BIO
Born on January 1st, 1951, in the village of Sitapur, Madhya Pradesh, India, Uday Praksh (उदय प्रकाश) is a significant name in Hindi literature. He is known for his poetry collections – Ambar Mein Ababeel (2019), Raat Mein Harmonium (1998), EK Bhasha Hua Karati Hai (2009), Abootar Kabootar (1984), and Suno kārīgara (1980). Uday Prakash is also a novelist, story writer, essayist, and translator. He has translated the work of many international poets like Pablo Neruda, Federico García Lorca, H. Luis Borges, Paul Éluard, C.P. Cavafy, Adam Jędrzejewski, and Tadeusz Różewicz into Hindi. His works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry have been translated by Robert Hueckstedt, Lothar Lutze, Jason Grunebaum, Andre Penz, Amit Tripurnaini, Vinit Utpal and Kalpna Singh-Chitnis.
Uday Prakash has also worked as an editor, film producer, and Assistant Professor at JNU, and the School of Social Journalism. His awards and honors include 2013 Jan Michalski Prize for Literature, finalist, The Walls of Delhi, and 2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, shortlist, The Walls of Delhi, translated into English by Jason Grunebaum; 2009 SAARC Literary Award; 2003 Pahal Samman;1999 Sahityakaar Samman; 1996 Muktibodh Samman; 1990 Shrikant Verma Memorial Award and 1980 Bharat Bhushan Agrawal Puraskar. Uday Prakash was also honored with Sahitya Akademi Award that he returned in 2015 to protest the murder of renowned scholar M. M. Kalburgi.
BIO
Kalpna Singh-Chitnis is an Indian-American writer, poet and filmmaker. Author of Bare Soul (winner of the 2017 Naji Naaman Literary Prize for poetry) and three collections of poems in Hindi, she received the prestigious Bihar Rajbhasha Award given by the government of Bihar, India, for her first poetry collection, Chand Ka Paivand (Patch of moon), in 1987 and the title of Bihar Shri (Jewel of Bihar) in 1988. She is also the recipient of the 2014 Rajiv Gandhi Global Excellence Award for her contributions to literature and cinema.
A former lecturer of International Relations at Gaya College, Kalpna Singh-Chitnis obtained her Master’s degree in “Political Science” from Magadh University, Bodhgaya, India, and studied “Film Directing” at the New York Film Academy in Hollywood. She also participated in the Silk Routes project of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa from 2014 to 2016 and studied “Buddhism Through Its Scriptures at HarvardX, (Harvard University). She was nominated for “Honor of Yeast Litteraire” by Levure Litterarie magazine in Paris, France, and her work has appeared in notable journals like World Literature Today, California Quarterly, Indian Literature, Pirene Fountain, Fine Lines, and several leading Hindi journals in India. Her poetry has been translated into many languages. Kalpna Singh-Chitnis is the Editor-in-Chief of Life and Legends and works as an independent filmmaker in Hollywood. Website: www.kalpnasinghchitnis.com
Banishment
They pressed all the buttons
and every light bulb turned on.
In the brilliance of the light of many colors,
the city has sparkled.
Walking on a road
drenched in luminosity,
I whisper – “How dark it is here.”
For speaking such a colossal lie,
I was banished from the city, outright.
(From Amber Mein Ababeel)
जलावतनी
उन्होंने दबा दिए सारे बटन
जल गए सारे बल्ब
अनगिनत रँगों के अपार उजाले में
जगमगा उठा वह महा-शहर
’कितना अन्धेरा है यहाँ ?’
मैंने धीरे से कहा
किसी रोशनी से सराबोर सड़क पर चलता हुआ
शहर से निकाला गया मुझे
इतना बड़ा झूठ बोलने के लिए
(अम्बर में अबाबील से)
Dying
After dying
a man
cannot think.
After dying
a man
cannot speak.
When a man
cannot think
or speak,
he dies.
(From Suno Karigar)
मरना
आदमी
मरने के बाद
कुछ नहीं सोचता.
आदमी
मरने के बाद
कुछ नहीं बोलता.
कुछ नहीं सोचने
और कुछ नहीं बोलने पर
आदमी
मर जाता है.
(सुनो कारीगर से)
Cage
The bird is not in the cage.
The cage is furious
and the sky is happy.
In the gladness of the sky
a young bird learns,
how to fly.
(From Suno Karigar)
पिंजड़ा
चिड़िया
पिंजड़े में नहीं है.
पिंजड़ा गुस्से में है
आकाश ख़ुश.
आकाश की ख़ुशी में
नन्हीं-सी चिड़िया
उड़ना
सीखती है.
(सुनो कारीगर से)
An Understanding
A friend writes
in his letter –
“I am well.”
I write to my friend
“I am well.”
Both are bewildered!
(From Abootar Kabootar)
व्यवस्था
दोस्त चिट्ठी में
लिखता है–
‘मैं सकुशल हूँ ।’
मैं लिखता हूँ–
‘मैं सकुशल हूँ ।’
दोनों आश्चर्यचकित हैं।
(अबूतर कबूतर से)
Prayer
Where I was supposed to stay silent,
I spoke.
Where I was supposed to speak,
I remained silent.
When all birds were abandoning
the burning tree,
I hung in there on a branch.
When everyone was going to the market
and opening their shops,
in the same old pot,
I was cooking my squash.
When everyone had gone on a date
and toward their destinations,
I was drowned in luxury,
sitting against a wall
from noon till nightfall.
When everyone
was sleeping and dreaming
after a long day,
I was wide awake at night,
sitting in the dark.
O! My Khwaza!
Please bring me a slumber,
that cannot be disturbed by
any noise.
I want to sleep my entire life,
listening to lullabies.
(From Amber Mein Ababeel)
.
जहां चुप रहना था,
मैं बोला.
जहां ज़रूरी था बोलना,
मैं चुप रहा आया.
जब जलते हुए पेड़ से
उड़ रहे थे सारे परिंदे
मैं उसी डाल पर बैठा रहा.
जब सब जा रहे थे बाज़ार
खोल रहे थे अपनी अपनी दूकानें
मैं अपने चूल्हे में
उसी पुरानी कड़ाही में
पका रहा था कुम्हड़ा
जब सब चले गये थे
अपने अपने प्यार के मुकर्रर वक्त और
तय जगहों की ओर
मैं अपनी दीवार पर पीठ टिकाये
पूरी दोपहर से शाम
कर रहा था ऐय्याशी
रात जब सब थक कर सो चुके थे
देख रहे थे अलग अलग सपने
लगातार जागा हुआ था मैं
मेरे ख्वाज़ा
मुझे दे नींद ऐसी
जो कभी टूटे ना
किसी शोर से
जहां मैं लोरियां सुनता रहूं…
(अम्बर में अबाबील से)
*****
