Aryan Thakur worked for over a month and a half, consistently, to translate the Malayalam short story to Hindi.

Aryan Thakur, born and raised in Kerala by his parents Sanoj Kumar Thakur and Dimple Devi––who moved to Kochi from Bihar’s Rohtas district 12 years ago––is fluent in Malayalam. A Class 8 student at the St Albert’s High School, Kochi, Thakur recently translated a Malayalam short story to Hindi. The 19-page book titled Pyaj Karhi Aur Nau Ki Pahaada was released on Thursday, July 11, at a dedicated event at Sree Rudra Vilasam UP School, Kochi, where Thakur studied till Class 7.

Priya, who launched the booklet at the event, said, “This makes me more happy than receiving awards. I am reminded of how I translated William Wordsworth’s The Solitary Reaper to Malayalam as a kid.”

Thakur, a studious boy, was chosen by teachers for the initiative. Under the guidance of Jyoti Bala, his Hindi teacher, Thakur started working on the translation, and he did that consistently for over a month and a half. Bala noted how he made time for this every evening.