Gopan Aur AyanKhand1

Gujarati and other Indian languages are part of a vast semiotic network, a system of signification and contract. The fundamental point is to preserve the Indian capacity to create the general or ordinary without erasing the particular, and to create a system of signification woven from equivalent signifiers. This capacity should be nurtured while protecting it from being dominated by forces such as national or international state power, the money power that promotes consumerism, the tyrannical power of self-absorbed, intolerant ideologies, and so on. Translating my articles from Gujarati to Hindi was not an easy task. Gujarati literature has a long tradition of observation and creative writing, and it is from this that my definition of literary philosophy, creative and comparative criticism emerges. My thinking is embedded within it. I know that it is impossible to translate my writings accurately without understanding the Gujarati aspects of Indian literature in a historical perspective. Therefore, I am deeply indebted to the kind translators who have translated these articles into Hindi with enduring affection and great skill. My humble thanks to the kind Hindi-speaking readers who will read this book, whose insights will help these pages flourish. Sitaanshu Yashaschandra (from the preface) In our tradition, prose has been considered the yardstick of poets. As part of the Raza Book Series, we are presenting a series of translations of prose by currently active Indian poets. In this series, a collection of prose by the eminent Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh has already been published in two volumes. Now, a Hindi translation of the prose of the Gujarati poet Sitaanshu Yashaschandra is presented in two volumes. Readers will find Sitanshus poetic thought expansive in his prosehe explores tradition, modernity, various aspects of literature, and even some localities with sharp and fresh thought. We are confident that this prose will add something new to our critique of Hindi. Ashok Vajpayee.