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Bhubaneswar, Sept 13: A compilation of vachanas translated into Oriya, was released at Soochana Bhawan here Tuesday. Vachanas are a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada evolved as part of the Sharana movement. Governor SC Jamir released the compilation at the golden jubilee celebration of Basava Samiti.
The vachanas were penned by Sharanas and have been translated into various Indian languages. They were translated into 12 Indian languages as part of the second phase of the project. Oriya poets Surya Mishra and Prabasini Mahakuda handled the Oriya translation.
Jamir spoke of the greatness of vachanas. “The qualities of truthfulness and reliability of vachanas have given them a unique identity. We yearn for peace and happiness in our lives. Violence and conflicts are the most serious problems facing the world today. If our minds are dominated by anger, we lose the best part of human intelligence — wisdom, the ability to decide between right and wrong. The role of literature such as the vachana in providing wisdom and philosophical insight to readers is invaluable,” he said.
The governor emphasised that literature was the mirror of society and that it became a powerful instrument for social transformation. “Vachana literature is an asset to Indian literature as it embodies melody and music of life in the innermost existence of our being. This literature makes one responsive to the music of the soul, and awakens finer shades of feeling in the depths of the soul. It is undoubtedly one of the finest in spiritual literature ever written in the country,” he said.
Jamir also lauded the efforts of Basava Samiti. “Translations are challenging, especially from one classical language to another. I hope the Oriya translation will serve to enliven our vibrant culture. Vachana literature is not just a tradition but essentially a movement to bring consciousness, world order, enhancement of values and promotion of human rights and qualities,” he said.
Arvind Jatti, the president of Basava Samiti told Orissa POST that the Basava Samiti was established in 1964 by his father BD Jatti, the former vice president of India. The samiti was formed to propagate teachings and philosophy of Lord Basaveshwara. “People were very superstitious then. Father wanted to remove ignorance and superstition by making people understand the ideology of Lord Basaveshwara,” Arvind said.
He said Lord Basaveshwara was the first person in the county to believe in democratic principles. “He didn’t believe in caste, creed and religion. Rather he believed in equality, which is why during his period, people were encouraged to express their experience, thoughts and ideas for the development of the society irrespective of their background.
Lord Basaveshwara believed in creating a better society for every individual,” Arvind said.
According to him, the translation of the vachanas would help “create a better society for everyone”.
Only a select number of the 23,000 vachanas available are being translated at present. In all, they have been translated into 23 Indian languages and steps are being taken for their translation into some foreign languages, too, including French, Spanish, German and Arabic.
“Our key motive is to translate vachanas into multiple languages. The first and second phase have been completed successfully. The work on French translation is being done in Srinagar University and almost 60 per cent of the work is complete,” Arvind said.
Surya, one of the translators of the vachanas into Oriya, said: “When I got the offer to translate these vachanas, I agreed immediately as I am passionate about literature. Prabasini and I worked together and we got to learn the teaching, ideology and philosophy contained in the vachanas.”
State ministers Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and Ashok Chandra Panda were among the guests at the function. Padmasree Dr Debi Prasanna Pattanaik was one of the speakers; he described the features, relevance and effectiveness of vachana literature in the socio-cultural context of India.
