Indian diplomat Abhay K's '100 Great Indian Poems' translated, published in Arabic

The Arabic edition of ‘100 Great Indian Poems’, a book first edited by Indian poet and diplomat Abhay Kumar, was launched at the Sharjah International Book Fair in the UAE on Wednesday. The book encompasses poems from over 28 Indian languages spanning over three thousand years. Attending the launch virtually, Kumar who goes by the pen name of Abhay K, reckoned that the book would act as a “literature and cultural” bridge between India and the Arab world. 

This is not the first time that the poetry book has been translated into a foreign language. According to ANI, an Italian version of the book titled ‘100 Grandi Poeme Indiane’ by Edizioni Efesto and a Spanish version titled '‘Cien Grandes Poemas de la India’ was published by the National Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon. Notably, the popularity of the literary work extends as far as Madagascar where it was translated to its national language- Malagasy. At present, it is awaiting publication in several other languages, including Iris, Nepali, French, and Russian. 

Abhay Kumar's previous works and translations 

Adding another feather to his cap, Kumar's Earth Anthem was translated into 100 languages earlier this year. The translation was made as the people across borders marked International Day for Biological Diversity, an occasion dedicated to promoting biodiversity issues.

According to ANI, the celebratory song is inspired by the Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means “the world is one family.” 

“United we stand as flora and fauna/United we stand as species of one Earth", reads a line from the poem expressing solidarity with all the livings species on our planet and calls for protecting the rich biodiversity on Earth.

Alphabets of Latin America, a collection of poems penned by Abhay K, which paints a poetic portrait of Latin America, has been translated and published in Italian. According to ANI, the translation was completed by professional translator Angela D’Ambraa and published by Edizioni Efesto. The elaborative book consists of 108 poems in total describing the flora, fauna, monuments, mythologies, cuisine, landscapes and festivals of Latin American territory. Kumar had served at discreet diplomatic capabilities in countries including Russia, Madagascar, Nepal. 

(With inputs from ANI, Image: @TheAbhayk/Twitter)