KARACHI: The role of translations in Urdu literature came under discussion at the Irteqa Literary Forum, on Sunday.
Three recent publications — Khushbu Gulabon Ki by Jamal Naqvi, Omar Khayyam Aur Doosri Kahaniyan by Ali Haider Malik and Mashriq-o-Maghrib Kay Afsanay by Humra Khaleeque were brought under review, and their literary contents focused on.
Mr Naqvi, compering the meeting, introduced the subject and presented a brief essay on translations past and present.
Next, Rauf Niazi read out his paper on Khushbu Gulabon Ki, a collection of verses by Jamal Naqvi, translated from the English language.
A. Khayyam’s paper enlightened the audience on the literary merit of Ali Haider Malik, who had translated around twelve stories from different foreign and national languages into Urdu compiled under the title of Omar Khayyam Aur Doosri Kahaniyan.
Anwer Ahsen Siddiqui’s paper on Humra Khaleeque’s compilation was more comprehensive, who had traced the origin of translations from the remote past, it being linked with creative writing.
Punjtanter, to him, was the first-known storybook originally written in Sanskrit, later translated into Persian and then from Persian into Arabic. And when the Persian version was lost due to neglect, it was again translated from Arabic into Persian and reprinted under the title of Kalela-vo-Damna. That and Alif Laila became popular the world over because of translations into different languages.
Shabnam Siddiqui gave a general talk on the merit of different translations with special reference to Rubaiyat-i-Omer Khayyam in English. He also referred to the epic drama Shakuntla, translated by Shanul Haq Haqqi and perhaps a part of it by Saqib Razmi, done with equal eloquence.
But Mr Siddiqui had not read any of the three books meant for that day’s discussion. So was Sadiq Madhosh — eloquent in his discourse without going into the merits of any of the three books.
Noted writer and poet, Afaq Siddiqui, surveyed the translations done in Sindhi from Urdu and vice versa, and referred to his own efforts in this regard. Among others who briefly commented on the role of translations, thus widening the area of culture and literature, included Prof Hasan Abid, Wahid Bashir and also Rafique Naqsh, who eulogized the Urdu translation of the classical novel War and Peace by Shahid Hameed.
Mr Hameed had made an effort, though partly successful, to learn Russian language in order to translate Dostoresky’s masterpiece from the original text. He studied Russian culture and society for the purpose. A translation, he said, should be true to the original text, but it must also carry the climate and ruggedness of the land to which it belongs.
Ahmad Saghir Siddiqui found the whole exercise of little worth because according to him “a translation can only be judged when the original text is placed side-by-side”.—Hasan Abidi
