Lost in translation

Gulzar takes year-long break from lyric writing to concentrate on making Tagore relevant to young in a language they'd understand

Lyric-writing will take a backseat for a year for prolific wordsmith Gulzar as he's currently working on a translation of Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poems.

This venture aims to connect the young Indian to their rich heritage.



He will translate the literary great's works from the original Bengali to a hybrid language (he prefers to call it "Hindustani") that comprises a mix of English, Hindi and Urdu. "Tagore would approve," he feels.

Gulzar recently spent considerable time in Shanti Niketan where Tagore made his home. He has returned feeling a deep empathy.

He feels two misconceptions on Tagore need to be corrected. That Tagore was for the literate only and that a translation from the Bengali would kill the original flavour.

"Tagore needn't lose its original relevance and resonance," he adds, "Nothing needs to be lost in translation.
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In fact I lately translated some of Tagore's poetry for Rituparno Ghosh's screen adaptation of Tagore's novel Nauka Daubi."

He continues, "Tagore wrote for the young Bengali. So why not take it to the young Indian?"

Tagore all the way
Gulzar's next directorial effort (12 years too long) is an adaptation of a Rabindranath Tagore novel. "It's Tagore all the way for me," he laughs.