Maung Than Swe (Thawwe) - The Search for a Great Goddess

Meeting with Saya Maung Than Swe ( Dawei ) about the search for the Maha Devi and informing the readers 

Q: What year did you start writing the book?

A: I brought two books. The Resignn King of Indian and this book. The teacher asked me to write this, so I translated the book. I started writing in the journal the year I arrived.

Q: So that's 2012-2013, sir.

A: Yes. It was the year I started writing for the journal.

Q: And please tell me the purpose of translating this book, because writing is not done for money, not for duty, but for feeling something or for a purpose. Writing is not done because someone gives it to you, like a job. If you write because of duty, the book will not be good. The teacher must have some feeling or purpose.

 

A: Oh, this is how it is. Aunty Inge Thibaw Sawbwa Maha Devi, who wrote this book, is like this with me. Sawbwa

Q: There was no plan to publish this book when it was under censorship.

A: Yes. If I were to translate, I wouldn't be allowed to publish it. I wrote bad things about the previous revolutionary government. But I don't respond to what he wrote, as much as he wrote. He's the one I hate. No matter what I say, it's my government, so I have to respect it, so I don't respond to what he wrote. But I know that when it comes to translating, it's the same as what was written. I can't write it without changing the original. But in some places, I have reduced it. I translated it. I didn't edit it.

Q: Since this book is based on facts, it should be called a book that combines both science and philosophy.

A: He didn't write this book as a biography. He wrote it in a fictional style. So when I translated it, I followed that style and returned it.

May - It's a book.

Answer: Yes.

Q: And what if I translated a book like this into a concise and concise form? It would take me a long time to get back to you.

A: I am detail-oriented. I don’t cut corners. We studied translation with Mr. Abha Thaung at university, so when we studied translation, he didn’t encourage us to use his big dictionary to translate everything. He encouraged us to read the original and rewrite it as we understood it. He didn’t encourage us to translate word by word with a big dictionary.

Another thing is that if he translates, he will only return the entire book. He does not encourage you to return only the parts you want. I thought about returning to Glass Palace before. I thought about returning to Glass Palace later, and Aung San Suu Kyi and others. Aung San Suu Kyi would not have allowed me to return at that time. That is why I did not return to Glass Palace. As for this book, the government had changed when I translated it. It is now in the hands of the current government. The media freedom has been restored to its rightful place, so I returned.

Q: So the book is also a religious book. You can also read and study it as a translation, sir.

A: I don't know if the person who translated this book is Ko Aung Khaing.

I forgot. He translated. And I also read the translation of Pyay (Say-1). But Thibaw Ko Lat did not translate. I wrote about the book and the Thibaw region where this book was created, and the photos. Thibaw Ko Lat did not translate. I used the Thibaw pictures in this book. The other two, Ko Aung Khaing and Pyay (Say-1), translated. I forgot that I said Ko Aung Khaing.

Q: You must have had your own observations to write this book, sir.

Answer: When you translate a book, you can open it and translate it. But I myself am from the Thibaw Sawbwa family. My family and the Thibaw Sawbwa family have been related since the time of Daw Saw Mya Ae Kyi, so I am also interested in this family, so when I translated this book, I took the history of the Thibaw Sawbwa generation. I can translate this history by putting it aside. I have to write it like that. Why do I have to take (background) history? Because Maha Devi, who wrote this letter, is also a foreigner, so she cannot know that much. That is why I wrote it like that.

Q: How do their relatives react to the teacher's translation now?

A: Now he is my friend. He is the same as the Thibaw Sawbwa Sapkyar Saeng. Since we were children, he used to ask me when his daughter would finish school. When I went to Taunggyi in July, I stayed at their house. I didn't even stay at the government-planned place. They asked me all night. They wanted to know.

They know me because of my translation, both domestically and internationally, and because of this book abroad. There are many people who come to Thibaw to see the Ho Po and the modern Ho after reading my translation. Tourists. My friend's wife is there. My friend lives in Taunggyi.

His wife is a tourist guide there. That's why my friend said that our family is busy because of this.

Q: Are the descendants of Mahadevi still here?

Answer: No. Mahadevi and I have two daughters. We took her daughters with us. Now the daughters are also married. Mahadevi also remarried.

Now, my friend, the nephew of the late King Thibaw, and his wife, the late King Mong Yang, and their daughter. The reason I didn't write a comment in this book is that the last 4 paragraphs of the translation are my comments. The last 4 paragraphs are comments. The introduction is the Foreword.

As far as I know, they lived in the Adai Lam house in Yangon. They rented two houses in the same compound. I even took pictures. They asked me what I was doing. I said that Taunggyi, my friend, came to take pictures because he wanted to.

Once, it was very sad. My friend was getting married. His father, Sao Kyar Phon, was also arrested. Sao Kyar Phon's son and Mai Yang Zaw Bwa's daughter, Mai Yang Zaw Bwa, were also arrested. They were taken out. They only knew that it was a son's wedding and a daughter's wedding. I don't know who my son is with and who my daughter is with. When they got here, they called me your son and my daughter. How sad!

There was a lot of beetroot soup. It was a Shan-style soup. The two chieftains were in tears. And I ordered some rice dumplings because my friend had asked me to. I ordered 60 people, which was too much. But each chieftain had about 20 guards behind him. It wasn’t enough, but they were still serving rice dumplings. I had to run around Yangon to buy some. Even the group they came with wasn’t enough for me. Don’t mention the guests.

Another time, their reception was held at the String Hotel. They told me. They would ask U Thu Kha to give the welcome speech. When I went to tell them, U Thu Kha would say it. There weren't many guests at the String Hotel. The chiefs of both sides were arrested, so they didn't come because they were afraid. It was really very quiet.

U Thu Kha said. That's what worldly life is. People didn't come. But Thu Kha said a good word. They were related, and Saw Kyar Phon Saw Kyar Seng's grandfather, Saw Chel, was married to Daw Saw Mya Ae Kyi. It's not about art.