From the Editor–in–Charge
01/01/1970
I have the pleasure to introduce to you the first issue of the online magazine „Literary Svetilnik“, completed by the professors and students at the Indology Department of the University of Sofia „St. Kliment Ohridski“, who have been contributing for years to the realization of the „meeting“ of the cultures of India and Bulgaria and to the popularization of Ancient and Modern India in Bulgaria.
The main purpose of the team, working on this project, was to present to Bulgarian readers the youngest generation of Indian writers, who publish their works mostly in the online literary magazines as „Pratilipi“ for example. Our choice has been motivated by the increasing significance of the online literary magazines, which began to determine the basic tendencies in contemporary literature all over the world, including India. Focusing on short stories and poetry published after year 2000, we compiled as the main section of the current magazine the one entitled Indian Literature on the Threshold of the XXI-st Century: from Online Literary Magazines. It includes translations from Hindi and English into Bulgarian. The chosen authors impressed us with their modern vision about literature, with their original style and the ability to express the finest vibrations of human soul. This section is preceded by another, entitled Indian Poetry from the Depths of the Centuries. It introduces hymns from the ancient Vedas (Rigveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda) and a Chapter of Bhagavadgita, translated from Sanskrit into Bulgarian. The tradition, as we know, is the foundation not only of the presence but also of the future of every civilization. The Indian culture and literature are one of the best examples for the creative potential of the synthesis between tradition and modernity. This attitude to the tradition and to its importance for the development of Indian literature motivated us to open this issue of „Literary Svetilnik“ with some masterpieces of ancient Indian literature and to entitle it Indian Literature between the Classics and the Experiment. Concluding my brief preface, I would like to express the gratitude of the team, realized this project, to the „Friends of India“ Club for the brilliant idea to launch an edition of „Svetilnik“ magazine dedicated to Indian literature. We are very thankful to the Embassy of India in Sofia and especially to H.E. Divyabh Manchanda, for the moral and financial support.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milena Bratoeva