Penguin Random House India (PRHI) announced on Monday the forthcoming release of the first complete English translation of “Kamba Ramayanam,” the Tamil version of the Ramayana penned by 12th-century poet Kampan. This monumental project, which involves a team of six distinguished scholars and translators, is slated for publication between 2028 and 2030.
“Kamba Ramayanam” is renowned as the pinnacle of Tamil literary tradition, celebrated for its innovative language, the psychological depth of its characters, and its profound exploration of themes such as power, truth, and divinity. The epic poem, composed of 42,000 lines of verse, will be presented in seven volumes, with an introductory volume. The volumes are titled: “Volume 1: Bala,” “Volume 2: Ayodhya,” “Volume 3: Aranya,” “Volume 4: Kishkindha,” “Volume 5: Sundara,” and “Volumes 6 and 7: Yuddha Part 1 and 2.”
The translation project is being led by a team of esteemed scholars, including Shiv Subramaniam from Emory University, Professor David Shulman from Hebrew University, Professor Whitney Cox from the University of Chicago, independent scholar Jennifer Clare, Professor Archana Venkatesan from UC Davis, and Aniruddhan Vasudevan from Princeton University.
Professors Venkatesan and Shulman, who also serve as volume editors and authors of the introductory volume, expressed their excitement: “Kampan’s Tamil Ramayana, composed in 10,000 verses, is a remarkable achievement that captures the essence of an entire civilization—its landscapes, people, values, and profound emotions. We are thrilled that Penguin will be publishing the first complete, fully annotated English translation of this literary masterpiece.”
The influence of Kampan’s Ramayana extends well beyond Tamil Nadu, impacting literary traditions across Kerala, parts of the Indian peninsula, and even Southeast Asia. Despite its significant influence, a comprehensive English translation has been long-awaited due to the epic’s vast length.
Rea Mukherjee, Commissioning Editor at PRHI, highlighted the importance of the project: “This translation aims to convey the sensibility, spirit, and beauty of Kampan’s epic to both general and specialist readers. I am excited to work with this distinguished team of scholars and to see this remarkable work reach readers soon.”
