HYDERABAD:Living in an age where everyone calls himself or herself a writer, it’s difficult to come across a powerful book that holds strong views against caste system, class division, oppression of women and more, but when one does come across such book(s), their authors are remembered and cherished forever. That’s how Hyderabad-based author Jeelani Bano, now in her eighties, is widely popular given her works, especially the pithy-poignant-powerful short stories connect to the readers because these stories are theirs, too.
What makes her tales more memorable is when they are translated into the local language, Telugu which is. It took writer-translator PV Suryanarayana Murthy more than one year to finish the translated version entitled ‘Anta Nijame Chepta’ which roughly translates as “I will tell only the truth”. The title is based on one of the tales of Jeelani by the same name.
The book consists of 21 crisp short stories from six of Jeelani’s books. But what made a non-Urdu speaker a seasoned writer of the same? Says Murthy who is better known by his pen name Mehak Hyderabadi, “An interview opportunity for a government job made me learn Urdu as knowing the language was a compulsory criterion.” He’s not looked back and has penned articles for leading Urdu dailies in the city which includes interviews of legendary poet Ali Sardar Jafri and IK Gujral translated into Urdu. But why did he chose to translate her? “Because progressive writers like her are rare. Her story-telling ways are unique,” he shares. This is his second translation of her stories which was recently launched at a city event.
His next will the biography on her as National Book Trust has already approached him for that. Also, a gifted poet, he plans to bring out a ghazal collection soon.
— Saima Afreen
saima@newindianexpress @Sfreen