Umesh Kumar teaches English and Translation Studies at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), where he has been on the faculty since 2015. An early-career academic and emerging literary translator, his work focuses on modern Hindi and Marathi literature. He translates in both directions between Hindi-English and Marathi-English, working to expand the reach of regional literatures.

 

He received his education and training from leading institutions in India and abroad, including the University of Pune, the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Ahmedabad University, the University of East Anglia (UK), and the NIDA School of Translation Studies in Italy. In 2019–20, he was awarded the British Council’s Charles Wallace Visiting Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh. Beginning in November 2025, he will return to Edinburgh as a Visiting Scholar at the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures for a full academic year under BHU’s Global Exchange for Faculty Programme.

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Over the past six years, Umesh has actively contributed to the growing visibility of Hindi and Marathi literature in English. His translations and critical essays have appeared in Translation Today, Contemporary Voice of Dalit (Sage), The Book Review, Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi), The Hindu, and with publishers such as Routledge, Sage, and Vani Prakashan.

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A committed and much-revered teacher, Umesh is known among his students for his clarity, care, and infectious passion for the classroom. He believes deeply in its transformative potential and encourages learners to explore the rich intersections of language, literature, and translation.

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Outside academia, he finds joy in caring for plants—a quiet, grounding habit that has accompanied him for years. He is also the co-founder of The Neem, a literary and cultural society based in Varanasi.