An Exclusive Interview 𝒃𝒚 Najam-uddin Ahmad

To read an Essay on Muhammad Salim-ur-Rehman, Please click here

It was 2004, when I started writing short-stories. I sent my first four short stories to Muhammad Salim-ur-rehman to seek his opinion and guidance. More than one month passed but I received no reply from him, which filled me with despondency. Suddenly, one day I received his generous letter. One of my short stories was appreciated by him and he told me that it was a theme fit for novel and I should try to ……..

 write it as a novel. On his advice, the short story became my first novel “Mudfun” (The Burials). He published it in his esteemed literary journal “Savera” before it could be published in book form. Afterwards, I never published anything — whether short stories or my three novels — unless he a look at my manuscript. During this span — from 2004 until now — I have met him a lot of times at his residence in Darogha Wala, Baghban Pura, Lahore and always found him hospitable, polite, humble and meek.

  The life of Muhammad Salim-ur-rehman is a rich tapestry of literature. Over the past sixty years, he has enriched various genres of Urdu literature. He is an editor, critic, storyteller, compiler and translator. He is well known for his translations. He has translated a good number of books especially western fiction.

Muhammad Salim-ur-rehman was born on April 12, 1934 in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. His family moved to Aligarh where his father, Maulana Aqeel-ur-Rehman Nadvi, was a teacher of Arabic and Persian at a local school and a poet. He did his F.Sc. from Aligarh University. After the partition, his family migrated to Pakistan in 1952. He translated Homer’s Odyssey in Urdu in prose in 1956 at the age of 22. He also wrote short stories, novels, books of poetry. He is a playwright, too. Now he has over 50 books to his credit. He is also an editor of the well reputed Urdu literary journal “Savera”.

On the evening of 7^th March, 2024, I again visited him but this time I had a purpose in my mind — to interview this legendary figure of Pakistan in the field of literature, who is equally respected and honored in Pakistan and India. When I asked him for his interview, he didn’t refuse. He answered my all question concisely. Brevity is a part of his personality.

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NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

You translated Homer’s Odyssey into Urdu in 1956 when you were 22 years old. How did you manage to do such a difficult job at so early an age? Why did you decide to translate it?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

I liked it when I first read it. Odyssey read like a dastan and some incidents in it reminded me of Alf Lailah. So I said to myself: why not translate it into Urdu. At that time I wasn’t even sure if anyone would care to publish the translation. After all, I waas an unknown young person.

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

You translated the poems into Urdu prose. Why didn’t you attempt a poetic rendering of it?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

It was impossible for me to do so. Even now I can’t do it. Anyway, there are so many names in it which can’t be expressed exactly in an Urdu meter. The English translation before me was in prose.

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

Did you ever contemplate to translate into Urdu any other Creek classic?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

No, I haven’t. But I will love to translate “Iliad”, the other poem attributed to Homer.

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

Have you translated any collection of an English or European poet?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

That is impossible. Not every poem is translatable. But I have translated a lot of poems by various poets.

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

How go do you choose a book for translation?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

Well, if I really like it. The other consideration is whether it can be translated without too many explanatory notes.  

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

You have translated so many books. What problems did you face?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

This needs a detailed comment. I don’t have the patience now. Suffice it to say that languages are incompatible and to translate is to create a truce between two languages. Not easy, to say the least.

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

As a translator do you prefer to remain close to the original? Or a free and whimsical translation is the right approach?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

It is better to remain faithful to the original. Difficult but not impossible. I dislike those who pretend to translate freely. They do so either out of laziness or they poorly comprehend the text they are translating.

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

You review books, write literary columns and edit a literary magazine. You must be well aware of the literary scene in Pakistan. A good many translators are at work now. How do you rate them?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

I have a fair idea of what is goings on in the literary world. Many books are being translated into Urdu these days. Among the living, I guess, Ajmal Kamal, Asim Bakhshi, Inam Nadeem and Zeenat Hassam are notable. But I haven’t read all the translations. So I may have missed naming some who may be equally good.

NAJAM-UDDIN AHMAD:     

Someone who translates into or from Urdu learns a lot about his art. Nevertheless very few translate from English. Why should it be so? Or our writers, poets and translators fear that what they do or may do will not be deemed good and will be largely ignored?

MUHAMMAD SALIM-UR-REHMAN:

Well, the writers and poets don’t really come into it. If there is no one willing to translate their work into English what can they do! No complex is involved. The problem is simple. There are very few who can translate into English competently enough. Will they be paid adequately for their labour? And apart from English how many are there who know other languages quite well?