Tiruchi-based retiree Kannaiyan Daksnamurthy, 62, is still living down the news of winning the Sahitya Akademi Award for Translation this week, for Karungunram, his Tamil version of The Black Hill, a gripping story of tribal communities interwoven with the turbulent journey of a French Jesuit priest in Northeast India, written in English by Arunachal Pradesh-based author Mamang Dai.
“I began my career in 1987 as a junior-grade officer in the Indian Information Service of the Press Information Bureau. My earliest duties were related to translating documents for local media outlets. When I served at All India Radio (AIR) from 1991 to 2022, I started translating non-fiction works for the National Book Trust (NBT) in 1995. Last year, I won the Tamil Nadu State Government Award for Translation. The Sahitya Akademi’s recognition this year is a big honour for me,” Mr. Daksnamurthy told The Hindu on Wednesday, March 13, 2023.
Mr. Daksnamurthy was also congratulated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin for his achievement.
Originally from the town of Thirumarugal, Nagapattinam district, Mr. Daksnamurthy holds postgraduate degrees in Tamil Literature and Economics, alongside a law degree. He retired as station director from AIR in 2022, after serving in Tiruchi, Madurai, Kodaikanal, Tirunelveli, Delhi and Puducherry.
The Black Hill’s appeal as a translation project lay in its unusual subject, and the description of life in mid-19th century Arunachal Pradesh. The original had won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017, and its Tamil translation was published by the body in 2021.
“The mysterious disappearance of a French missionary on his way to Tibet, inter-tribal politics and the impending arrival of British colonialists are described in great detail. The mix of fact and fiction makes for an interesting read,” said Mr. Daksnamurthy.
In his repertoire of close to 30 translations commissioned by NBT, Sahitya Akademi and the Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation, Mr. Daksnamurthy has covered authors Jerry Pinto, Sharad Pawar, Fali S. Nariman, PC Joshi, Amit Bhaduri, Subash C Kashyap, and Abid Hussain, among others.
Post-retirement, he is looking forward to exploring a career in law. “I did not have the courage to become an advocate in my youth. Now, perhaps the time is right to help the public with my legal advice,” Mr. Daksnamurthy said.
