Books on Bollywood poetry released in Poland

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WARSAW - The Polish version of two books - “Bollywood Poetry” and “Legends of Tansen” - have been released here ahead of the world premiere of actor Shah Rukh Khan’s new movie “My Name Is Khan” to enhance the charm of the film, which is releasing Feb 12.

“Bollywood Poetry” and “Legends of Tansen”, which is the story of the 16th-century Indian classical singer, were released Monday.

Janusz Krzyzowski, well-known Indologist, and Warsaw-based Urdu poet Surender Zahid have translated the literary ghazals of 18 Bollywood poets into Polish. It includes works of Kaifi Azmi, Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shakeel Badayuni and Jan Nisar Akhtar to the present times of Gulzar and Javed Akhtar, EuAsiaNews reported.

The two authors have maintained the essence of the Urdu lyrics in their Polish translation.

“This anthology is a masterpiece to understand modern day India and particularly the spectacular delight of modern Urdu poetry by these great poets of post-independent (period),” Boguslaw Zakrzewski, Polish writer and translator, said while releasing the books at the Indian ambassador’s residence.

“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,” he added.

Praising Krzyzowski for his “painstaking research” on legendary singer Tansen, the Polish author said the new book “marks a new chapter to understand the depth of Indian classical music since medieval times to the present for Polish readers”.

“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,” said Rajesh Vaishnaw, Indian charge d’affaires in Warsaw.

Lauding the contributions of the two translators, J.J. Singh, president of the Indo-Polish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said: “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.”