Hyderabad(Hyd): After having his own Sahitya Akademi award-winning post Dakhma included in Allahabad University’s Urdu Deparment syllabus previously this yr., the collection of afsaanas (a form of short stories) by Baig Ehsas have come out in English. They were translated by S M Fasiullah.
The compilation titled Shades of the City contains Fasiullah’s English renditions has the stories of Baig Eshas, previous professor with the University of Hyderabad(Hyd), with those of late HCU Comparative Literature Professor Tutun Mukherjee & previous Osmania University English Literature Professor Khalid Qadri.
Ehsaas states, “Jin stories mein, Hyderabad(Hyd) ki tehzeeb chalak ti hai, ussi ka tarjama Fasi ne kiya hai (Fasi has translated the stories that ooze Hyderabad(Hyd)’s culture & rich biography).”
Awhile completing his own MA in English in Maulana Azad Domestic Urdu University, Fasiullah happen to stumble upon 1 of Ehsas’ stories titled Curfew on Rekhta.org, an on-line repository of Urdu literature & poetry.
“Though it takes place in Hyderabad(Hyd), Curfew resonated with me heavily as I grew up within the communally tense Adilabad Dist. amid the 1992-1993 riots,” he likens.
He translated 1 page & demonstrated it to Ehsas who identified it satisfactory. Encouraged, Fasiullah afterwards he sent it to a peer-reviewed journal in Bihar(BR), New Frontier.
When the journal posted it, Fasi expressed to the original author the desire to translate extra of his own stories. On getting the permission in 3 to 4 weeks, he hammered out translations of Nami Danam Ke (“A Sufi’s Charm) & Rang Ka Saaya (“A Home’s Sake”). With those 2, his own English version of Curfew is included in Shades of the City.
Fasiullah’s original post in English Operation Irani Chai concludes the book that is available for INR. 130 & was posted by this Urdu Translation Academy — Hyderabad(Hyd).
Chronicler of the Deccan
During his own educational & literary trajectory, Ehsas has finished his own bit to foster Urdu & assured that Hyderabad(Hyd) remain somewhat of a center of the language. Ehsas has been amongst the 1st batch of scholars when Hyderabad(Hyd) Central University’s Urdu Dept. had come into existence in 1979. 5 yrs. thereafter, earned his own PhD on the works of Krishan Chander. He’s written 3 collections of shorts stories — Khusha-e-Gandum, Hanzal, & Dakhma — with his own compilation of literary essays, Shor-e-jahaan. His own stories revolve across the state of Muslims in India(In) after independence & the trajectory of Hyderabad(Hyd) after its accession to India(In).
Dakhma, is regarding 2 local Hyderabadis deploring the loss of the city’s bygone culture juxtaposed alongside the Parsi society’s last rites that they carry our for the passed on towers.