Chennai: Teenager Nila Saravanaraja, a resident of Anna Nagar, received the State award for best translator for 2018-19 from Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy recently for translating Ponniyin Selvan into English.
Speaking to News Today, she said, “My father was recreating the novel into comics and he was planning to translate the whole book into English. Suddenly he asked me if I wanted to do it. I agreed to it without any second thought because Ponniyin Selvan is one novel that had fascinated me the most. It brought to light the aesthetic and magnificent Tamil history, culture and language,” said Nila.
“It was a very different experience altogether. I found it a bit difficult to find accurate words. Nonetheless, it was a great learning experience for me. I also met lyricist Madhan Karky at the award function and he congratulated me for my work while translating. He also said his son reads Ponniyin Selvan comics. I was overwhelmed,” said the 17-year-old.
“‘Ponniyin Selvan’ is a special memory I hold close to my heart from my childhood. I was inspired by Kalki’s writing. For a story to be animated, it should be interesting and exciting. So, instead of searching for any other story, I opted for Ponniyin Selvan,” said Saravanaraja, Nila’s father.
“I always wanted to preserve our culture and language and take it to the next generation. The reach is better when it is animated,” he added.
“She’s not like every other child. Having started developing reading habit since she was two years old, she always had a special bond with books, be it Tamil or English ones,” stated Sumithra, the proud mother of the State award winner, chipping in.
“We disconnected television soon after she was born. We wanted to give her optimism and good knowledge and naturally she loved books. She tops in academics as well.” said Sumithra.
Nila is also interested in painting. She said, “I finished reading Ponniyin Selvan when I was in my eighth standard. Managing academics, painting and translating was really hard. Time management was the toughest part.”
“When she received the State award, I thought she was too young to have achieved this. This is just the beginning and I hope she achieves more and more. We started working on this project without any expectation. It was a real surprise when I got to know that Nila was chosen for this award. Also, thanks to the State government for encouraging budding young talents,” said her father.
She can be contacted at 98842 58266.