Poems Come Home

Ask any publisher and they will tell you that people do not buy poetry. I have never understood why it does not make commercial sense to buy poetry. When I look at my bookshelf the number of poetry I have is abysmally small as compared to works of fiction. Poetry is hard to appreciate if you do not have the same sensitivity about the subject of the poem as the poet. If that is not hard enough, it gets harder when someone translates the poems that someone else has written. UNLESS the one translating the book is Gulzar.Mera saaya jab mujhse aage niklaMujhe maloom thha suraj ko peechheChHor aayi hoonमेरा साया जब मुझसे आगे निकलामुझे मालूम था सूरज को पीछेछोड़ आई हूँWhen my shadowOvertook meI knewI had crossed the sunSukrita Paul Kumar's poems have been translated into the Urdu laced Hindi that is typical of Gulzar.There is a constant sound of footstepsFrom behindLooking back will demolish all hopeसुनाई देती है पीछे पीछेकिसी के क़दमों की चाप पैहमजो मुड़के देखूं ...उम्मीद भी कट जाएगी |I tried reading some of the poems in English and then read the translation in the mirror page. And then read a few of the poems in Hindi to savor the experience of mentally translating the poem back to English to see how much of the poem matched the printed translation. And then I read all the poems in English.At one stage I lost track of which one was the originally written poem and which one was the translation.Sukrita brings in the influences of her Punjabi family, of her childhood in Africa, growing up in Aurangabad and the influences of Delhi where she currently lives. She is an honorary fellow of the prestigious International Writing Program, University of Iowa. She knows the grammar and knows what makes for the soul of a poem. See this is what makes her poems resonate with the reader. The word "Sukrita" means born of good deed - this book certainly lives upto that name.And if there is just one word to describe the translations by Gulzar, it is brilliant. And then you will say I am biased. Yes, I am.His website describes him as "Gulzar, is a poet above all things. His style marks a sensitivity that is best reflected through his writing and treatment of films. He is one of those sensitive people whose work is laced with the lyrical but psychologically adept examination of human sensibilities." It is this sensitivity that comes bridges the language barrier effortlessly.Gulzar with his two day old stubble, white kurta and shawl and deep voice fits everyone's image of the poet who sensitizes all of us as he narrates his poems. Speaking of his poems, here is a favorite of mine. Gulzar recites his poem as it blends in with the vocals of Shubha Mudgal in the film Raincoat - Kisi mausam ka jhonka thha (trans: A gust of wind it was perhaps that left the picture on the wall forever tilted). Visualize raindrops trickling down your window pane when you hear this poem.किसी मौसम का झोंका थाजो इस दीवार पे लटकी हुयी तस्वीर तिरछी कर गया हैगए सावन में यह दीवारें सीली नहीं थीन जाने क्यूँ इस दफा इन में सीलन आ गयी है, दरारें पड़ गयी हैंऔर सीलन इस तरह बहती है जैसे खुश्क रुखसार पर गीले आंसू चलते हैंयह बारिश गुनगुनाती थी इसी छत की मुंडेरों परये घर की खिडकियों के कांच पर लिख जाती थी संदेशेबिलखती हुई सी बैठी रहती है अब बंद रोशनदानो के पीछेदोपेहरें ऐसी लगती हैं - बिना मोहरों के खली खाने रखे हैंन कोई खेलने वाला है बाज़ी न कोई चाल चलता हैअब न दिन होता है न रात होती हैसभी कुछ रुक सा गया हैवह क्या मौसम का झोंका था जो इस दीवार पे लगी तस्वीर को तिरछी कर गया है ||This is the skill of Gulzar. He removes the chasm between the original and the translation in the book Poems Come Home. Pick up the book. On a rainy afternoon, sit near the window, watch the rain and read the poems as the different moods of the rain from the drizzle to the torrential downpour all make the poems resonate just a little more.RecommendedPS: I am now waiting for Gulzar's upcoming book called A Poem A Day that will have 365 poems - from poets across the world, all translated by Gulzar. Can't wait for that one.----------------Watch this brilliant discussion on the evolution of Hindi film music at the Jaipur Literary Festival featuring Gulzar, Prasoon Joshi and Javed Akhtar Click Here