A new English translation of a 2013 Hindi novel about the Bene Israeli Jews in India offers a poignant and sensitive understanding of this community at the margins
A view of the ornate interiors of the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue. File pics
In his foreword to Hindi author Sheela Rohekar’s novel, Miss Samuel: A Jewish-Indian Saga (Speaking Tiger), translated by Dr Madhu Singh, Professor HW Wessler poses a significant question: “How much diversity does the modern nation-state allow?” It is part meditation and part observation about Rohekar’s book, which explores this idea through the story of a family belonging to the Bene Israeli Jewish community in India. Although her novel was originally written in 2013, its recent English translation only necessitates us to think if much has changed in the last 12 years. While there is awareness of the existence of the community, its population has only declined. Moreover, as Rohekar notes, “They have no voice of their own... they have remained either mute or short-sighted outsiders.”
The Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue (above) in Kala Ghoda is the second oldest Sephardic synagogue in Mumbai
When Lucknow-based Rohekar met Wessler a few years before she wrote her novel, she had drawn characters who seemed more familiar to her readers. “At the time, most of my characters were Hindi-speakers, either Hindus or Muslims.” After an elaborate conversation with him, she created the world of Miss Samuel, giving us the narrative of her community. “I was hesitant [initially] that readers would neither understand the names of the people from my community, nor find it easy to understand me.” Yet, she felt she had an entire universe inside her that was in search of an outlet. The alienation experienced by Rohekar and her family in real life was portrayed most deeply through her protagonist, Seema Samuel. She reveals, “Even though I’ve been married to a Hindi-speaking writer, this ‘ekakipan’, this loneliness has not left me. It is what motivates me to write.”
Sheela Rohekar
Singh, former professor of English and Modern European Languages at the University of Lucknow, recalls stumbling upon Rohekar’s novel during one of her trips to the Bharatiya Jnanpith Book Store in New Delhi. “While going through the new books on their shelves, my eyes fell on this rather unusual sounding name among the Hindi novels. I picked up the book and read the blurb. It hadn’t struck me then that I’d be translating the book, but I sat with it one night and finished reading it in one go. It was such an overwhelming experience. Something shattered within me; I felt I was un-homed,” she says. The novel examines ideas of this loss with sophistication, even when it shifts between the past and the present.
Madhu Singh
Singh would visit Rohekar at her Lucknow residence frequently. Sharing cups of tea and biscuits, they’d speak “like friends”. Singh recollects, “It’s important for there to be a symbiotic relationship between an author and a translator.” Having turned to the author to understand the idiomatic turn of phrases, she adds, “When you read the novel in Hindi, you find plenty of Gujarati-Marathi expressions, snatches from Hebrew prayers, and the Old Testament. Even though I read it in Devanagari, as a Hindi speaker from the northern belt, I didn’t use these expressions.” It was a massive challenge. Singh’s primary aim, however, was to understand Rohekar — endearingly called “Sheela-ji” — as a person to communicate the latter’s sentiments. Additionally, she visited the libraries in London during a fellowship and researched about the community. Rohekar extolled Singh’s painstaking efforts in translating the text with empathy and care to ensure Rohekar’s culture and flavour of writing live on in the English language.
The Bene Israeli Jewish community in India has had to adopt new cultures in their constant quest to look for a new home, a place of safety and belongingness. For instance, readers will find the characters often speaking Marathi, initially an alien language to them. Rohekar laments, “We’ve adopted so much to become part of the society, but the irony is that we couldn’t ever be.” Remembering a poignant moment involving the death of a character, she concludes, “Whom do we turn to share our sorrows with?”
Available At leading bookstores and e-stores
Cost Rs 499
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