ASHOK VAJAPAYEE'S POEM IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION

                                                                                    

PHOTO by… Sandeep Mota In Greece

To this photo I am adding a poem “ TUM JAHAAN KAHO “ by Ashok Vajpayee  (    Born 1941 ) well known Hindi Poet , Critic and Art administrator  . He retired as   very senior officer from  Indian Administrative Services . He was also a Chairman of Bharat Bhawan  Bhopal apart from being a member of Executive Board of  ICCR and Sangeet Natak Academy . Ashok Vajpayee was also chairman of Lalit Kala Academy ( 2008 -2011 ) .

In 1994 , his Collection of Verses " Kahin Nahin Wahin" ( Nowhere , There only ) won him the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award.

 I Have also done simple English rendering of this poem for those who do not understand Hindi ...He has  also  translated works of four major poets from Poland  into Hindi. This  poem bears visible influence of Modern Polish poetry.

( Tum Jahaan Kaho )

Tum Jahaan kaho
Vahaan chale jaayeingay,
Doosre Makaan mein,
Andhere Bhavishya mein ,
Na kahin Pahunchaane vaali Train mein …

Apnaa Bastaa Boriyaa Uthaakar ,
Radhi ke bojh saa
Jeevan ko peeth par laadh-kar 
Jahaan kaho Vaheen chale Jaayeingay ,
Vaapas iss shahar ,
Iss chogaan , Iss Aangan mein nahin Aayeingay..

Vaheen Pakshi Baneingay 
Vriksh Baneingay ,
Phool ya shadbh ban jaayeingay ,
Jahaan tum khud nahin aanaa chaahogay 
Vahaan tum kaho to chale Jaayeingay..

( Ashok Vajpayee)

My simple English  of this poem goes as under ...

Wherever you tell me ,

I shall move to that place

 Another house ,

Towards a dark future

or board a train that goes nowhere .

Carrying my Bag and Baggage,

Like a pack of waste material ,

Carrying this life too on my back,

 Wherever you desire ,

I shall move to that place .

 And Never shall I return

To this city ,

This Meeting point ,

This courtyard .

There , At that place ,

I shall become a bird or a Tree

or a flower or just  a Word .

A place , where you yourself   won’t like to come  ,

If you  desire ,

I shall move to that place only..

( Autar Mota )

CHINAR SHADE by Autarmota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:\\autarmota.blogspot.com\.