Caesar, Mata Hari, and Mirza

anNy:

“ref: altaf fatima, who`re the publishers? here only oup, alhamra and liberty kee books are freely available..rest, non mainstream books kae liyae you have to depend on thaelas and sunday bazaar, especially pakistani writings in english..have u any nice book places where u get iss tarah kee kitabain in lahore?”

……the book’s part of an asian writers series bought for me by a friend from england…..the publishers are heinemann….there are a few good second hand book shops, and stalls in lhr…but pakistani writings in eng. are sadly hard to come by….

…sad news for those interested in urdu literature...three more bite the dust…baksh lyallpuri, akhtar amaan and sehba lucknawi
read raaftaagaaN by amjad islam smjad in urdu at

http://www.jang.net/editorial/index1.cfm?ed_fullpath=http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/apr2002-daily/03-04-2002/editorial/index.html&top_fullpath=http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/apr2002-daily/03-04-2002/top.htm&cont_fullpath=http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/apr2002-daily/03-04-2002/cont.htm

afrasiyab #41:

...welcome back!...kahaaN haiN aap?..still living out of suitcases;)...write...can put you in touch with yusufi (no guarantee that he would see you though)and many other useful folks time permitting...ttemporal@lycos.com...

rgds,

t

Actually I read it in Urdu. I have a small collection of

his stories and I thought Subhan Bhagat stood out.

I will try and find out, if I can, what year was this

story written in and/or when it was published. I

also read another book that was translated in Urdu

from Hindi about PC written by his second wife. I

think the book is called ``Prem Chand ghar mein``<

BR>

It really is a very good book and is not written in the

usual biographical manner. Instead, she just

recounts stuff that happenned and that she

remembers. Almost in the way children are told

stories about their elders. Also it is written entirely

from her perspective and Prem Chand was not a

part of that writing. I was surprised to find out that

she was an author in her own right and had written

a few very good stories. I wish I could get my

hands on them. Inshallah, will look for them if I

can, when I go back to Pakistan this summer.<

BR>

Speaking of going back, I was also hoping to find

out if anyone knows a way for me to get in touch

with Mushtaq Y. I was interested in finding out if he

still lives in Karachi and what is it that he is doing

these days. Anyone!

Re: anNy, #38

I started working on Caesar before Sept 11. I

shelved it due to the 9/11 mess that followed. I

picked it again about a couple of months ago. It

does take a while to translate because I take my

time due to work, social obligations, watching

sitcoms, reading other books, or simply just

hanging out.

Translation requires a lot of thinking and

concentration. I`ll try not to take as much time as

before. Premchand is next on my list (as soon as I

get his books in the mail, I`ll start the translation.)

You seem very interested in Pitrus. I believe it was

in the 9th grade in Pakistan when we were

assigned to read him. The story was about dogs,

which I don`t remember at all. Other than that, I

haven`t read Pitrus. I`ll need to get his books from

somewhere first. I`ll try to make him after

Premchand. [Pitrus? Patrus? I don`t know which

spelling to stick with!]

Re: Those Who Commented on My Translation<

BR>

I translated Manto and Yusufi on my own. I feel

humbled that others are asking me to translate

great writers` work from Urdu. Thank you anNy,

Prem, Pankaj, Subroto, temporal, Urstruly, sac,

Stuka, Yasser, semipreciousme. You guys are just

great. Thank you so much for your

encouragement.

afrasiyab

In which language was this story ``Subhan Bhagat`` written. If it was Urdu, is a Hindi/English translation available anywhere?

godot:

how long to patrus translations? there was quite a gap between this one and the last one- does it take long to translate or is it that you take your time and do it?

semi:

ref: altaf fatima, who`re the publishers? here only oup, alhamra and liberty kee books are freely available..rest, non mainstream books kae liyae you have to depend on thaelas and sunday bazaar, especially pakistani writings in english..have u any nice book places where u get iss tarah kee kitabain in lahore? i got zubaida agha`s short stories at frere hall a few months back and just now saw her work in muneeza shamsies anthopolgy of pakistani writings in english and realized she was quite a celebrated writer ..muneeza shamsies `dragonfly in the sky- pakistani writings in english` by the way is a fine fiine book if you can get your hands on it..was published by oup as part of the 50 year celebrations..has excerpts from long novels, poetry, short stories, essays etc by writers of pakistani origin...you should be able to get at oxforduniv.press lahore

t:

mable or mae..LOL..that was a funny funny story..i totally loved it....would you know what the other one is called, where the poor chap is just not able to pass his exams..he tried and tries but it just doesnt happen..think he lived in a hostel?

Re: temporal, #36

No problem, t. Very sorry to hear about Anand Bakhshi passing away. He was indeed a great song writer, a legend. He wrote some excellent songs. May his soul rest in peace.

...hope you don`t mind godot if i borrow this board for a sec.?...t

_______________________________________________

Veteran lyricist, Anand Bakshi,who wrote over 4,000 songs including all time hits from several Hindi films, died on Saturday following protracted illness, family sources said.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Articleshow.asp?art_id=5391431

Re: Prem, #17

``we are underestimating Godot.``

Thank you, Prem. This puts a lot of pressure on me, however. But that`s okay. I`m used to it.

Re: Pankaj, #34

Thank you for the offer, Pankaj. I was merely joking about the cost. I collect books and have built a small library at my house, which has cost me a small fortune over the years. I don`t mind spending money on books. Premchand`s collection of stories is on its way to me. I`ll select one for translation. afrasiyab sounds very convincing of ``Subhan Bhagat``. But let me pick one.

Thank you for your e-mail address. If I run into Premchand`s phrases/expressions that are alien to me and I feel that not knowing them would take the story`s spirit away in translation, I`ll post my query to you at Chowk (maybe you can tell me now the area Premchand hails from and his ethnic background and native language.) Thanks. [By the way, I live in America.]

Re: Prem, Pankaj et al

Hey, you guys, this is Mushtaq Ahmed Yusufi`s board! If you waste all your Premchand energy on this board, what will talk about on Premchan`s board? Krishan Chandar? [Disrespect not intended.]

Godot

Dont worry about the cost of the book. If you live in Pakistan, Prem or I can send it to you as a gift. If you come across any obscure idioms while translating, you can either post you query on Chowk, or contact us. Since Banjaara comes from a region close to the area and has profound knowledge of the dialects of that area, he can help you a lot. My email is:

pankaj.singh@mailcity.com

PS Mastram also has a good knowledge of dialects besides Prem and Banjaara.

AAmir,

Thanks for those lyrics. I just love them. Now, I need to memorize the entire song...

MastRam,

My dear friend, I am truly blessed. I have attended a real, live, (no TV!) Kavi Sammelan in which Neeraj took part!

Yes! Yes! Yes!...and let me tell you, the guy has the voice and the presence to draw in his audience like the candyfloss man pulls village urchins.

Totally unforgettable experience.

Afrasiyab, MastRam, Pankaj, Banjaara, Temporal, anybody else I left out -

Geez...you guys are all PC ustaads here! Adaab Arz hai, pyaare guruvaron.

Pankaj, man...how could I have forgotten Mantra! Quite embarrassing, really. It is as if I read the story yesterday...so powerful was the original impact.

Banjaara bhaiya, tumhar batiya tau theek hai, but I kind of mentioned only some of PC`s short stories. Between you and me, I tried reading Gaban, but couldn`t make much headway. I was still very young those days (or perhaps, very stupid) when I had to give up almost all my reading in Hindi language.

Afrasiyab, again....don`t seem to have read that story! :( A little hint, please?

t, I knew just a few of those names belonging to AIPW!

About PC`s names -

As far as I can recall, PC`s original name was Dhanpat Rai but his dad (or nana, I am not sure) called him Nawab Rai; and he went by both.

Either way, I am glad he named himself after me. Good taste shows.

Prem,

If you want to get a taste of Munshi ji`s ``village in the background`` stories I would recommend ``Subhan Bhagat,`` easily the best story he wrote, me think.

Does anyone know what Mushtaq A. Yusufi is doing these days. Is he in Pakistan. Is he working on something else. I was reading Aab-e-Gum last night and I will have to tell you, I just hope he has more where that and his other work came from.

Does anyone know how to get in touch with him or write to him. He must be in his 80s if I am correct.

Banjaara and Prem

``Shatranj ke khiladi`` can easily be called one of the outstanding stories of PC. I havent come across a more powerful satire on the socio-political situation in Awadh during 1850s. Banjaara, I like the short stories of Premchand much more than his novels. The rural background, the psychological ``kashm-kash`` of his protaganists and the triumph of Gandhian ideals is the recurrent theme of his stories.

Banjaara has answered your first question of Premchand`s trivia, Prem. Let me try the others without web-searching ;-)

2. Where was the first meeting of the All India Progressive Writers` Association, Chaired by PC, held?

Where else, your hometown ;-). And his first story was published in a newspaper Zamana from from my hometown...

3. Who were some other famous members of AIPWA?

Jeez, this requires web-search. Lemme guess, Faiz?

4. Lastly, what was the name of the literary journal published by PC?

I think it was ``Hans``.

anNy:

“have you read ismat chughtai in urdu godot? there are some really nice translations of her work by tahira naqvi..eternal vine (amar bel) and aunt bichoo(phuphoe bichoo) in The Quilt and other short stories (by OUP) are really good if you can get your hands on it..”

…speaking of urdu to enlish translations, have you read altaf fatima?…..i wolfed down her ‘the one who did not ask’…..read it if you haven`t...you’ll love the protagonist…

ansari:

“Their sense of comic timing was delightful and, for me, matched only by P G Wodehouse”

…..pg wodehouse?….love him, love him, love him….

Prem # 22

Neither Pankaj nor you have mentioned about his

best novel ``Godaan``.Another wonderful novel was

``Ghaban``.Among the short stories, mention may also be made of Shatranj ke Khilari and Eid Gaah.

He also wrote a drama `` Karbala`` about the great Muslim tragedy.

I think his name was Dhanpat Rai Srivastav and not

Nawab Rai.He wrote a novel ``Soz-e-watan`` in the early part of the 20th century which was banned by the British Govt. after which he started

writing as Munshi Premchand.

He is the father of the genre `Afsana` in Urdu

literature.Before him Ratan Nath Sarshaar,Mirza

Haadi Rusva and Abdul Halim Sharar were famous for

their short novellas or novels.Only Deputy Nazeer

Ahmed tried his hand at short story writing,but

the range and output of Premchand was far greater

than any of his contemporaries.

Regards.

I remember reading Patrus (Pitrus?!) Bokhari and Shafeeq-ur-Rehman while preparing for my Urdu O`Levels. Wonderful stories. Their sense of comic timing was delightful and, for me, matched only by P G Wodehouse.

Incidentally, Shafiq-ur-Rehman was one of the arguments I was given by my parents when I told them I didn`t want to go to medical school but be a writer instead. It worked.

Aamir

Re: anNy, #18

``young man``? Why, anNy, thank you! [the teenager in me never left, by the way; at times I still behave like one!] I`d never place a monetary value to someone like you, anNy. You are priceless.

Yes, I`ve read Ismat Chughtai, and only in Urdu. But that was a long time ago. Still a teenager, I left Pakistan at the end of 1973. All my Urdu--the only language I knew at that time--reading took place until then. I read quite a bit in Urdu back then, mostly fiction, including the books I was too young to read. In the past twenty-eight years in America, I have not read books in Urdu, my two translations for Chowk being the only exceptions. I mostly read non-fiction books in English now, with some fiction, of course. Yes, anNy, Ismat is one of the writers I`d love to translate for Chowk. Stick around. Thanks for the links, by the way.

Re: temporal, #19

I don`t know any ``old timers,`` t. I live in my own little world, without dwelling too much into a lot of stuff. My life has been such that I`m both a Pakistani and an American, and yet I`m neither. Neither here nor there, yet both here and there. I`m very extravert and very introvert at the same time. I cannot explain myself to others very well. If you ever meet me, you`d know what I mean.

I`d put Patrus on my list to translate.

Prem

`` I am not able to place ``Mantra`` right now. Unless I am mistaken (is that the one about a guy constantly hoping to win a lottery?), ``

It is one of those rare instances when you made a mistake:-) Okay let me give you the hint... the old snake charmer...Dr. Chadha... kailash...Mrinalini... The snake charmer goes to Dr. Chadha`s house to request him to see his dying son while the Doc is preparing to go for golf... Kailash, Dr. Chadha`s son bitten by his own pet snake.... Okay I think you probably got it by now!

Godot

There were at least two instances in my life when I felt sad that I couldn`t read anymore of this writer `coz I have read almost all of him... One was Arthur Conan Doyle`s ``Sherlock Holmes`` and the other was Premchand`s short stories...

re Prem #22

1. Why did PC change his name from Nawab Rai to PC?

To avoid British persecution as the brits were not too pleased with Soz-E-Vatan

2. Where was the first meeting of the All India Progressive Writers`Association, Chaired by PC, held? Lucknow

3. Who were some other famous members of AIPWA?

Ali Sardar Jaffri, K A Abbas, Majrooh (I am guessing here).

4. Lastly, what was the name of the literary journal published by PC? Hans

Prem #22:

[... Who were some other famous members of AIPWA?...]

---syed sajjad zaheer, and his protege faiz ahmed faiz, zaheer`s wife...(rasheeda?) jehan...am sure of these three....can hazard a guess from the following.... kaifi azmie, ali sardar jafri, aale ahmad suroor?....krish`n chander, saadat hasan minto, ismat chughtai, rajinder singh bedi must have been too young in `35...khair...let us know...shubb b`khair...:)

...t

Pankaj,

I have read ALL of those stories (in an earlier life I suffered from a disease that led me to read anything and everything written in Hindi, that I laid my hands on). ``Doodh kaa Daam`` was beautifully written; so were ``Panch Parmeshwar`` and ``Namak ka daroga.`` I am not able to place ``Mantra`` right now. Unless I am mistaken (is that the one about a guy constantly hoping to win a lottery?), I thought that one was a bit weaker...

BTW, here is some PC trivia for all interested chowkies.

1. Why did PC change his name from Nawab Rai to PC?

2. Where was the first meeting of the All India Progressive Writers` Association, Chaired by PC, held?

3. Who were some other famous members of AIPWA?

4. Lastly, what was the name of the literary journal published by PC?

re Prem #17

You can find the lyrics of some of Neeraj`s filmi songs here.

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

anNy 18:

[… have u read the one where he lends all these books to some girl and goes half mad in some sort of a competition with her only to later find out she`s been...? (trying not to ruin for those who havent read) or was that patras bukhari? …]

---most probably that was ‘mable aur hum’ by patras…he real name was ahmed shah bukhari …also known as ‘baRRa” bukhari…while the ‘chota’ bukhari was zulfiqar ali bukhari…both the brothers were d-g of all india radio at some time…while the former...patras...was also pakistan’s first or second permanent representative at the uno…

bspnd,

t

ps: […for godot…ask around if any old timer knows where patras is buried…he died and is buried in one of the new york city cemeteries…yeah…you should also consider translating from ‘patras kay mazameen’…]

Stuka:

hi..Barae bhaisahab was sad..its the story where the intelligent younger brother plays kaancha something all the time and still comes out fine while barae bhai..etc...? We have prem chand at every level of our schooling, matric (school), inter/college (high school?) and undergrad level...therefore all of us have no choice but to read atleast 3 of his short stories, all of them beautifully written..do you have him in your syllabi? have u read the one where he lends all these books to some girl and goes half mad in some sort of a competition with her only to later find out she`s been...? (trying not to ruin for those who havent read) or was that patras bukhari? temporal pls help...i think im confusing the two

Godot

put together, we`re worth more than 20 dollars young man! :) patrus is also nice for translating, if you can find his short essays/stories

http://www.alhamra.com/

has some books etc in urdu you may translate though no prem chand

http://www.eurdubazaar.com/images/premchand/b1.html

prem chands kafan in urdu

http://www.eurdubazaar.com/pitrus.asp

selected work- pitrus

have you read ismat chughtai in urdu godot? there are some really nice translations of her work by tahira naqvi..eternal vine (amar bel) and aunt bichoo(phuphoe bichoo) in The Quilt and other short stories (by OUP) are really good if you can get your hands on it..if not, you can borrow mine when u come down in 20 years :0)

re: Pankaj # 14

True, but we are underestimating Godot. We don`t want to be naysayers, do we? :)



re: Godot # 13

Godot, if you are in Pakistan, it will be a pleasure to send you any book on Prem Chand. Treat it as a gift from a friend. Unfortunately, I can be of limited help in picking out a story for you. I have read PC only in Hindi, and have no clue which of his works is available in Urdu (assumption: you are as unfamiliar with DevaNagari script as I am with Urdu script). But I am sure others on Chowk will help us out.



re: Studebaker # 12

Woohoo, awesome, man! Do you really mean what you wrote about that song by Neeraj?!

`Coz in my (clearly, very humble) opinion that song is by far the best song ever written in the history of Indian cinema (I would say, ANY cinema in any galaxy, but for that I need to conduct some research).

I know there may be a few misguided and deprived souls who disagree, but I don`t blame them. Not everyone can understand that song.

Sapan jhare phool se

Meet chubhe shool se

Lut gaye sringaar sabhee

Baag ke babool se.

Aur hum khade khade

Bahaar dekhate rahe

Karwaan guzar gaya

Gubaar dekahte rahe.

Neend bhee khulee na thee

Ki hai dhoop dhal gayee

Paat Paat jhar gaye

Shakh shakh jal gayee.

Don`t remember the rest :)

And, that chadar mailee see story isn`t by PC. I can`t recall the author`s name, offhand, but it is by a Punjabi writer - a very big name (nope, not Amrita Singh, perhaps Rajinder Singh Bedi?). You see, look at what zalim US has done to me :(

BTW, what do you think of another one of Neeraj`s many gems -

Likhe jo khat tujhe

Woh teri yaad mein

Huzaaron rang ke

Nazaare ban gaye

Savera jo hua

Tau phool ban gaye

Jo raat aayee tau

Sitare ban gaye...

Yeeeeaaah....must stop before it kills me :)

Prem

What is your opinion about ``Doodh kaa Daam`` by Premchand. I thought it was quite a poignant story. Also have you read ``Pandit Moteram Shashtri kee Diary``. ``Panch Parmeshwar``, ``Mantra`` and ``Namak ka daroga`` are some of my other favorites besides those mentioned by you.

Re: Pankaj, #14

This sounds like a real challenge. You`ve heightened my curiosity to a great degree. Okay, I`ll read a story by Prem Chand (in Urdu, of course, `cause I don`t know Hindi.) I accept the challenge of translating this writer from Urdu to English.

To tell you the truth, Pankaj, in translations, or just for reading sake, it is always the ``soul`` I look for. So don`t you worry about me missing the soul of Prem Chand`s story. And, no, I don`t hail from Allahabad, so it`s even more challenging for me!!!

PS: I don`t have any books of his, so I`d need to get that first. This may take a little time. But stick around, you the challengers!!!

PPS: I hope I don`t eat my words, literally.

PPPS: Be assured that I will not read the English translation of Prem Chand`s work before I embark on this adventure (that would be an insult to me.)

PPPPS: I hope I don`t sound too arrogant (which I could be depending on how one looks at me.)

PPPPPS: Okay, that`s enough PPPPPS.

PPPPPPS: Not really. I don`t know what the heck ``muhavaras`` is. [I think I`m in deep trouble.]

Prem and Godot

Actually there is already a translation of Premchand`s works in English by the name of ``The World of Premchand``. Even our library has it! However it is not as good as the original. The power of Premchand`s writings lies in his extensive use of local sayings/adages/idoms etc. obscure to the uninitiated. Godot, if you ever decide to translate Premchand`s wrtings, I should caution you to do justice with his idomatic language and unique style, otherwise the ``soul`` of the story would be gone. In several cases the ``muhavaras`` used by Premchand are so region-specific that only a person hailing from the region around rural Allahabad can tell you their precise meaning and connotation. Quite a daunting task in my opinion!

Re: Prem, #11

I am many things (just ask RSaxena and harimau), but what I am not is blasphemous. I wouldn`t dare insult or be careless about things that are sacred to others.

Thank you so much, Prem, for you kind words and your faith and trust in me that I can carry out the challenge. I have enough votes for Prem Chand. Now, step 1: find a story by Prem Chand that I like. I looked up DesiStore-dot-com. With S&H it costs about twenty bucks, which at the current Pakistani exchange rate is...gulp...about twelve hundred rupees. But I guess you, Stuka, and my dear friend anNy are worth it.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

All right, I confess. I do believe in certain thoughts being just blasphemous.

Translating Prem Chand into English is one of those thoughts. I mean, what`s next? Sheikh Peer into Poorbi?

But, Godot does such a marvellous job of translations that I would trust him. So Godot Mian, let`s have one.

Two concerns though. Prem Chand/Dhanpat Rai/Nawab Rai wrote in both Urdu and Hindi. Some of his works are available in both languages, some in only one of the two. Tranlating a translation could be a challenge.

Also, Prem Chand was a very poor man most of his life. Often he had to write something/anything to put food on the table for his family. So, it is important to choose wisely. But there is no dearth of the best stuff.

Bade Bhai Saheb is fine. Idgah has a similar, wonderfully human touch to it (enough to bring tears into the eyes of the most heartless). But if you want more serious, quintessential Prem Chand, you may want to consider Kafan, Poos Ki Raat, Sawa Ser Gehoon, Do Bailon ki Katha, Bade Ghar Ki Beti etc. etc.

Re: ylh, #1

Thank you so much, Yasser.

Re: temporal, #2

Temporal, you are way too kind to me. Thank you so much. I remember you asked me to translate Yousufi in a post to ``My Sahib``. Well, here it is. This translation is dedicated to you.

I think you may have misunderstood ``Aatish`` in my translation. Of course, I didn`t mean a person by that; it was meant to be a reference to by-gone days (perhaps it was my spelling of ``Aatish`` that threw you off.)

I struggled quite a bit between ``Pond Cheri`` and ``Pondicherry``. You are ghaliban sahih; it should have been ``Pondicherry``.

You may have discovered some other errors in my writing as well. Before submitting to Chowk, I read it so many times that my eyes started to hurt. I thought I did a good job editing. However, when I read it on Chowk, I saw at least one typo and one grammatically incorrect sentence. Oh, well! Over all it didn`t turn out to be that bad a translation (I think.)

Re: veeresh, #3

Veeresh, one reason I translated this particular piece is to let non-Pakistani Chowk readers know that, overall, this is how Pakistanis are: liberal and broad-minded, and who can laugh at themselves (certainly a sign of people who are quite secure with themselves.) Pakistan is not all bearded-Mullahs that you have come to believe. The people you refer to are very few, but who, unfortunately, are just too loud and violent. I hope this translation will help you understand Pakistanis a little better and do away with some of your misconceptions about them.

Re: semipreciousme, #4

Thanks.

Re: Subroto, #5

Thank you, sir. One more coming up, but it may be a little while. These things are not that easy. They take up a lot of time.

Re: Urstruly, #6

Urstruly, thank you for the kind words. Yousufi is not pride of the Urdu language, he is pride of Pakistan. He is Pakistan`s treasure. This translation is a tribute to him. Yes, I love Shafique-ur-Rehman and his ``Shaytaan`` as well. I`ll find time to translate him. You`re right; his characters are quite innocent and quite elegant in their simplicity.

Thank you for reading the translations in one sitting. I think the credit goes to Manto (10 pages) and Yousufi (8 pages.)

Re: sac, #7

Thank you, sac. Cannot disagree with you. Yousufi has such a great command of the Urdu language. Loaded with the Persian words, his style and depth is unmatched. When I read the story in Urdu, it was just too hilarious; translating into English took something away from it. There were expressions that could not be translated (at least by me.) There is definitely a cost associated with a translation

Re: anNy, #8

This is just too uncanny! Munshi Prem Chand is precisely the writer I was thinking of translating next (I`m not kidding.) But I don`t have any books of his. I`ll try DesiStore-dot-com. Is there a story by him that you would like me to translate? I read most of the Urdu books in the late 60s and early 70s as a young boy in Pakistan (I don`t read Urdu books anymore.) I remember reading Prem Chand back then and liking his stories a lot, but I don`t remember any one in particular. But, you got it! He`s next (if I can find a book of his, that is.)

Thank you, dear friend.

Re: Stuka, #9

Thank you, Stuka. I will look into Badey Bhaisaheb (if I can find it.)

Godot:

Excellent job sir. Sac says the translation loses a little bit of the flavor. I wouldn`t know. But I did enjoy reading this story, along with the previous Manto one.

I would second AnNy`s request. Translate Premchand if possible. I remember one story of his Badey Bhaisaheb which was quite enjoyable.

Godot:

Not bad. Sometimes the translation loses its flavor for being a little too bland but I guess thats the price one pays for reading a translated work. temporal is right about `Atish` although I thought it was clever improvisation on your part :)

later

-sac

Godot

This was funny and sad by turn, well written all the way (and quite a long way that:). If you have time and the inclination, please do Prem Chand ka translation. I have read little bit of his work and loved his cheek!- reading it in english without having to run and look for huge, indecipherable words in the luggat would be great.

Dear Godot

What a delight it was to read this article. I am impressed with your command to translate, and to do the full justice with usage and sensibilities of the language. I consider those writers great (at Chowk and elsewhere)whose writing I can read in one sitting. Your ``My Sahib`` was great, it must be of more than 6 pages but I read it in one sitting. And same is the case with this article. You have done a wonderful job. I dont feel myself worthy of writing anything about Mushtaq A. Yousafi.He is a genre in himself. The pride of Urdu language.

I especially liked the following:

Nicely done:

``As the reader might have figured it out, forget about raising a dog, Professor Qazi Abdul Qaddoos’ relationship with dogs never went beyond a successful experiment of bites and bitten.``

Exquisite:

``I remember that day very well when these sinful eyes saw beauty at both end of the leash. Then, I had a beautiful yearning: after we get freedom from the Brits, and if I get lucky, I’d get a blue-eyed, shapely-legged, blond dog as a pet for sure.``

Hilarious:

``Mr. S. K. Dean was a distant relative of mine who happened to be my neighbor as well. He had a strong, pure Greyhound, whom he was raising with the neighbors’ blood.``

Godot,

very well done. Next, time if you get time, please look at Shafique ur rehman`s ``Shaytaan``. It is so innocent, and so beautiful.

Please sir can we have some more...

....nice....it`s good to see smt different on chowk for a change....

Mushtaq (and his pet?) will not be put to the stake with howling mobs of barking mullah fundoos for this?

godot:

...ji khoosh kar diya!...abhee jaldi maiN haiN...srif dou baatouN per tawajjah dilana chahaiNgay...``Atish`` ...say murad koi sakhs nahiN hay...srif guzri jawani ka zik`r kar rahay haiN...in the manner of `when we were young(er)`...aur haaN ``Pond Cheri`` ghaliban indian sheh`r Pondicherry ki taraf ishara hay... tafsilan bayan baad maiN likhaiN gay...kaavishaiN jaari rakhiyay...am sure dost-mittar will join me in saying `allah ray zoar-e-qal`m aur ziyadah`?:)

khoosh raho,

temporal

Your knowledge and the scope of your reading never fails to amaze me. Thankyou for a wonderful piece.