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May 25, 2003
Children's Book Review: Return to Hogwarts
IN this day and age everything is manipulated, so if you want a bestseller or a hit movie, create enough hype to achieve the goal. But the important ingredient is the story, without which publicity would fall flat on its face. Thus Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone became a success overnight as a novel and as a film with publicity, luck and talent playing their roles jointly.
The hoopla created by the media in the west reached this part of the world and soon the first book in this series was translated into Urdu by Oxford University Press for those many youngsters who feel more comfortable with Urdu. It was an instant success. The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, is out in the market by the name Harry Potter aur Raazon ka Kamra, published by the OUP and translated by the same writer, Darkhshanda Asghar Khokar.
Harry is back at the Dursleys’ residence in the summer vacations after having completed a very exciting year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Although he is just as unwelcome as he was in the past, the Dursleys are subdued fearing that Harry would harm them with his new-found knowledge of magic. But they soon learn that he is not allowed to practice magic in the vacations due to an incident which involves an elf, Dobby, who has come to warn him that he should not go to Hogwarts the next year as he would be in danger.
Harry, who has been locked in his room as punishment for misbehaving, is rescued by his friend Ron and his brothers who take him away in a flying car to their home where he spends the rest of the vacations blissfully with the Weasley family.
Returning to Hogwarts, strange things start happening which sends a ripple of fear amongst the students. The rumours are that the door to the Chamber of Secrets has been opened by somebody and a dangerous, “evil thing” has been let out. Students who have Muggle (non-magical humans) parents are being turned into statues and many believe Draco Malfoy, another student, is responsible as he hates Muggles. In between Quidditch (a game similar to rugby), dangerous adventures and baffling situations, the three friends Harry, Ron and Hermione try to solve the mystery which is becoming more and more sinister.
Surprisingly Raazon ka Kamra is not as compellingly interesting as the first book Paras Pathar. The translation leaves a bit to be desired as in some places there are literal translations which seem out of place in Urdu, an example being “with love” in a letter becomes muhabbat kay saath, homework becomes ghar ka kaam, pipes become naalian. This baffles the reader as he is thrown off track momentarily. The composition is incongruous in places. Woh kiya kar raheen theen? changes to woh bula rahi thi a few pages later. The translator obviously lacks control over the language or has been careless. Darkhshanda Khokar has not risen to the occasion as she did in the first book.
Nevertheless, with all its little hiccups, the story is interesting enough for the reader to continue reading the book right to the end.
Harry Potter aur Raazon Ka Kamra (Urdu translation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
By Darkhshanda Asghar Khokar
Oxford University Press, Plot # 38, Sector 15, Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi. Tel: 111-693-673
Email: ouppak@theoffice.net Website:
www.oup.com.pk
ISBN 0-19-579709-4.
295pp. Rs275
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