Paper short abstract:

The paper discusses a 19th century Marathi text that allegedly translates a Bengali narrative describing a Hindu Brahmin woman’s conversion to Christianity. The text seeks to produce a social category of modern and emancipated women, who can serve as an experiential blueprint for Indian women.

Paper long abstract:

A noted Brahmin Christian convert from 19th century Pune, Rev. Sheshadri, produced a text in the year 1868 that he termed as a translation of the narrative of "Bala Sundarabai Thakur" (English version: Bala Sundree Tagore) from Bengali into Marathi. Strictly speaking, the text cannot be viewed only as a translation, since it is replete with explanatory para-texts, exhortations made to Marathi Hindu women to reform their ways and step out of their religious morass to follow in the footsteps of Sundarabai, and additional comments observing the remarkability of Sundarabai's steadfast love for Jesus Christ that even surpassed devotion to her husband. Sheshadri wrote the text with the alleged aim of unifying Indian women and their journey towards a singular path of modernity. Sheshadri noted how the recent possibilities to gain western education had led to the potential of women's emancipation, which in his view had provided women far better opportunities than were available to Sundarabai, who had paradoxically performed better. He expressed greater hope that modern women would relinquish their superstitious ways, unify against Hindu traditions, convert their religion from Hinduism to Christianity and tread in the experiential blueprint provided by upper caste stalwart women such as Sundarabai (who shouldered the responsibility of maintaining social status-quo as Brahmin women) in order to strive ahead towards a common and unified path of women's modernity in India. Sheshadri's text therefore exemplifies the deployment of translation as an act of exerting social status, political authority and agency in the religious arena.