This unique set of nine books showcases the beauty of India's regional literature archive

The Nine Jewels A Box Set is the latest offering from Murty Classical Library of India published by Harvard University Press Sharmila Sen editorial director of Special Initiatives at Harvard University Press which publishes the Murty Classics series reveals that the collection spans nearly 2000 years and showcases Indiarsquos extensive often untapped regional language archive Readers can pore over writings by the first Buddhist theris senior nuns as well as soak in the magic of Mir Taqi Mirrsquos ghazals These commissioned translations are encased in an Indian motif design box and are perfect for gifting or to elevate your home libraryExcerpts from the interviewWhat was the driving force behind putting together this eclectic box set Also why nine titlesThere are many gems in the Murty Classical Library series but we thought it would be an interesting idea to introduce the list by putting together the nine paperback editions published in the series so far in a beautiful box Since wersquore talking about classical literature this is our version of the Navaratna mdash hence the name The Nine Jewels The box set is ideal for readers looking to grow their personal collection and we hope it will also make for an excellent gift to bookloversThis set individually and as a collection represents the breadth and depth of Indiarsquos literary landscape as well as its multiculturalism and rich cultural diversityThis is exactly what we aimed to show with this box set Consider it a relatively inexpensive and accessible armchair journey across the entire Subcontinent without hitting the road or procuring passports and visas This is a sampling and not an exhaustive collection of all the literary traditions of India It is a starting point hopefully of a lifelong journey of discovering new classic worksWhich of these titles offered the biggest challenge to be translatedThat is a difficult question to answer because the challenges inherent in each text are not commensurate I will invite the readers to guess the answer Here is a tip The translation that seems most simple where the target language English doesnrsquot call any more attention to itself than the original source language does is usually the one that has been most rigorously crafted It takes a lot of effort to make things seem effortless in all aspects of life and especially in writing What will be the biggest takeaway for the discerning reader mdash the meaningmaking so to speakWe might know much more about our distant friends than our nextdoor neighbours or even those who live under our own roof The ldquodiscerningrdquo reader might be more familiar with great fiction written by English Irish French German Italian Russian American Colombian and Korean novelists But we might not yet have discovered literary gems from the Indian state or the district next door or even in our own mother tongueThere is a famous Tagore poem many Bengalis will recognise ldquoDekha hoi nai chokhhu meliaghor hotey shudhu dui pheliaekti dhaner shisher uporey ekti shishirbindurdquo Translation While I have travelled the world I have not really opened my eyes and seen two feet away from my home on a single blade of grass the single dewdrop This set represents to me nine dewdrops on nine blades of grass outside our homeWhat is the aim of the Murty Classical LibraryKeep reading classic Indian works in translation keep discovering the shishirbindu dewdrop on the dhaner shish blade of grass The box set is a gentle invitation to a deeper dive into those bilingual editions Though this is a translation series we offer bilingual editions because we are equally committed to original languages and their beautiful writing systemsAvailable Leading bookstores and estoresBiharilal He Spoke of Love Selected Poems from the Satsai Translated by Rupert SnellBullhe Shah Sufi Lyrics Selections from a World Classic Translated by Christopher ShackleGuru Nanak Poems from the Sikh Sacred Tradition Translated by NikkyGuninder Kaur SinghMir Taqi Mir Ghazals Translated by Shamsur Rahman FaruqiNandi Timmana Theft of a Tree A Tale by the Court Poet of the Vijayanagara Empire Translated by Harshita Mruthinti Kamath and Velcheru Narayana RaoPoems of the First Buddhist Women A Translation of the Therigatha Translated by Charles HalliseyShah Abdul Latif The Risalo of Shah Abdul Latif Sufi Poetry from Sindh Translated by Christopher ShackleSurdas Surrsquos Ocean Classic Hindi Poetry in Translation Translated by John Stratton HawleyTulsidas The Sea of Separation A Translation from the Ramayana of Tulsidas Translated by Philip Lutgendorf