Books on Bollywood poetry now available in Polish

By Surender Bhutani, EuAsiaNews,

Warsaw : There is a proper build-up in Poland for the world premiere of Shah Rukh Khan’s film , “My Name is Khan” which is going to be released on February 12 in the Polish capital.


Support TwoCircles

Meanwhile two important books, Bollywood Poetry and Legends of Tansen, the famous 16th-century Indian composer-musician, have been released in Polish on Monday to enhance the charm of the forthcoming film.

Janusz Kryzowski, a famous Indologist and Warsaw-based Urdu poet Surender Zahid have translated the literary ghazals of 18 Bollywood poets into Polish who were very famous as Urdu poets before they entered the film industry.

The merit of the translation lies in the fact that Urdu ghazals have been translated in a ghazal form in Polish too which enhances the lyrical beauty for the readers

The list includes poets like Sahir Ludhanavi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shakil Badhyuni, Kaifi Azmi, Jan Nissar Akhtar, Behzad Lakhnavi, Arzoo Lakhnavi from the old era to the present times of Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Nida Fazli.

While releasing the books at the the Indian ambassador’s residence, Boguslaw Zakrzewski the renowned Polish writer and translator observed, “this antholgy is a master piece to understand modern day India and particularly the spectacular delight of modern Urdu poetry by these great poets of post-independent.”

“Urdu’s diction is full of nuances and to bring those subtle thoughts into Polish the two writers have done a remarkable job. It is a boon for Polish readers to enrich themselves with something novel.”

“Similarly, Krzyzowski’s painstaking research on legendary clasical singer, Tansen marks a new chapter to understand the depth of Indian classical music since medieval times to the present for Polish readers,” he noted.

“Poetry and music are the big ingredients of any viberating culture. Indian culture has been lucky that we always have a sublime mix of these two aspects since ancient times. We are maintaining this tradition till this day. We are proud of contributions of these two outstanding scholars. They are pioneers in this field. The way they have enriched the cultural aspects of India and Poland in recent years is highly praiseworthy,” commented Rajesh Vaishnaw, the Indian charge d’affaires in Warsaw.

” These two translators have been active for the past five years and they have translated Urdu masters like Mir, Ghalib, Firaq , Faiz and many others earlier. Their output and the quality of their works have been superb. Today they have crossed a new frontier. They are the true cultural envoys of India in this country. We are proud of their achievements. It is our privilege to publish their works in Poland” said J.J. Singh, president of the Indo-Polish Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IPCCI).

A well-known Polish actor, Zbigniew Konopka, read the translated ghazals, while the Indian poet read in the original language for the benefit of the audience which included several well-known writers, actors and diplomats .

“It is a memorable experience for me to relive my Delhi days again,” observed Victor Kinecki who was Poland’s ambassador to India in mid-1970s.

SUPPORT TWOCIRCLES HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND NON-PROFIT MEDIA. DONATE HERE