The Da Vinci Code is translated in Malayalam, alarms churches

Thiruvananthapuram – International bestseller, Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code has been translated in Malayalam, leaving churches with the feeling of the need of more than prayers to tide over the development.

Despite the election heat, the Malayalam translation of the book – first in an Indian language and 38th the world over – has become a subject of a scorching public debate and the first edition of 10,000 copies has almost sold off in a pre–publication offer.

It took two Delhi–based journalists – Jomi Thomas and R. Gopikrishnan of Malayala Manorama and Mangalam, respectively – nearly 18 months of rigour and tedium to translate what is the world's best–selling book of all times. The novel is being published by DC books, the market leader in Kerala. It publicly hit the shelves on May 5.

The theme of the novel, which deals with Jesus's alleged liaisons with Mary Magdalene, may well catch the attention of Kerala’s predominant Christian population, but the issue of female worship is not so shocking for the state. "Kerala has a prolific culture of goddess worship in temples," pointed out Thomas. "In the West, it was something believers found really enigmatic," he said.

Besides, some sections of the book were beyond translation. Take the coded couplets, " Draconian Devil, Oh Lame Saint." "One cannot find an equivalent in Malayalam and then decode it to mean the same," said Gopikrishnan.

Opus Die, the Catholic secret society around which the thriller unfolds, is rumoured to have a foothold in Kerala. Though no one owns up publicly, corporal punishment has been practiced widely by the state's Catholics – sleeping on nails with piercing waist bands and so on – which is similar to what the central character does.

The depiction of Jesus in fiction has been a constant irritant for the church in Kerala, but this time the Catholic church, unlike on earlier occasions, is not likely to demand a ban on the book. "The book has been in circulation around the world. The church will only reiterate that it is a mere work of fiction," affirmed Fr. Babu Joseph, spokesperson of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI).

by Verghese K. George