Rajkahini: The Princely Tales of Rajasthan is an English translation of Abanindranath Tagore's Bengali classic Rajkahini. It is a collection of nine stories that are replete with episodes and incidents involving the royalty of Rajasthan. Expectedly therefore, bravery, nobility, palace intrigues, wars, skirmishes, feuds, betrayal, caste, religion, marriage, motherhood and progeny, all play a dynamic role as the fictionalized social and political history of early Rajasthan is unfurled. Authoring Rajkahini as a literary expression of the legends and tales of the Rajput kings can also be considered a part of that postcolonial action to etch out a narrative that could draw the far part of the nation closer to the Bengali readership.
Abanindranath Tagore (1871-1951) was born in a family that heralded the renaissance in colonial India. Being educated in Sanskrit college,a great painter, he initiated the revival of Indian tradition in art and culture. He started writing at the inspiration of his uncle, the famous poet Rabindranath Tagore, and his books for children include Sakuntala, Ksheerer Putul, Rajkahini, Buro Angla, Bhoot Patri, Alor Fulki, his autobiographical works being Apon Katha, Gharozwa and Jorasankor Dharey.
Sanghita Sanyal (b. 1983) is currently teaching at Loreto College, Kolkata, in the capacity of Assistant Professor, in the Departments of English and B.Ed. She is also one of the Executive Council Members of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library, Kolkata. Besides academia, Sanghita takes keen interest in translation, language studies, music, poetry, especially performance and the study of Classical, Indian folk and Tagore's music and poetry.
Bulu Mukhopadhyay (b. 1961) is Associate Professor and Head, Department of English, New Alipore College, Kolkata. Besides academics, she also likes to translate. Her translation of Pagla Dasu, by Sukumar Ray, the noted writer of children's literature in Bengali is published by Avenel press, Dasu the Crazy Boy. She has also contributed to the English translation titled, Anthology of Bengali Short stories, published by Sahitya Akademi, edited by Sanjukta Dasgupta.
The illustrious members of the Tagore household seamlessly blended the cultural influences of Western literature and art with the culture of the homeland. This was a most remarkable case of appropriation, abrogation and self-fashioning. Thus, whether it was painting, sculpture, music, dance or creative writing, heterogenous influences from the West, Middle East and Far East were enthusiastically absorbed by the Tagore clan and amalgamated into a product that was original and not about imitation.
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