Translating Silence: Ashish Avikunthak’s Cinematographic Version of Come and Go
In: Beckett’s Voices / Voicing BeckettPurchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Abstract
In Proust, Samuel Beckett writes, ‘There is no communication because there are no vehicles of communication’ (Beckett, 2006a, 539). And yet, Beckett’s oeuvre has travelled not only in Europe but also across continents, perhaps not so much because of the words he has left behind as because of the underlying silence in between the words. This chapter considers Beckett as a figure of world literature, and, as a case study, it examines an Indian cinematographic adaptation and translation of his dramaticule Come and Go, entitled Antaral (Endnote). The cinematographer Ashish Avikunthak recreates the moments of silence in an Indian context in this short film where he also relocates the trialogue translated into Hindi, adding Bengali nursery rhymes. Using concepts that are central to the Cinema of Prayōga, Avikunthak mirrors reflections on time, memory, and habit addressed in Beckett’s Proust and dramatised in the play. Repetition and camera techniques are employed to explore the lives of the three female characters, while also delving into the darkness and the absurd that surround Beckett’s stage. As conclusion, the paper asserts that the translation, adaptation, and recreation of Beckett’s works give them a new meaning and significance in the world, and are crucial to Beckettian scholarship.