The Ashoka Centre for Translation and the New India Foundation jointly hosted the second edition of Bhashavaad: National Translation Conference on 29–30 August at the India International Centre, New Delhi.
Over two days, the conference brought together leading translators, writers, publishers, and scholars to reflect on the practice, politics, economics, and future of translation in India, while celebrating its role in shaping the country’s multilingual literary and cultural landscape.
The event was attended by some of the most prominent names in literature, including Peggy Mohan, Rana Safvi, Jerry Pinto, Tridip Suhrud, Ritu Menon, Sara Rai, A. Revathi, Supriya Chaudhuri, Deepa Bhasthi, and Urvashi Butalia, along with several distinguished translators, publishers, and scholars working across Indian languages.
In his opening remarks, Manish Sabharwal, managing trustee of the New India Foundation and founder of Ashoka University, spoke about the shared vision that led to the creation of both the New India Foundation and Ashoka University, and how Bhashavaad embodies this convergence. He reflected:
“Twenty years ago, the New India Foundation was born, and over a decade ago, Ashoka University was established — both out of the realization that we don’t need to go overseas for world-class education. Three years ago, the Ashoka Centre for Translation was launched to bridge languages, preserve cultural richness, and ensure that voices from across India could be heard and understood more wisely. Today, Bhashavaad stands as a synthesis of these aspirations.”
Aligned with this vision, the New India Foundation’s focus on translating historical Indian texts into English aims to foster comparative literature and broaden the cultural reach of works previously confined to their original languages.
As an old Indian saying goes, “kos-kos mein badle paani; chaar kos mein vaani” — every few miles, water changes; every few miles, so does the language. Languages are living repositories of regional cultures, histories, and identities, and the NIF Translation Fellowships are designed to make these voices accessible to wider audiences.
Applications for the NIF Translation Fellowships are now open and will be accepted till 31 December 2025.
