned with effects of Modernism on Marathi poetry, has written on folk literature, professor at Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

  Juergensmeyer, Mark Director, Orfalea Centre for Global and International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara.

  Kanda, K.C. Taught English literature in universities in Punjab and Delhi, translates extensively from the Urdu, and edits university anthologies.

  Karandikar, G.V. Translator from the Marathi.

  Kewlani, Madhu Professional translator from the Sindhi.

  Khandwalla, Pradip N. Organization theorist, poet, translator from the Gujarati, editor.

  Khare, Vishnu Hindi poet, has translated from various Indian and European languages, journalist.

  Kothari, Rita Teaches at St Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, runs a research centre on behalf of Katha.

  Kurup, P. Narayana Malayalam poet and literary critic, writes for children.

  Lal, P. (1929-2010) Professor of English at St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, poet, translator, best known for starting Writers Workshop, a publishing house, frequently visited American universities as visiting professor.

  Levertov, Denise (1923-97) British poet, later naturalized American, praised as an avant garde American poet.

  Losensky, Paul Associate professor, Central Eurasian Studies, Indiana University. Special interest in literatures of Iran, India and Central Asia.

  Maddern, Marian Lectures on creative writing in Melbourne; doctoral thesis on linguistic comparison between Bangla and English.

  Mascaro, Juan Eminent Sanskrit scholar, taught at Oxford University and elsewhere.

  McDermott, Rachel Fell Assistant professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures at Barnard College. She is the author/editor of books on Bangla poetry.

  Maini, Darshan Singh Ex-head, department of English, Punjab University, Patiala, writes on Punjabi poetry.

  Masson, J. Moussaieff Taught Sanskrit and Indian Studies at Berkeley and other universities.

  Mathers, E. Powys (1892-1939) English translator and poet often ranked with Arthur Waley and Ezra Pound.

  Merrill, Christi Associate chair, Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Michigan, associate professor of comparative literature.

  Merwin, W. S. Poet Laureate and Library of Congress consultant.

  Mohanty, Sacidanand Professor of English, Hyderabad, has written on early Oriya women writers, and cross-cultural issues.

  Mohanty, Smita Critic, has written on Vikram Seth.

  Moorty, J. S. R. L. Narayana Teaches western and eastern philosophy, Monterey Peninsula College, has written on Krishnamurthy, translates from the Telugu.

  Mukhopadhyay, Sarat Kumar Bangla poet and writer, translates poetry and fiction from English into Bengali.

  Muller, F. Max (1823-1900) German scholar of comparative language, religion, mythology with a special interest in Sanskrit philology and the religions of India.

  Munawar, Naji Head, department of Kashmiri, Kashmir University, particularly noted for his writing for children.

  Murthy, K. Narasimha Taught English literature, Mysore University, later joined the IAS, poet, critic and editor of English quarterlies of Sahitya Akademi.

  Mutalik, Keshav M. Retired as principal of Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, translates from the Kannada.

  Nabar, Vrinda Taught at University of Mumbai, co-translated with Nissim Ezekiel from the Marathi.

  Nadig, Sumatheendra Poet, short-story writer, translator, close associate of Adiga, and important poet of the 1960s.

  Nandkumar, Prema Specializes in Aurobindo studies.

  Narain, Apurva Literature is his ‘abiding interest’ but also works in the ecology-development area.

  Nayak, Lipipuspa Teaches English and has published eight books, including translations from the Oriya. She was awarded the Government of India National Culture Fellowship (2003-05), and was shortlisted for Fulbright Fellowship.

  Neki, J. S. Poet, medical doctor, writes on Sikhs and Sikh history and culture.
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  Pati, Madhusudan Lectures at Sambhalpur University, has written on Sanskrit texts and Oriya poets.

  Patel, Madhubhai Grew up in the region of South Gujarat from which he collected folk songs for the Indian Musicological Society, ex-principal, Commerce College, Mehsana.

  Pattanaik, D. B. Writes on Hindu myth.

  Paz, Octavio (1914-98) Mexican diplomat, writer, poet, taught at Cambridge and Harvard, Nobel Prize for Literature 1990.

  Petievich, Carla Doctoral degree in Urdu, teaches History and directs the Women’s Studies Programme at Montclair State University.

  Pollock, Sheldon Ransford Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Studies, Columbia University, New York; General editor, Murty Classical Library of India, Harvard University Press.

  Prabhavananda, Swami (1893-1976) Indian philosopher, monk of the Ramakrishna order, religious teacher.

  Raman, N. Kalyan Translator of contemporary Tamil fiction and poetry.

  Ramanathan, Suguna Retired head of department of English, St Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, translates from the Gujarati, writes fiction under the name Suguna Nair.

  Rao, H.V. Nagaraja Formerly senior Sanskrit research scholar, specializing in Sanskrit grammar and poetics at Oriental Research Institute, Mysore; visiting fellow to Chicago University and Jerusalem.

  Ray, David Author of twenty-two books including After Tagore: Poems Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore, lives in Tucson where he continues to write poetry, fiction, essays.

  Rao, Velcheru Narayana Krishnadevaraja Professor of Language and Culture of Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.

  Rhys-Davids, C.A.F. (1857-1942) President of the Pali Text Society, 1923-42.

  Richman, Paula William H. Danforth Professor of South Asian religions, USA.

  Roberts, Elliot Teaches world literature and creative writing at Monterey Peninsula College, translates from the Telugu.

  Rosenstein, Lucy Studied Hindi in Sofia, Bulgaria, where she grew up. MA and PhD in Hindi from SOAS, University of London, where she teaches.

  Rubin, David Has been visiting professor, Columbia University. Translates from Hindi prose and poetry, and is also a writer of fiction.

  Russell, Ralph (1918-2008) Considered the leading western scholar of Urdu of his generation; head of Urdu, SOAS, 1949-81.