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Urdu translation of book on Putin launched

Urdu translation of book on Putin launched

The book, a collection of six interviews with Putin, is to help bring the people of Pakistan and Russia closer.
27 Mar, 2017

“Who is Putin? Perhaps the best person to answer this would be the president of the Russian Federation himself. And that is exactly what he does in the book,” said Dr Najam ul Sahar Butt, the Urdu translator of First Person, an Astonishingly Frank, Self-Portrait by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a collection of interviews by N. Gevorkyan, N. Timakova and A. Kolesnikov. The Urdu version of the book is titled Mard-i-Ahan.

The launch of the book organised by the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Karachi and the Association of Pakistani Graduates from Russia & CIS at Friendship House here on Saturday was well attended.

Having studied in Moscow, the translator, who also happens to be a medical doctor running a hospital in Lahore, said that he could understand the language quite well, which had helped him translate several Russian books into Urdu. “I no longer reach for the dictionary to look up the meaning of difficult words, too,” he said.

About the subject of the book, President Putin, he said he came from a poor background like Abraham Lincoln of the United States. “Putin’s grandfather was a cook. His father was a soldier in World War II when he got injured and lost a leg. Later, he found work in a factory. His mother also did menial jobs. Putin is very proud of his parents. He says he never imagined he’d end up as a politician,” he said.

“There are so many misconceptions about Russia. Having studied there, I myself am seen as being brainwashed by the Russians. But the truth is that I studied there, worked there, which provided me with a great opportunity to observe the people there up close. The translation also captures the culture and way of life of the Russian people,” he said.

“I am glad to see Pakistan and Russia come close enough to be holding military exercises together as we have recently seen,” he said.

Well-known writer and columnist Zaheda Hina said that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) was a superpower once but its breaking up make Russia look weak. “That was when Putin arrived on the scene to help the people of Russia find their lost pride. He can be rather stubborn when it comes to getting things done. He believes in rebuilding and strengthening of institutions such as health and education. He is the architect of modern Russia,” she said.

Oleg N. Avdeev, the consul general of Russian Federation, who was also present on the occasion, said that he was happy to see the book translated into Urdu. “It is a collection of six interviews with President Putin, which brings out his persona. Hopefully, it will promote better understanding about the Russian people and help bring the people of our countries closer,” he said.

Yury Zozulya, director of Russian Centre for Science and Culture, Friendship House, and Dr Zahid Hasan, chairman of the Association of Pakistani Graduates from Russia & CIS, also spoke.


Originally published in Dawn, March 27th, 2017

Comments

tmk Mar 27, 2017 09:59am
Good attempt. We should further enhance the business and cultural relationship with Russia.
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Musleh Uddin Ahmad Mar 27, 2017 10:03am
This article could have been more informative and helpful if it had included some excerpt, from the book, related to significant events since Mr. Putin took over. Moreover, there is no information about publisher, availability and price. Thanks for flimsy and cursory coverage.
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Syed Mar 27, 2017 10:21am
I have read the original book in English. This is one of the few books on Putin that doesn't portray Putin as evil, the Western stereotype.
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S.M.Shabbir Mar 27, 2017 10:38am
It will help in understanding the personality of leader of a great country .
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Abdulla Hussain Mar 27, 2017 11:36am
Good to know about Putin. the world order is fast changing.
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usama awan Mar 27, 2017 11:37am
is it availble in english version ??
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Pakistani Mar 27, 2017 02:23pm
we must have very strong relations with our immediate neighbours....
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naji Mar 27, 2017 02:24pm
Nice to see a book on a strong man who can face and make eye contact with some strong power in the current world. I will read this book definitely.
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Pakistani Mar 27, 2017 02:27pm
Putin is a great patriot, we should learn from his profile.
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Tariq, Lahore Mar 27, 2017 02:34pm
The world has become a 'village community' with all information at ones fingertips, no need for 'paper books' to learn who is who!
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IMTIAZ ALI KHAN Mar 27, 2017 02:53pm
Always praying for friendship between nations. Russia the beautiful land of Tchaikovsky.
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M. Emad Mar 27, 2017 03:10pm
Urdu and Russian translations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's book ('The Unfinished Memoirs') launched.
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usama awan Mar 27, 2017 03:42pm
@Syed please mention the author and the book name in english ??
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Citizen Mar 27, 2017 06:05pm
Let us put sometime to know our selves also and what we are delivering to ourselves, family and society.
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Hasnain Mar 27, 2017 07:53pm
@Syed if you have the pdf version do mail me at dilawar@ucp.edu.pk
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syed zain Mar 27, 2017 10:33pm
@S.M.Shabbir It will be help......
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Sameer Mar 28, 2017 12:20pm
Good initiative by an indvidual...while corrupt snore.
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Taimoor khan Mar 28, 2017 04:34pm
@M. Emad No one is interested in reading about Mujibur Rahman.
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