Vidisha Shah
Now, moving onto the next assigned, I would like to invite Shri Joginder Singh Ji to come over, up on the dais.
Chief Guests, Madam, Director of the Institution, Dr. Prajyot, Mr. Das, Shri Ravi Kumar Ji, Ladies, and Gentlemen. I, must confess, that I was foxed when Ravi Kumar Ji sent me an email inviting me for Indian Translation at a Regional Conference. So I sent him an email that this is not my cup of tea so he said, no, you just think over it, because of the role of translation and what it is.
And I said, okay, give me a day and I thought over it and I said yes, it’s worthwhile really. When I, looked into my own books, I found that my publisher, at least one of them had brought it into Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi apart from Hindi and Punjabi and these Indian languages, I want to bring it in at least 12 Indian Languages. And while looking at my copies of the books, I also found that one of them had been translated into Bhasha Indonesia, I was in Malaysia.
So, it set me thinking here, how languages can unite India. Those of you who are coming from single language countries like the USA, UK, Spain or Italy may not appreciate this. The translation is something, which has played a tremendous part in uniting India.
I went to Iran in 1973 along with my then Minister and we were speaking in English, so an Iranian said here, what are you not both from India? I said yes, he again said, but why are you speaking in English, why not your mother tongues? I said, look, my mother tongue and his mother tongue is really different. So, English is a uniting language in India.
Fortunately, though we have not become great translators, we, have languages as a part of the quarter allotment, whatever state you are allotted, you go there and move there. 6000-7000 IAS Officers, about 4000 IPS officers in the country. You do not necessarily serve in your own state; you can be allocated to any state. Madam Anita Patyargarganj Ji is lucky that she is in a Hindi speaking state and she is Hindi speaking herself. And sometimes, the mistakes committed can be quiet helpful.
I happen to represent Punjab in a youth festival in the then Mysore State. It was so beautiful. I didn't understand a word in the language which they were speaking in, I could not even relish the food. Forget about anything. So, I was just becoming eligible for the Indian Army services eligibility. I came back and soon I filled in my form and as a joke, I said what state you would like to serve, not UP, not Punjab not anything, but I said, Mysore. So I said that, who get recognized just immediately after their graduation, but I made it and lo and behold I was there in Karnataka. And Mysore became Karnataka later on. And one of the things that I found out was that I had to learn the local language because you have to deal with the local people. It is not that you sit in the Income Tax and you deal with the authorities or something like that. You have to deal with local people. Hell of a difficult job, because, those people who have at least from Hindi speaking belt may not feel uncomfortable. You couldn’t even ask for a glass of water or even the food, but, whether one liked it or not, one had to start with the basic things. And in the police, either they ask the person; tell me what are the abusive languages so I know who is abusing me! I know that!
And, there is a tale behind it also. There was a Parsee professor, in my college, and Punjabi boys, I think boys everywhere are a little mischievous. So, they would hurl abuses at him, mothers, fathers, everything of so. So, someday he asked somebody, what are these mothers, fathers, and sisters’ words? He said they are abusing you. So, next day, when a student hurled abuse in Punjabi, he said, Good Morning, thank you, same to you!
So, its important to know the local language and translation plays a tremendous role in this. Now I must mention the role of translation in my own life. I had read, Granth Sahab, I had read Gita and I had read Max M’s Remarks that this is the greatest book in the world, I could never understand a word. Somebody said read Gorakhpur ki Gita, the book probably from Gorakhpur is the best, couldn’t make head or tail out of it. Till, I went to Calcutta, in Ram Krishna Mission Ashram, I picked up a small booklet, not even booklet, small translation of Gita, in English and that has been my caste and companion whenever I travel outside. And it opened a new world for me. But, whatever translation Swamiji had done was something tremendous. I said, now let me explore the religions. My mother tongue is Punjabi, I don’t know much about it.
There is this tale also that I must share with you. Because you have to. These are some of the delicate issues that you have to treat people with consideration, with love and affection.
The thing is I am not going to study Punjabi at all. I tried Hindi, did my BA with Hindi option, of course, class was mine, so when I wanted to read Granth Sahab I have to learn from somebody else. I realized its greatness only after I read it in English translation by Natraj Singh Duggal.
So, not only for national’s for inviting people, it is vital that Indian Translation Industry is encouraged. I would also say here, I must mention to you, that a few words of the language, wherever you go, are absolutely vital. And I, unless I share some of the howlers I committed you would not be able to appreciate it.
I lead a delegation to Indonesia and in India, you know we are used to taking tea with milk so that it was in Jakarta or somewhere. So, when I asked the hotel, he bought tea, black tea, I said, I want the tea with the milk! He didn't understand that. So, there was an English man, I passed by him. I said, do you speak Indonesian? He said yes. I said please tell him that I want tea with milk. Then he said, no no he wants tea with the susu. Susu in Indian language means Urine. So then I quickly understood.
But what I’m saying here is, that even in a humorous sense if you want to understand that cultures are different. It’s better to know something about it. Uh. I was very happy that when Madam mentioned about text to speech translation. Because I have been using the English version for the last 10 years, more than 10 years. But when a is opening, UP, what is in Madhya Pradesh or in Gujarat or Maharashtra.
I write for a number of newspapers. And once I went for a program, some lady approached me, she said you have very well written this speech, my son had been your regular reader and he had benefitted a lot. I didn't know who she was, till, at the tea, I met her and said, is it not a little difficult? Ye mushkil toh nahi hai?
And when I went to Punjab, and Haryana my friends ask me, yaar tum kaisi Hindi likhte ho/what kind of Hindi do you write? I said I don’t write, it is the translator who translates because I write everything in English.
So, the translator, very rightly put here, they don’t have much prospects here, but they can be built here. In fact, the United Nations would not exist if it did not have its translators here who can not only write not only read. Even in there, their own Parliament people demanded we get Translators on this.
It's also a question of our paying due respect to the Translator communities here to understand each other. After all, we must understand. Communication is vital. There is no debt, if in one place, you could have a databank of the jobs which are available in the Translation Industry, in the Multinationals, in the Education Institutions, the Universities here, it will go a long way in promoting the careers of the Translators here.
There are many more things that can be said here, but, its great to have been invited and to be able to address you all. I’m not a technical man, as you all here with double
But I will definitely go to the side ear. Do not expect any feedback from most people cause if you get feedback from 10.
Which is to be practiced in one day and forgotten. The more we are able to understand, the more we are able to communicate. After all, you must understand, communication is basic to everything. White addressing here, at this conference, or in newspapers, I found that, English newspapers were 11nth in the list, down below. Above it, was Hindi and local languages, like Marathi, like Kannada, like Telugu and other languages.
So there is a need to build bridges here and there is no better way to build bridges other than through communication, through writing, through paper, through media, TV Channels and so on. Mr. Ravi Kumar thank you so much, God bless you for our…
