Abstract
Starting with the earliest translations of Waiting for Godot (1953) into Bengali and Hindi in the late 1950s, Samuel Beckett’s works have circulated increasingly through India’s rich theatrical scene, with further translations and adaptions into the major languages that occasionally have more than a single variation. Chakraborty lists and briefly discusses a selection of these translations across the various Indian states before exploring the variations between these translations that reflect the political scenario of the country. Furthermore, the author presents a close look at two recent Hindi versions of the play, adapted by the critically acclaimed theatre directors Satyabrata Rout and Mohit Tripathi, while exploring the universality of Beckett’s chef-d’oeuvre and divulging the salient features that make these translations successful in the Indian context.
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Appendix: List of Indian Translations of Waiting for Godot
Appendix: List of Indian Translations of Waiting for Godot
Hindi
(1970), Godo ke Intezaar Mein, trans. Krishna Baldev Vaid, Delhi: Radhakrishna Prakasana.
(1991), Waiting for Godot, trans. Rajat Kapoor, New Delhi: Chingari.
(1999), Godot Ke Intezaar Mein Aur Akhri Khel [Waiting for Godot and Endgame], trans. Krishna BaldevVaid, Delhi: Rajpal.
Bengali
(n.d.), Waiting for Godot, trans. Ashok Sen, Kolkata: A Mukherjee.
(1981), Godor Pratikhyay, trans. Kabir Choudhuri, Dacca: Muktadhara.
(1995), Iswarbabu Aschhen, trans. Pradeep K. Banerjee, Kolkata: Writers Workshop.
(2006), Godor Apekkhyay, trans. Koushik Sanyal, Kolkata: Ganaman Prokashan.
(2006), Godor Janna Apekkha, trans. Vibhash Chanda, Mednipur: Bhab Publishing.
Marathi
(1995), Waiting for Godot , trans. Madhuri Purandare, Pune: Rajhans Prakashan.
Punjabi
(1971), Godo di Udik, trans. Surender Mohan, Jalandhar: Sanket Prakashan.
Kannada
(1974), Waiting for Godot, trans. A. N. Prasanna, Sagar: Akshara Prakashan.
Assamese
(1978), Godor Pratikhaya, trans. Sailen Bharali, Guwahati: Bani Prakash.
Rajasthani
(2000), Godot ree Udeek Mein, trans. Chandraprakash Deval, New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.
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Chakraborty, T. (2021). Translating Samuel Beckett into Hindi. In: Fernández, J.F., Sardin, P. (eds) Translating Samuel Beckett around the World. New Interpretations of Beckett in the Twenty-First Century. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71730-8_11
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