12 May,2010 08:22 AM IST | | Dinesh Raheja
In the year of the Nobel laureate's 150th birth anniversary, author Sudha Udeshi talks about her keen interest in Rabindra Sangeet, which encouraged her to translate 51 of the literary icon's songs into Hindi in her book Ek Zaraa Sa Sparsh
Retired college professor Sudha Udeshi might not describe herself as a creative person, but the process of translating the songs of Rabindranath Tagore from Bengali into Hindi must require a deep understanding of creativity. The author talks about her initiation into the literature of Tagore, and why she felt compelled to make his words accessible to a wider audience.
Retired college professor Sudha Udeshi with a copy of her book, which features some of Tagore's most-loved songs translated into Hindi
How did the idea of translating Tagore's songs into Hindi evolve?
Gujarati writer Dhiruben Patel has been an admirer of Tagore for a long time and felt something needed to be done about making Tagore's rich legacy of poems and songs accessible to more people. She was the one who practically forced me to write the book.
She chose you...
She's known for years how deeply attached I am to Tagore's writings, especially his poems and songs. She's also been through some of my translations, which I had written in an effort to convey Tagore's riches to my non-Bengali friends.
A Gujarati translating Bengali songs into Hindi -- you are quite the linguist...
I know Gujarati, English, Bengali, Marathi, Hindi and Urdu, and I can read Sanskrit, but I don't see this as a talent. When one can't be creative, one becomes a translator.
You're being modest. How did you approach the selection of songs for the book?
I have chosen 51 songs from Tagore's repertoire of almost 3,000 that will be accessible to the common man, and which are not particularly profound or philosophical; songs that touch upon the various aspects of life.
What is it about Tagore's songs that appeal to you?
I particularly appreciate his flawless selection of words and the way in which he deals with emotion in his songs, apart from the music and melody. There's also something to be said about his humanitarian views.
At what age were you initiated into the literature of Tagore?
The primary school that I went to was influenced by Santiniketan (a university in West Bengal founded by Tagore to challenge conventional methods of teaching), so I have been exposed to Tagore's writing since the age of three or four.
Do you have a favourite Tagore song?
It is difficult to select one song from such a huge repertoire. Tagore's songs are like diamonds. I think of myself as the richest person in the universe as I have access to those diamonds.
Ek Zaraa Sa Sparsh, Hindi, Kiran Thaker, Rs 125.
Available on www.bookpub.in
Dinesh Raheja is editor, Bollywood News Service.
