A social studies teacher from Adilabad town of Telangana has achieved the stupendous task of translating the Mahabharata (abridged) into Gondi language.
Thodasam Kailas’ translated work ‘Pandak Na Mahabharat Katha’ is an effort to conserve Gondi language which, he says, is disappearing.
“Our language is disappearing. More and more people from our community do not speak Gondi. We come from a rich culture of storytellers, but there are only a handful left now. I felt the need to do something to preserve the richness of our culture for our coming generations,” Kailas told News18.
“My dream is to include Gondi language in the 8th schedule of the Constitution. We need 20,000 words to do that. Through my Mahabharata, I have sought to include many forgotten words. I started writing this book on March 10, 2024, and completed it on June 10, 2024, which is about three months. I typed the entire five parts of the epic on my mobile phone. I have written this book in Gondi language with Telugu script. Since Gondi script is available now, I will print it in Gondi script soon,” added the author.
Street dramas and the classic Mahabharata serial on Doordarshan are the inspirations behind his work. Like most successes, Kailash’s accomplishment too came after a couple of tries. He started with a YouTube channel where he would share thoughts and ideas in Gondi. After he received a good response to his videos, he wrote a motivational book. However, he could not publish it due to lack of funds.
The treatment of his wife, who is suffering from cervical cancer, has put a strain on his resources. After finishing ‘Pandak Na Mahabharat Katha’ too, he faced a paucity of funds. He approached the government for support in vain. This time, he went ahead and published the epic, bearing the expenditure himself.
Kailas, who is an ardent fan of Virat Kohli, says that the cricketer’s life inspires him. In fact, he has written a book on Kohli too. “Kohli’s success story motivates me. Just like me, he is also a follower of Lord Shiva, who brings me immense strength,” Kailas shared.
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