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Noted Kashmiri writer Kshemendra’s 11th century Sanskrit classic about the life and travels of a courtesan has now been translated into English. Former diplomat A.N.D Haksar has translated the Samaya Matrika, a satirical tale by Kshemendra about a courtesan. Haksar has already translated 10 other Sanskrit books into English Releasing the book, The Courtesan's Keeper: Kshemendra's Samaya Matrika — A Satire on Kashmir, in New Delhi recently, he said, "It is unusual because there are only a few examples of satire in Sanskrit literature. The brilliance of original work and the fact that it had not been translated before, prompted me to take it up for translation." Sanskrit has long been considered a language of religion and philosophy, and an inherent part of Indian culture and it is heartening that there is renewed interest amongst people in the ancient language, said the former diplomat. Describing the importance of Sanskrit, Haksar said in its time, it occupied in India a position similar to English today. "It was the language of academic thought, higher learning, of culture and authority, and of elites across regional divide," he said. "Each of these faces reflected in its vast literature, though most of it is not too well known," he added. — PTI Ayaan Hirsi writes for kids
Hirsi Ali, one of the world’s most outspoken critics of radical Islam, has lived under the shadow of a fatwa since the 2004 murder of the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, with whom she made a film about Islam’s treatment of women. She is bracing for another furore. "Everything I have ever said or written has been met with hostility and rejection by the vast majority of the Islamic community," she shrugs. "I don’t expect it to be any different this time." A letter targeting her by name was pinned to Van Gogh’s body with the knife used to kill him. She fled to the USA. Although ostensibly aimed at children, Adan and Eva, published in the Netherlands recently is far from a breezy bedtime read. Eva is alienated by her wealthy, ostentatious parents while Adan, from an immigrant suburb of Amsterdam, is terrorised by his Moroccan father. The youngsters gradually overcome their preconceptions of what it means to be Jewish and Muslim but all hell breaks loose when their families find out about their friendship. The book, co-written with children’s author Anna Gray, is likely to generate more hate mail for Hirsi Ali, at a time when she is struggling to raise millions of dollars for protection. The Dutch government stopped footing her security bills last year after she moved to Washington DC to work for a conservative think-tank. Hirsi Ali had previously set out her challenge to Islamic teaching on women in The Caged Virgin. She hopes her attempt at children’s fiction, to be published in English later this year, will motivate other authors. "I know mine is not an easy read but children’s lives are not easy. We can play a big role in encouraging them to be more open towards one another and grow up to be different from their parents." By arrangement with The Independent
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Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a
Somalia-born Dutch writer, feminist and former MP has written her first
book for children, a work of fiction that risks story of a friendship
between a Jewish girl, whose parents are driven by money, and a Muslim
boy who is beaten by his father.