Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels by M.S. Vijaya Haran - Book Review

Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels by M.S. Vijaya Haran

Genre: Non-Fiction

4.5 Stars 

One Liner: A comprehensive compilation; a must-read for Bhyrappa fans  

The book is a collection of memories and experiences of various translators who worked with Bhyrappa and translated his works into a multitude of languages. Creating a book like this is no small feat when we consider the extent of translations- the languages, the reprints, and the varied medium in which the great man’s works were presented. Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels is a result of the tremendous hard work of M.S. Vijaya Haran, a senior broadcaster and researcher. 

M.S. Vijay Haran is the Station Director of AIR Mysore and has decades of experience in the field. Reading her detailed note at the beginning of the book gave me a clear picture of the effort and love that went into bringing this book to life. The editor released a book titled Namma Bhyrappanavaru in Kannada in 2020. This book can be considered the second part or an extension, albeit in English. 

Bhyrappa’s books were translated into many regional Indian languages, along with Samskritam, Chinese, and Russian. A total of seven novels were translated into Samskritam- Sartha, Daatu, Dharmashree, Aavarana, Vamshavriksha, Tabbaliyu, and Parva. Parva was translated into Chinese and Russian. Then we have his books in Telugu, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, etc. 

The book is divided into six parts: 

• Part I is about Bhyrappa 
• Part II is about various translators who worked with him
• Part III is about translators who are no longer in the mortal world 
• Part IV is about audiovisual and theatrical adaptations of his works 
• Part V is about adaptations by people no more alive 
• Part VI about the comments from the press 

For someone who read just one book by the literary genius (and the other English translations on the TBR list), reading this compilation has been a treat. I was unsure whether I could read it from start to finish and not end up with spoilers for his works. Yet, I wanted to read it all and know more. I had to skim through a few pieces as the translators went into detail about the stories and characters from the books they translated. 

The translator’s experiences came straight from the people themselves (or their dear ones in the case of the departed souls). Each piece started with the translator’s picture and ended with their bio (icing on the cake). 

Part I and Bhyrappa 

The first part has three write-ups, two by those who know Bhyrappa and one by the man himself. This gives us a glimpse into his childhood, the hardships he faced, and his subsequent growth as a person and a writer. It’s not detailed but just enough for the reader to connect with Bhyrappa. I love how he spoke about his writing process; how disciplined, systematic, and planned his approach is. Armed with this information (including the editor’s note and foreword), I delved into the experiences of various translators and their associations with Bhyrappa’s works. 

Bhyrappa- The Human  

Reading about the translators’ experiences gave me more insights into the great man. He is humble and warm yet a bit introverted and likes his own space. More than one translator spoke about how he was ready to provide financial help and even enquired if the publishers were paying their fees per the contract. He didn’t accept the royalties for the Samskritam translations of his books as he considered it his contribution to promoting the language. 

I so wish I could meet him one day! 

Translations- Urdu, Chinese, and Russian 

The Urdu translation of Vamshavirkha was done by Prof. Syed Shahabuddin (fondly known as Roshan). He recounted how difficult the entire process was, right from the lack of a dictionary to bridge the gap between the languages (he created one himself) to publishing the book on his own with almost no funds. His determination and efforts bore fruit (in many ways). 

The Chinese and Russian of Parva were ordered by the Indian government (PM Modi) in 2020 (it was one of the ten classics selected). The translators spoke about how they had to work on a tight deadline during the lockdown and how Parva influenced them. I enjoyed reading Ms. Xu Ke’s experiences and comparisons between the two ancient cultures (Bharat and China). 

Vamshavrikha in Telugu 

How can I not talk about the screen adaption of Vamshavriksha? I confess I haven’t watched the movie in full but intend to do it as soon as possible. The movie was released in 1980 by none other than the late Bapu (director) and Ramana (script and dialogue writer) duo. 

Source: Wikipedia

My father told me that they interacted with Bhyrappa to make a few changes to the plot to suit the Telugu audience. The movie had Anil Kapoor as one of the main characters (before he went on to become famous in Bwood). 

But what makes the movie special even today is Bhyrappa’s story, Mullapudi Venkata Ramana’s dialogues, Bapu’s directorial mastery, and JV Somayajulu and Jyothi (the two main characters). I remember watching a couple of scenes (the climax and ending) on TV and noticing tears streaming down my father’s face (he watched the movie multiple times by then). 

That’s what a solid story does to you. It breaks your heart and pieces it back together every single time. 

Vamshavriksha was also one of the first Bhyrappa's books translated into Telugu (before the movie was made). 

Subbu Publications 

It would be unfair if I didn’t mention Subbu Publications in my review. This is a huge book with 578 pages. The font size and print are great. Big enough to read (even for seniors) and neatly spaced text throughout. It’s a relief to read books with a font size that doesn’t resemble ants or even their babies!

The Last Word

Before I conclude, I’d like to share this article with you. Written/ translated by Sandeep Balakrishna, it gives us a tiny glimpse of what Bhyrappa had to face from the self-proclaimed champions of (FoS & FoE) Freedom of Speech and Expression. Bhyrappa has detailed the same in his autobiography, Bitti. 

To summarize, Giant Genius Bhyrappa and Mirrors of His Novels is a tribute to the literary genius and a wonderful way to know more about the man behind many successful novels. He is Bharat’s treasure indeed. 

I received a review copy from Indica Books in exchange for an honest review. This review is posted as a part of the Thousand Reviewers Club. 

*****

P.S: I am delighted to post my review on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Bhyrappa garu!