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V.B.Tharakeswar 103NOTES1. A note on the term ‘pre-colonial’: I am using the term ‘precolonial’as a time marker to periodize translation practices inIndia. Certain objections could be raised against such aperiodization as it would privilege the moment of colonialintervention on our translation practices and also look at ourpast from that coloured angle. The term ‘pre-modern’ can alsobe used, as the dawn of modernity coincides with colonialismin India. It would undoubtedly be better to periodize Indiantranslation practices based on the characteristics that can bediscerned during a particular period than to put them togetheras ‘pre-colonial period’. But in the absence of studies thatcharacterize the translation practices, I am using the term justas a period marker without implying any ideological stance.The term was used by other scholars who have worked on thenotions of translation during pre-colonial days and I haveargued elsewhere that employing such binaries would not takeus too far (Tharakeshwar 2005).2. Kaviraj seems to be using emerging vernacular literatures ofthe medieval period and Bhakthi literature interchangeablyhere.3. ‘Medieval’ is the term used in the discipline of history. Indianhistory is divided into three phases, 1. Ancient period 2.Medieval period and 3. Modern period. In my analysis I havenot used the word ‘medieval’. Instead I have put both ancientas well as medieval together and called it ‘pre-colonial’emphasizing the colonial intervention, as stated earlier.Although I am looking at the period from 10 th centuryonwards, which is designated as the medieval period inhistorical studies, I would be keeping in the background thekind of textual production that happened in what we today call