'Vasanavikruti', first Malayalam short story, translated to English by mother-daughter duo

Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar’s short story "Vasanavikruti" (The Desire for Mischief), widely regarded as the first Malayalam short story, has recently been translated into English by mother-daughter duo. Published in Vidyavinodini magazine in February 1891, "Vasanavikruti" holds both literary and historical importance in Malayalam literature. The English version has now been released in the July-August 2024 edition of Indian Literature, a prestigious journal of the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, making this classic story accessible to a global audience.

V. K. Nayanar (1860-1914) was a prominent essayist and short story writer known for his critique of social inequalities. Born into a wealthy family in Malabar (present-day Kerala), he was active in local governance and politics, serving on the Malabar District Board and later in the Madras Legislative Assembly. Nayanar was contemporaneous with notable figures like Dr. Hermann Gundert, who compiled the first Malayalam dictionary, and William Logan, author of The Malabar Manual. He passed away while still serving as a legislator, at the age of 54.

Vidyavinodini, the magazine that first published "Vasanavikruti", was a significant literary publication from Thrissur, Cochin. It ran monthly from November 1889 to March 1902, playing a key role in the cultural and intellectual development of Kerala. Founded by V. Sundarayyar and his son Viswanathayyar, the magazine’s first editor was C.P. Achutha Menon.

The translators are Prema Rammohan, a former college lecturer and K. E. Priyamvada, Deputy Editor at Indian International Centre and author of five books.