Translation and social action: The case of Munshi Premchand’s literary works in Goa

Resumo

The aim of this article is to discuss the relevance of the translation into the Portuguese language of some the short stories by Munshi Premchand (1880-1936), one of India’s greatest writers in Hindi and Urdu, by Evágrio Jorge (1925-1978), a Goan Freedom Fighter. These translations, and their publication in the Goan newspaper O Heraldo/Herald, took place during the transition of Goa, from a Portuguese colony (1510-1961) to a state of the Indian Union. I argue that these translations were not random but due to Premchand’s critical portrayal of some aspects of Indian culture – the exploration of the peasantry, the caste system, the condition of women, communalism— they can be interpreted as Jorge’s desire to call the attention of his fellow countrymen to the situation of Goa under the new Indian aegis. Jorge's translations stand as a warning to Goans, who had fought for the end of colonial rule, to maintain a critical eye on their new social and political status.