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A writer’s nest

If you ask Punjabi writer and translator Jung Bahadur Goyal why people write, he’d say softly: “For attaining humility.

A writer’s nest

Author and translator Jung Bahadur Goyal has only one wish: make available as much world literature as possible to the Punjabi readers. Photo: Manoj Mahajan



Sarbjit Dhaliwal in Chandigarh

If you ask Punjabi writer and translator Jung Bahadur Goyal why people write, he’d say softly: “For attaining humility.” But how can a language take you there? The former IAS officer offers his real-life story. “In 2005, I was traveling along with my colleagues back from Rajasthan. Our car met with an accident. A colleague was killed and my both arms were fractured. I remained bedridden for months. I started reading world classics – a time when I realized I could make these works available to Punjabi readers by translating them,” says Goyal.

He has so far translated 56 classics, not only originally written in English but also other languages. In the process he has enriched Punjabi literature, while curiously waiting for much more. Goyal was recently honoured with Rupinder Mann cash award by the Rupinder Mann memorial Trust in association with Punjabi Sahit Akademy, Ludhiana. But awards have only whetted his appetite to do more for the Punjabi language. 

His biggest moment was in 2003. “It was a phone call from the Prime Minister’s Office. The caller said PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee would like to speak to me. I went speechless.” Goyal had written a book on Swami Vivekananda about which Vajpayee wanted to speak to him, in person, on June 12 that year. “Vajpayee-sahib met me for about half an hour. He told me that he had read a lot on the Swami, but my book had impressed him,” said Goyal. Before Swami Vivekananda: His Human Bonds, Goyal had authored a Hindi novel Shesh Phir which was received well.

Goyal grew up amid books and manuscripts lying around his room at his parental home at Jaitu, near Bathinda. “I used to read Munshi Prem Chand’s works and narrate them to my mother, who would insist me to repeat the stories. Today, I consider myself as a happy hunter of world literature. My mission is to make these world classics available to Punjabi readers. Before attempting a translation, I first try and understand the essence of a classic. Then, I tend to develop my own style to shape up the translation”, says Goyal. 

After completing his post-graduation in English Literature, Goyal joined a college as a lecturer. He appeared in the IAS exam and was selected for Indian Revenue Services (IRS) to join at Nagpur as an officer on probation. “I had also appeared in Haryana Civil Services Examination and Punjab Civil Services Examination. I was selected in both, but opted to join PCS after resigning from the IRS,” said Goyal, who retired as an IAS officer in August 2006.

After retirement, Goyal says he lives “like a guest” in his own house. “I share no responsibility. My wife does everything. I just hunt down a good book and translate it in Punjabi. I have just completed translation of Khalil Jibran’s biography,” says Goyal.

His works have been appreciated by eminent Punjabi writers such as Dr Dalip Kaur Tiwana, the late Prof Gurdial Singh, a recipient of Jnanpith award. Dr SS Johl, Chancellor of the Central University, Bathinda, and several others. Johl has described him as an encyclopedia of literature and defined his contribution as a rare happening in the world of Punjabi literature.

He has published four volumes titled Vishav Sahit De Shahkar Novel (Classics of World Literature) in Punjabi. Among the works produced in Punjabi include Vanity Fair, Scarlet Letter, Brothers Karmazove, War and Peace, Ulysses, The Trial, The Outsider, Gone with the Wind, Nausea (by Sartre), Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Devdas, Animal Farm, And Quiet Flows the Dawn, To Kill a Mocking Bird, Wuthering Heights and may more.

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