Reviews

The Appeasement of Radhika: Radhika Santawanam by Muddupalani, Sandhya Mulchandani

nishalovesbooks's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

solachi's review

5.0

"Restless, lonely, overwhelmed with sadness
Dejected, betrayed, listless
She fainted over and again
Cursing Ila and Hari!" (Ch. 3)
....
"She dislikes sleeping on the bed
Preferring my chest
She dislikes sitting on a chair
Preferring my lap
She dislikes eating sweets
Preferring my lips
She cares not to call her maids
Prefers to call only me with love
Such an embodiment of goodness,
Have I forsaken,
Can this be anything but a curse from the almighty?" (Ch. 4)
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Radhika (Radha) marries her protégé Iladevi to Nandagopala & waits for Krishna's return. Leaves withered, clouds darkened, it rained arrows on the soft petal skinned Radha, but her mightiest Yadava didn't return. She sends a message via., parrot to Kamsa killer but it returns dejected with a devastating news about how Hari has fallen head over heels for Iladevi & her newly learnt Kama Shastra skills. Distraught, Radha's love turns to despicable hatred over his betrayal. As Yadava realises how he has overlooked Radha's devotion & love, he hopefully returns to be accepted. Will Krishna conciliate outraged Radha?
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The Appeasement of Radhika being an erotic epic has seen ban, more than once, written by a well versed courtesan Muddupalani to her Krishna, torn between his two lovers' sexual desire. Being an 18th century female poet, Muddupalani had the guts to write about female sexual gratification to male audience. Without the ardent effort of Nagarathnamma, another talented, educated courtesan, this book would've been lost over the ages. With Sandhya Mulchandani's attempt to translate this Telugu text into English, our souls wouldn't have been bathed in these delightful verses. And without Penguin's publication, I wouldn't be here suggesting this classic book to y'all. This book should be on your bookshelf, with pride.
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Rating: 5/5

spacestationtrustfund's review

4.0

In her introduction, which really is excellent, the translator Sandhya Mulchandani discusses some of the difficulties of translating from mediaeval Telugu to Modern English; often there is no corresponding vocabulary or expression, and much of the wordplay is context-dependent. As Mulchandani writes,

The verses are in medieval Telugu, a language that has changed, becoming more colloquial over the intervening two and a half centuries. Given that the lady was a courtesan, she also uses adages and metaphors that are now obsolete, difficult to unravel and translate. The verses use word play, duplicity of meaning and linguistic subtleties as well as shabda (sound) and onomatopoeia that add rhythm and rhyme to the original Telugu verse but are simply lost in translation. There is another inbuilt problem with translating medieval Indian languages, especially erotic texts. Locating the corresponding vocabulary in English is difficult, to say the least. We have many more words for love, desire and intercourse than English does, each representing a distinct layer and subtle emotion that defies description. Despite the risk of seeming repetitive, all the verses have been kept per the original. All the 584 verses, including the banned twenty-four, have been translated here along with the interspersed paragraphs in prose. Rather than a transliteration that ends up sounding archaic and stilted, this is a loose translation that explores the expressed sentiment.

Also from the introduction:

Ironically, even in texts such as these, where references to sex are overt and explicit, lovers express their ardour using a rich tapestry of poetic symbols. Flowers are never merely flowers, nor clouds just clouds. The symbols of Indian kavya—rooms filled with the fragrance of jasmine, thundering clouds and, especially in the case of Krishna, dark rain-laden clouds, eyes and feet like lotuses, clinging creepers, loose bangles on women’s wrists, are all intended to suggest passion-haunted lovers. Similarly the suggestive partaking of tambulam (betel leaves), milk and fruit are all literary, and literally, foreplay.

If you think that's sexy, wait until you read the actual poem.

I personally thought Mulchandani's translation was well-done, but I also don't read Telugu, so I can really only guess at the specific accuracy! I would have preferred more footnotes and annotations, along with a more literal translation style, instead of what Mulchandani actually did, which was fewer notes and more poetic licence taken, but that's really a personal issue. The original Telugu text is available on microfilm c/o the Internet Archive (also scanned here), so I had that with me to look at alongside my reading of the translation, which I definitely recommend. Even if you can't read Telugu, just looking at the original text helps to contextualise it.

saintmaud's review

slow-paced

3.5

repetitive at times but still a good read.

sookieskipper's review

4.0

Replace the Kamasutra book in your shelf with this one. (If you want to know what women enjoy, shouldn't you hear it from a woman?)