Hyphen arrives with the vision and conviction to carry the voices of India's many languages across borders, to reveal their brilliance, and to connect them with readers everywhere.

India's literatures are vast, varied, and dazzling, yet so much of this wealth remains unseen beyond linguistic borders. Only a few voices have found their way into English, and the decline in translations between Indian languages has narrowed the exchange even within the country. An initiative of Bahuvachana Trust, Hyphen, is founded by Vivek Shanbhag. With Deepa Ganesh as Editor-in-Chief, it sets out to bridge these gaps with the support of writers and translators across Indian languages.

At its heart, Hyphen is a constellation of three landmark ventures. Together, these initiatives form a living ecosystem — one that nurtures translators, supports writers, and opens new possibilities for publishing. Hyphen is not merely a project but a cultural movement, dedicated to carrying India's multilingual heritage to the world stage.

Hyphen: Connecting Literatures - A literary journal in English, in print and digital formats, presenting the finest translations and revealing the depth, diversity and genius of writing in Indian languages.

The varied ways of life, practices and worldviews that shape the very fabric of India have been sustained through its many languages. Hyphen brings these stories and lived experiences to the English-speaking world through fiction, poetry, photo essays and literary conversations drawn from India's diverse linguistic traditions. Through its continuing series of issues, Hyphen seeks to offer readers a deeper encounter with India through the many voices of its languages.

One section of each issue focuses on a particular literary culture. The inaugural issue spotlights Marathi. Published in English, the journal is a 272-page, royal-size, full-colour publication, with each issue carrying a separate ISBN, making it a collectible literary volume rather than a conventional magazine. A single issue is priced at ₹799, while an annual subscription, comprising two issues, is available at ₹1,299.

The Hyphen Digital Platform — an online space for translation resources, a curated bookshop, fellowships, seminars, book clubs, publisher forums and mentorship programmes.
Hyphen Publications — a publishing programme dedicated to bringing landmark works from Indian languages into English.

Together, these initiatives seek to strengthen literary exchange across Indian languages while introducing Indian writing to readers around the world.

An initiative of Bahuvachana Trust, Hyphen is supported by an advisory board comprising distinguished writers, translators and literary figures, including Geetanjali Shree, Perumal Murugan, Namita Gokhale, K. R. Meera, Christopher Merrill, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar and Sudhir Sitapati.

Speaking about the initiative, Perumal Murugan says:

"India's true essence, reflected in its varied landscapes and languages, finds its voice in the literature of its people. The time has come to share these voices with the world. Hyphen has taken up this task with vision, and I believe this pioneering work will bear lasting fruit."

Namita Gokhale describes Hyphen as:

"A triumph for Indian literary diversity, connecting readers to voices that have long awaited translation."

Christopher Merrill calls it:

"A project that will not only broaden the reach of important writers but will invigorate world literature itself."

Hyphen believes that translation is more than the movement of words between languages. It is a way of carrying memory, imagination, humour, history and lived experience across linguistic boundaries, enabling readers to encounter the many literary worlds that coexist within India.

The inaugural issue of Hyphen will be available in print from July 26, 2026 through independent bookstores across India and through the Hyphen website. It is also available for pre-order on the website from July 22, 2026. The launch of the journal is at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur, 11 a.m. The guests are Namita Gokhale, Ranjit Hoskote and Geethanjali Shree.

As Featured In

As Featured In

Press Releases

Translating the Literatures of India for the World

Media Contact

Press Releases

Translating the Literatures of India for the World

Media Contact