Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 20: Dogri translation of Shakespeare’s world classic ‘Julius Caesar’ was released here today at a simple but impressive function organized by Dogri Sanstha at KL Saigal Hall.
The Dogri translation of the literary legacy of the greatest playwright in the English language believed to be written in 1599 has been rendered by Madan Gopal Padha, a well known name in literary and cultural circles.
Claimed to be the first unabridged translation of the tragedy the book has been published by Sarswati Prakashan, Surya Vihar (Jammu) with an exclusive 60 page preface by late Prof Lakashmi Narayan Sharma, a scholarly son of soil.
Regional Director, Indian Council for International Relations, Padamshree Balwant Thakur, was the chief guest on this occasion whereas Dr Arvinder Singh Aman, Additional Secretary, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, presided over the function.
Welcoming the audience, Chhatrapal, president, Dogri Sanstha, underscored the importance of translation of literary works and said as human civilizations developed and intersected, translation emerged as a necessary form of communication. ‘Julius Caesar’ is a valuable addition to the Drama shelf of Dogri and provide an opportunity to local theatre groups to stage it in their mother tongue, he said.
Prof Lalit Magotra, Convener, Advisory Board for Dogri in Sahitya Akademi, who also conducted the proceedings of the function, said in his opening remarks that Julius Caesar is a play about moral ambiguity in political setting and personal tragedy.
Speaking on this occasion, Balwant Thakur said that plays of Shakespeare are being staged world over from centuries and their charm and beauty still haunts the thespians. There have been scarcity of good plays in Dogri and translation of famous plays from other languages could be a possible remedy to this shortage.
Dr Arvinder Singh Aman also spoke on the occasion. Earlier Madan Gopal Padha read out some dialogues from the released book and shared his experiences as translator.
A large number of writers, stage and TV artists, intellectuals and members of civil society participated in the book release function.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel