By TCN News
Aligarh: Today Aligarh Muslim University organized the inaugural session on the Second Two Day National Workshop on ‘Urdu Translation of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Writings’. The event was presided over by Brig. S Ahmad Ali (Veteran), AMU Pro-Vice Chancellor and was addressed by various eminent speakers.
Brig. Syed Ahmad Ali, in his presidential remark, expressed his desire of mass propagation of Ambedkar’s ideas through the translation of some of his far-sighted works which include Ambedkar’s writings and speeches on the dimension of territories and states and how the size of the state affects administration and management. He also brought to focus Ambedkar’s ideas on the Article 370 of the constitution, which speaks of the issue of Kashmir.
Along with these issues of contemporary relevance, Syed Ahmad Ali also emphasized on Ambedkar’s Economic treatise, his role in the RBI and his Ph.D. thesis, “Problems of Rupee: Its Origin and Solution”. He congratulated the Prof. Mohammad Asim Siddiqui, the Managing Editor at Urdu-CWBA Dr. Ambedkar Foundation, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, for his dedication to the task.
The Guest of Honor Prof. Emeritus Farhatullah Khan made a practical observation that translation is something impossible but an inevitable task. He stressed upon the beauty and persuasive effect of Urdu language. Urdu, according to Prof. Khan, is the most appropriate language to powerfully express the ideas of a strong leader and reformer like Ambedkar. He explained the complexities of translating such terms like child labor, Dalit etc from English to Urdu.
Dr. Suhail Ahmad Farooqui of Jamia Millia Islamia, an accomplished translator of more than hundred works which include Tagore’s Gitanjali, commented that it is not enough to know the language and it’s literal meaning but in order to reach more approximation in translating a work, we need to learn about the speakers and their background as well. According to him source work and the translated work are mirror images of each other.
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts Prof. Shaikh Mastan emphasized the relevance of Ambedkar and his contribution in the making of the present-day India.
Prof. Mohammad Asim Siddiqui, the Managing Editor of the translation project explained the aims and objectives of the workshop and threw some light on the difficulties in translating his works which touch varied subjects like law, sociology, history and economics.
The event was conducted by Prof. Samina Khan of Department of English who also enlightened us with her share of assignment speaking about Women rights, Dalit women and their plights and other women issues dealt by Ambedkar.
Peer Mohammad Ashraf proposed the Vote of Thanks. A number of translators involved in the project along with academicians and scholars attended the event.
The work on the Urdu translation of Ambedkar, all 34 volumes from English to Urdu, had been assigned to AMU by Ambedkar Foundation, Ministry of Empowerment and Social Justice, Government of India.