Urdu and Hindi are described as one language written in two scripts. Owing to historical developments, the two scripts have come to be recognised as two distinct languages. A positive side of the development is that both Urdu and Hindi have grown as two strong literary traditions. Today, their literature is known for creative excellence.
A new book Kahani Safar Mein Hai (The Story is on the Move) has caught the attention of literary circles. The book by Ahsan Ayyubi is an anthology of contemporary Hindi short stories translated into Urdu. A strap on the title of the 427-page book says,“Ikkiswin Sadi Ki Hindi Kahanian” (Hindi Fiction of 21st Century).
Ayyubi has translated the short stories of 15 top Hindi writers. The selection gives a clear sense of the latest trends in Hindi fiction. Names of the writers, whose works are featured in the book, are: Pariyamud, Yoginder Ahuja, Vandana Rag, Manoj Ropda, Nasira Sharma, Manisha Kulshreshtha, Navin Kumar Nethani, Uma Sharma, Pankaj Mitr, Uma Shankar Chaudhary, Chandan Pandey, Kunal Singh, Ajay Nawaria, Rakesh Mishr and Arun Kumar Asfal.
Ideally, Urdu and Hindi, being similar languages, should have more literary exchanges. But that is not the case. Though literary journals of the respective languages do publish each other’s poetry and fiction yet the scale is too low to strengthen the bond between the writers of two literary traditions.
Kahani Safar Mein Hai fulfils this void to some extent. Contemporary Urdu writers have welcomed the book with open arms. Comments being made on the book are testimony to this. Celebrated fiction writers like ZakiaMashhadi and Syed Mohammad Ashraf have spoken highly of Ayyubi’s talent and described his work as something ‘remarkable’. Ayyubi is a young writer based in Aligarh. Most of his translations have been published in credible literary journals.
Many of the commentators are urging Ayyubi to also bring out a collection of contemporary Urdu short stories in Hindi.
For book lovers, Kahani Safar Mein Hai is a collector’s item. Priced at `450, it is published by Arshia Publications, Delhi <[email protected]>.