Sunday, February 20, 2011

That half an hour.....


                                          Feb.14,a day of pleasure and enjoyment. People enjoy and cheer up with their love and celebrate Valentine. But ,for me, this Valentine was not as usual.
                                          It was 11.30 A.M. I was having my regular lunch and soon I realised that my doll, my love i not around. My two and half year old daughter was suddenly disappeared. Initially, I thought she would be playing nearby, because she would never go outside alone. So, I asked Mavshi, her care taker to find her out and kept continue to watch TV and enjoying food. But Mavshi returned empty handed and that made up shocked. Because, it was first experience when Mavshi couldn’t bring her back.
                                             At the same time, I left my launch and came out to search my daughter, Saee, her name. I nearly forget to wash my hands and drink water. The news of her disappearance spread like a wildfire in my neighbourhood. People gathered and fruitless discussion started. Some kind-hearted tried their level best to find her. Two school going girls brought their bicycle in search of my kid.
                                            My restlessness was increasing with every passing moment. Somebody asked me to inform police and suddenly, I felt my eyes drenched. What a pathetic moment is this? Should my doll search by police?or may be I can find her as soon as possible? Many questions knocking my brain, which were unanswerable. With out wearing any cloths on my body, I moved out to search her at every possible place. But in vein. She was any where. My sweetie was just disappeared. Callous mind started working negatively. It moved  me by reminding many incidences of kids kidnapping.
                                               Entire scenario was serious, every passing moment was increasing tension and all the people, specially women gathered there, were expressing their concern, that made me more worried.Everybody was suggesting to me to do this and that. Till then,every place where she possibly can go was searched out.
                                                More than half an hour was passed, but we were failed to get even s single clue of her whereabouts. In the some state of mind I rushed towards main road. And what a great sight I had! Just, some meters away I saw my doll. Shabby, feared and on the verge of cry Saee was coming back with one girl.”Oh dear!” I said and run towards her. Finally, I got my lost angel. I had picked her up and brought close to my heart
                                                  Now, it was a moment of celebration to me My Velentine was settled safely in my arms. I asked her-‘Beta, where did you go ?’, with out knowing the seriousness of the situation, she said, ‘I was going to see my Mama who has gone for duty....’

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Translating Mandela.........




Presently, I’m working on a book, by and about Nelson Mandela, a living legend of Africa. A person no need of any further introduction. It’s really a unique book that has very large span. It focuses on the life of Nelson Mandela as well as the development process of South Africa as a free nation. ‘Confession with Myself’, the title of the book, explores many aspects of Mandela’s life. Here, he appears, primarily, as a person rather than a politician. His struggle against colonization in Africa is a part of widely known history, but his growth and development as a father of nation to his country, is really worth to know.

The book has not typical biographical structure. It is a compilation of letters, speeches, interviews, pages from his personal diaries, comments by others, some unknown moments of anger and happiness in his life, his limitations as a man, his love for his people, and, of course, the path he adopted- a Gandhian path of Satyagraha.



Devastating experiences could not move him from his goal. Twenty-seven years long prison could not kill his thrust for freedom. Finally, he, Nelson Mandela emerged as a nation builder. His homeland, South-Africa, became an independent nation. He was the first president of free South-Africa. He was the modal for entire Africa continent; most of the countries of Africa were struggling for their independence. One of the most important features of this book is that Mandela himself had shared a lot from his personal things which was yet unknown to the world. His relationships with his family, his friends, his colleagues others are explored here.

When I was asked by my publisher, Mr. Saket Bhand about to translate ‘Confession with Myself” into Marathi, I was not very sure to do it, but when I just gone through the book and found it astonishing. Within few moments, I my intuition forced me to response affirmatively.

Within few months, this book has touched every nuke of the world. I am informed that, the process of translating the book in more than thirty languages of the world is going on. U.S. President Barak Obama’s article on Mandela is one of the important aspects of this book.

Let’s see how it works in regional languages. Because, I heard that it is appearing in five to six Indian languages soon.





Sunday, February 13, 2011

Welcome back....

Hi, We are here together after a long time.Never mind, we will keep this meeting without interruption in future.
Recently, I was in Jaipur, to attend a mega literary event - Jaipur literary festival. Great experience !! Here, I could meet masters like J.M.Coetzee and Orhan Pamuk, whom I brought into Marathi. It was an eye opener event for me that give broader view of literature with its every aspect.
 I will write on it in detail.....