For Telugu readers

Jeelani Banu 

‘Anta Nijame Chepta’ is a lucid and simple translation of Jeelani Bano’s work

One rarely forgets things that go against one's wishes. So does Padullaparthy Venkata Suryanarayana Murthy. But the reason in his case is entirely different. His sudden transfer from Vijayawada to Hyderabad was sure upsetting but in retrospect it proved to be a blessing in disguise. The shift has made him a promising writer.

Another interesting thing is that he has shattered the myth that Andhraites can't speak good Urdu, much less write in that language. Murthy has penned 25 ghazals in Urdu and translated two books from Urdu to Telugu. The second book "Anta Nijame Chepta.." is due for release on July 1.

Murthy's transformation as an Urdu writer is equally strange. It was an interview call for the post of a translator that proved to be the catalyst. The condition was apart from English and Telugu the aspirants should also know Urdu. Murthy knew next to nothing about Urdu but went ahead with the interview anyway. Of course he failed miserably but didn't lose hope. Instead he used failure as inspiration. He started learning Urdu and became proficient enough to write poetry. Mehak Hyderabadi, the penname with which he writes, is all set to launch his second book - a translation of selected short stories of celebrated Urdu novelist, Jeelani Bano.

V.Suryanarayana Murthy

Interestingly, Jeelani Bano was not confident when he approached her and sought her Urdu novels for translation. She gave him the Hindi translation of her works. An year later she was surprised when he presented his Telugu book, Guppita Jaare Isuka, containing her 21 short stories.

In the second book also he has translated 21 short stories of Jeelani Bano from six books. He has taken care to keep the language lucid and simple. Translation of literary works is a challenging task. Apart from the storyline and the perspective one has to retain the original flavour.  Murthy has tried his best to keep the magic that pervades through Jeelani Bano's books. He has taken help of native speakers like Mubeen Azmi to give it a tweak of authenticity. The result is the Telugu translation doesn't suffer from fatigue. There is a freshness all through.

But why Jeelani Bano? "I like the issues she champions and want to introduce her to Telugu readers", says Murthy, Deputy News Editor, Andhra Jyothi.

Jeelani Bano has been rocking the Urdu literary scene for the last five decades. The Padma Shri awardee, known for powerful narrative, has written 22 books mirroring life in all its hues. Her stories focus on social inequalities, exploitation of women, farmers and atrocities against vulnerable sections. Her works have been translated into Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada,  English and French.

Murthy has chosen the tile of his Telugu book from  Jeelani Bano's book 'Sach ke siva'. Stories from her other books such as Baath Phoolon Ki, Triyaaq, Rasta Band Hai, Yaqeen Ke Aage Guman Ke Pichhe also figure in the book. No, Murthy has not done a word to word translation of Jeelani Bano's works. Rather he has captured the essence of the original text complete with irony, humour and the essential humanitarian approach.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The Hindu

Dated July 4,2018