Penguin's recently released book Kaifiyat: Verses on Love and Women—Rakhshanda Jalil’s translation of Kaifi Azmi’s poems—is a tribute to the legendary Urdu poet in his birth centenary year. The book features an 18-page foreword by none other than his talented daughter and actor, Shabana Azmi. The foreword not only gives us a glimpse into the father-daughter relationship but also reveals a great deal about Kaifi’s poetic as well as family life and what made it stand out distinctly from others. In fact, Jalil dedicates her translated work to Shabana Azmi and husband, Javed Akhtar, with the words “To Shabana and Javed Akhtar…who carry the legacy forward.”
The book’s afterword is written by Kaifi Azmi’s wife—theatre and film veteran Shaukat Azmi—who paints a beautiful picture of the loving husband and father that Kaifi was. While she fondly remembers Kaifi and their 55-year-old marriage with great gusto, she also points out all that he did for his village, Mizwan in Uttar Pradesh. Both the foreword and the afterword are exquisitely written and reveal the poet’s nature and personality. It would indeed be a sin to skip either.
While the book of poems deals with Kaifi’s various themes such as women, love, beauty, fidelity, gaze, courage and heart, it is in translation that the real magic of this book lies. From the most complicated words that have been translated so beautifully and accurately to the fact that utmost care has been taken to ensure that both Urdu lines as well as translated lines face each other. What this does is, it does not take your attention away, thereby, eliminating the need for you to turn pages or go in search of a dictionary to quickly understand what a difficult Urdu word may mean. It is right there for readers to savour its meaning.
It is indeed rare to find both the original work, as well as its translation, executed so splendidly and all credit to Rakhshanda Jalil who has chosen the most eloquent English words to explain the meaning of words and phrases without draining the flavour of the Urdu language. Even if the reader is unfamiliar with the Urdu language and only wants to read the translated lines, those too, are mesmerising in themselves.
The book is full of Kaifi’s gems such as Hai Tere Saath Meri Wafa (My Fidelity Will Stay with You), Ek Dua (A Prayer), Pashemani (Regret) and one of my favourites, Shaukat ke Naam (To Shaukat). Do pick up this book by Rakhshanda Jalil if you want to immerse yourself in some 'first class' poetry as well as 'first class' translation.
This 173-page book contains not just poems by Kaifi Azmi but also some of his unforgettable lyrics such as Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar and Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahey Ho—both hugely popular songs from Bollywood.
There is little doubt that Kaifi Azmi’s words and lyrics are bound to stir something in most souls but it is not just his lyrics. As Shabana writes in her foreword: “He spoke both through his words and through his silences.”