Book Review – Autumn Moon, Gulzar

Well, this is yet another English translation of the poems of great Gulzar. That alone – almost - justifies the 5-star rating. There are few poets in the Indian poetry scene today that can weave a poem out of even the seemingly mundane and banal things. Be it a single leaf perched precariously on a branch, or a deserted road, a sliver of moon or a still lake, there is nothing in the world that Gulzar cannot write beautifully about. That alone can justify my prejudiced decision to rate the book with a 5-star rating, even before my opening the cover.

However, this book deserves a five-star rating just for being the work of Gulzar, and not for the efforts of J.P.Das, the translator. The first time I read the poetry of Gulzar was through the translations of Pavan K.Varma, a master translator. I have gone through the translations by Nirupama Dutt and Rina Singh too, but the translations of Pavan K.Varma clearly stand out. Not just for the reason of his being the first works I read, but also for the quality of the translations.

The role of a translator is in no way to second to that of the author. Translating a literary work from one language to another is not just about swapping words, but also ensuring that the spirit of the letters is not lost in the process. Few people can do it with flair. Not just in making you love the poem, but also in stoking your interest to the extent of your wanting to read the originals by yourself and relish the same without an intermediary. Pavan Varma stands streets ahead of the others. This translation feels so insipid and routine when compared to his translations.

Again, they are all poems that are present in all the other previous translations too, and hence, there is nothing much new in terms of content as well. But, as I already said, this is a collection of poems by Gulzar and that alone is a reason good enough for 5-star rating. If you want to seriously indulge in Gulzar’s poetry, pick either ‘Selected Poems’ or ‘Neglected Poems’, both being the translations by Pavan Varma.

This Dawn's Epiphany

After spending another night of my life in train, I woke up early to watch the sunrise as is my wont when I travel this route. The dawn was lovely, without doubt. The pale grayish blue of the East turning into pink and purple, only to shed them quickly and change into shining hues of saffron and gold. It was a happy sunrise as always, but it felt just like any other sunrise.

When I thought about what was lacking, what was amiss, I realised that the sky was without clouds. But for a few wisps here and there, the horizon looked as barren as a stretch of desert.

That's when I realised something - hurdles and challenges don't mar your life but make it worthwhile. Just as the Sun looks far more glorious and grandiose when He shines through the clouds, letting His light spread through the gaps, with even the darkness of the clouds starting to reflect His golden glow, making it an all the more majestic and mesmerizing arrival, our lives too need 'clouds' to gain glory and happiness.

Going through the challenges of human life without giving up, treading bravely through the darkness, determined to press on no matter how glum the days may presently be, not being bogged by the obstacles but using them as opportunities to gather even more glories - isn't that what our frail human lives are all about?!

Success feels far sweeter when achieved after a long struggle; love turns more passionate when opposed; and, peace seems ethereal after a prolonged period of suffering.

Let the pains, challenges and obstacles in our lives be like those clouds - passing, flimsy and, more importantly, opportunities that make us shine even more grandiosely. Just as those dark clouds turn dazzling in the Sun's heavenly splendor, may our troubles and battles turn into glorious tales for us all to recall with a pleasant sense of nostalgia as we arrive at the Western horizon of our worthy lives.

Wishing you all love and peace!

Book Review – She : Ekla Cholo Re, Santhosh Avvannavar

When the author asked me to review his work, I told him that I can do so only if I am given the freedom to review it honestly and he agreed, thankfully. So, here it is, my honest review.

Just imagine giving a birthday gift to your friend or, keeping with the trend of this week, a Valentine’s Day gift to your loved one. No matter how precious the gift may be, presentation is something that you will consider equally important. You will not handover a costly shirt wrapped in a gunny bag or pack that precious diamond ring in a cheap plastic box. You will ensure that the container of that gift is equally, if not more, attractive as the gift. That’s called presentation and sadly, that is exactly what is lacking in this book.

The gift here is the awareness of the plight of the third-gender and the pressing need to treat them as equals. It’s indeed a lofty idea, worthy of appreciation. Till I read this book, I didn’t even bother to learn whether such literature exists in the country. Kudos to the author for showing me a new direction and stoking in me a curiosity to learn about those pitiable souls that walk the streets, clapping their hands and asking for money from all and sundry.
 

But nothing else is worthwhile about this book apart from that idea. Poor language, melodramatic writing style and illogical statements all come together to mar what could have been a really good book. It is surprising that this book was authored by two people and also edited by another person (said to be an avid blogger). A flurry of grammatical errors will make any serious reader squirm. The punctuations are even worse. Either the authors these days don’t go through their drafts for the second time or there is a dearth of quality editors.
 

This is the plot – the protagonist offers lift to a good-looking woman during one of his evening rides. That woman turns out to be a transgender person, who is on the rebound. She recounts the pains inflicted by love and lack of understanding from the people around. There is nothing novel about her ‘love’. There is not much in the tale that could make you feel deeply for her. The writing style depicts the emotion at best as ordinary infatuation. The tale takes the routine path of betrayal by the other person, our heroine’s attempt at studying and getting a small job. Predictably, the protagonist shows emotions of kindness towards that transgender person and the tale ends by showing that protagonist is the author whom the woman has been quoting all along. Really?! The transgender persons have much worse challenges in life than mere ‘love failure’.
 

Logic is the next casualty. Some of the lines will make your head reel by being as ambiguous as only they can be. Consider these two lines just for a sample – 1) 'People were often perplexed about my gender - some said that since the child is soft, she must be a girl while others felt that I am a boy.' (Really?! A child is born and people are not able to determine its gender?!) 2) 'Strangers often don't meet in life.' (What the?! Whatever the author wanted to convey here is clearly not what he has conveyed.)
 

What could have been a worthy attempt is marred by melodramatic thinking, poor writing style and poorer editing. Only thing that I could take away from this book is the desire to learn about the state of transgender persons in our country. Thanks to the author for that.