K.S. NISAR AHMED: EVERY DAY A CELEBRATION
SELECTED POEMS
TRANSLATED BY ROOPA PAI
SEAGULL BOOKS
On a Saturday morning at The Bookworm, on my right were rows
of books awashed in blue awaiting the presence of Roopa Pai, the translator of
K.S Nisar Ahmed’s Selected Poems. The book launch organised by Just One More
Page Book Club had a native whose poems brought alive the very essence of being
a Kannadiga. Until now, I had heard from my father of Bengalis boasting a rich
cultural heritage. But on a Saturday, I saw pride swell in the heart of every
reader who held the book in their hand. It
was my first cross-cultural interaction through a piece of literature in their
heartland, and into knowing the glowing legacy of Ahmed- the name in itself is
a celebration!
Perhaps, the book cover is emblematic of the poet’s Kannadiga
identity; a journey into his life. If my
guess isn’t wrong, the book carries the mesmerising blue of Jog falls, the white
flowers are Mysore Mallige holding a GI tag and the geometrical curves, loops
and dots of a Kolam.
Jog falls inspired Nityotsava, an ode to mother Karnataka. Sung
in Revathi Raga, the song was composed by Mysore Ananthswamy. The Mysore Mines
were Ahmed’s first stop after earning a degree in Geology. The white flowers indicate
a part of life lived in Mysore, and they might also point towards an unforgettable
honour to inaugurate the Mysore Dasara celebrations.
Nisar was a poet of the world reflecting the sensibilities of
his time. Although best known for his iconic poem, Nityotsava, he has penned numerous
poems during his long writing career. Roopa Pai, who until now had taken the world
of children’s literature by storm, has made a foray into translation with the Selected
Poems (1956-2010) of Ahmed. Pai’s ambitious streak has condensed five decades
of Ahmed’s output. Her rigour into Ahmed’s oeuvres begins with ‘Translator’s
Introduction’. Being a non-Kannadiga, it invites me into the world of Ahmed and
the culture he is a part of. The snippets from his life and times bring me closer
to the poet and the ideals he fought and stood for. Before, her translation of
the ‘sensitive, romantic’ poet, Pai, has touched upon all the aspects of Nisar’s
life that celebrate him as a universal humanist before being a triumph of
Kannada.
During the session
with Dr Vanamala, the author beamed with pride, with a sense of achievement to
have introduced Nisar to the wider audience. I was delighted to have heard, learnt
and most humbly submitted to the poet’s rich thought in one single session. The extracts read from Manorama, Sales-
Girl Chit Chat, at once made Ahmed life-like. He gave words to the thought that
passed into every commoner’s mind. Ah, the translation and its rhythmic quality.
Each word is laced with music. There is a jingle in your ears that pulls the
strings of your heart when hearing the verses rhyme. Quoting from ‘We Are Moving
House’:
“We are moving
house, friend,
We are
moving house;
We shall
return only in our memories
With no
ill-will or grouse. “(Pai, 201)
Let’s take another from ‘The Sowing’:
“To believe
that every seed, slumbering in between
The dark,
moist layers of the soil, will fruit
Is sheer
folly”
To understand the range of his themes, from daily observation,
personal to deeply philosophical, makes him the poet of the common man. His themes
somehow resonate with the curiosity of the common man from the illustrations
of R.K Laxman.
The session held during the book launch was no less than a classroom lecture. Attending such sessions and hearing insights from the author, Roopa Pai and the venerated scholar, Dr Vanamala, gave a local touch. It facilitated in extracting the essence of Nisar’s works when the original Kannada verses were read out along with English. In all, it was a memorable day and a wonderful session to commemorate the richness of the poet. Before the world knew Roopa Pai as a children’s book author, I first interacted with her as an author-translator. A big leap!