English translation of Bulleh Shah, Faiz recited

Islamabad:To translate the work of legendry Urdu and Punjabi poets including Iqbal, Faiz, and Bulleh Shah in English or any other language requires extraordinary passion for literature and a great thirst to forward the message of these great poets to the world.

Both these conditions were amicably met by Syed Ahmed Hassan Shah as he celebrated the work of these remarkable poets by reciting his English translations of their work in a gathering of literature lovers of Islamabad at an event titled ‘TransPoetica: A recitation of Iqbal, Faiz, and Bulleh Shah’ organised by Idara-e-Farogh-e-Qaumi Zuban. The event was chaired by Fateh Muhammad Malik with Professor Dr Ahsan Akbar as the chief guest. A lawyer by profession, Syed Ahmed Hassan Shah mesmerized the audiences with the choice of words while also capturing and conveying the right melody and the mood of the original work. It was a joy to listen to the famous poems such as ‘Hum Daikhien Gay’ by Faiz, ‘Shikwa Jawab e Shikwa’ by national poet Allama Iqbal and ‘Ki Jana Mien Kon’ by Baba Bulleh Shah.

Speaking on this occasion, Professor Dr Ahsan Akbar said that translation of poetic work requires extraordinary creativity and hard work. “It is not at all easy to convey the true spirit of the poetry in another language but unfortunately, the importance of translation is not recognized as it should be in our society and also in academically,” he added.

Professor Dr Ahsan Akbar also highlighted the role played by translations in the world history. He said in history, nations prospered when they acquired the knowledge and valued the work done by other nations through translations. “Muslims translated the work of Latin scientists and similarly the work of Muslim scientists was translated by the west. The process shall go on,” he said adding that even today, for any literary tradition to establish its recognition at the global level, the most compelling condition is to get translated. Chair of the event Fateh Muhammad Malik translation of the poetic wonders of Urdu poets and regional writers is not only important to convey that to the world but is equally important for the young generation of our country. “Unfortunately, education system is such that our own children fail to understand the poetry of legendry Urdu and regional poets which makes it more important to focus on quality translations of Urdu literature,” he opined. “Today we see that serious translations and translators are not truly appreciated or valued. Thus it is heartening to see the attendance and appreciation of the superb English rendering of the poetry of Baba Bulleh Shah, Iqbal and Faiz today. The translations are indeed commendable as too is the selection of poems for translation,” said eminent rights activist Tahira Abdullah.

Our correspondent adds: Non-availability of speed checking cameras on motorway (M-3) section from 'Lahore to Abdul Hakeem', causing fatal accidents due to speeding.

230-km long M-3 is a 6-lane highway with 3 rest areas along the motorway, was inaugurated on 30 March 2019 and was opened for traffic on 1 April 2019. After the seven months of inauguration, National Highway Authority (NHA) couldn’t provide portable speed checking cameras to the National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP).