Zahid Abrol
Encyclopedia
Vijay Kumar Abrol, better known by his pen name
Zahid Abrol, is a well-versed India
n Urdu poet. He has done 'the first-ever Urdu translation' of the 12th century Sufi-poet Baba Farid’s shlokas and shabads and that too in verse.
Khatri
family, to Mul Raj Abrol and Bimla Devi, in Chamba
, Himachal Pradesh
, India
. He did MSc in Physics from Panjab University, Chandigarh
, Punjab (India)
. He picked up Urdu
after leaving college for the love of Urdu poetry. He started learning Urdu in 1971 and became the author of his two poetry collections in the next 15 years.
In his recent work ‘Faridnama’, Zahid Abrol has rendered the poetic translation of Farid bani into Urdu and presented it in both Urdu and Devnagri scripts. This is remarkably a great achievement as in the process, he has not deviated from the tenor and texture of the original composition. At some places, the Punjabi verses of Baba Farid defy attempts at easy comprehension and facile understanding. These require deep knowledge of the syntax of Punjabi language, rural imagery, concept of Sufi order, metaphysical metaphors and pithiness of expression. It is not possible for a devout reader to comprehend the meanings without bringing about a qualitative change in the atmosphere of his mind. On his part, Zahid Abrol has disciplined his mind thoroughly so as to remain within the bounds of close textual reading. He appears to have completely identified himself with the philosophy contained in the original work. It is very rare that a classic is translated in another language by retaining its linguistic pattern dexterously. This can happen only when the mind of the translator is fully attuned to the symphony of the original poetic diction. The words emerged from the inner recesses of his mind and took the form of rhyming verses in his work Faridnama; angels dictate him when he takes pen in his hands. Faridnama is indeed a marvel in translation.
. They have one son (Anees Abrol) and two daughters (Neha Abrol and Rabia Abrol). Being a hard-core secularist, he has named his son 'Anees' and daughter 'Rabia'. "I like the poetry of Mir Anees, so I named my son after him. Why not name our children like that, why can’t Kulsum be called Kusum and vice-versa?", he asks. He also feels that if the poems of Dr Iqbal
are introduced in Hindi textbooks for children, it would bring the next generations closer. My job does not give me a lot of spare time, so it took me two years to complete the translation of these shlokas and shabads all of which are a part of the Guru Granth Sahib
", he said.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Zahid Abrol, is a well-versed India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Urdu poet. He has done 'the first-ever Urdu translation' of the 12th century Sufi-poet Baba Farid’s shlokas and shabads and that too in verse.
Early life
Zahid Abrol was born in a HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Khatri
Khatri
Khatri is a caste from the northern Indian subcontinent. Khatris in India are mostly from Punjab, region but later they migrated to regions like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, Uttarkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber...
family, to Mul Raj Abrol and Bimla Devi, in Chamba
Chamba, Himachal Pradesh
Chamba is an ancient town in the Chamba district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, in northern India. According to the 2001 Indian census, Chamba has a population of 20,312 people...
, Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He did MSc in Physics from Panjab University, Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
, Punjab (India)
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
. He picked up Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
after leaving college for the love of Urdu poetry. He started learning Urdu in 1971 and became the author of his two poetry collections in the next 15 years.
Poetic career
'Andha Khuda' was his first collection published in 1978 followed by 'Ek Saf-ha Purnam' in 1986. His recent publication is the poetic translated version — 'Faridnama' — exhibits the original Gurmukhi version, its Roman transcript, Urdu translation in verse in Urdu and Devnagari scripts in a well produced volume and has won accolades from experts. This way he has reproduced tributes paid to Sheikh Baba Farid's poetry in all the three languages.In his recent work ‘Faridnama’, Zahid Abrol has rendered the poetic translation of Farid bani into Urdu and presented it in both Urdu and Devnagri scripts. This is remarkably a great achievement as in the process, he has not deviated from the tenor and texture of the original composition. At some places, the Punjabi verses of Baba Farid defy attempts at easy comprehension and facile understanding. These require deep knowledge of the syntax of Punjabi language, rural imagery, concept of Sufi order, metaphysical metaphors and pithiness of expression. It is not possible for a devout reader to comprehend the meanings without bringing about a qualitative change in the atmosphere of his mind. On his part, Zahid Abrol has disciplined his mind thoroughly so as to remain within the bounds of close textual reading. He appears to have completely identified himself with the philosophy contained in the original work. It is very rare that a classic is translated in another language by retaining its linguistic pattern dexterously. This can happen only when the mind of the translator is fully attuned to the symphony of the original poetic diction. The words emerged from the inner recesses of his mind and took the form of rhyming verses in his work Faridnama; angels dictate him when he takes pen in his hands. Faridnama is indeed a marvel in translation.
Personal life
Zahid Abrol is a Bank Manager by profession. He is married to Professor Rita Abrol and they currently reside at Una, Himachal PradeshUna, Himachal Pradesh
Una is a city and a municipal council in Una district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.-Geography:Una is located at . It has an average elevation of 369 metres .-Demographics:...
. They have one son (Anees Abrol) and two daughters (Neha Abrol and Rabia Abrol). Being a hard-core secularist, he has named his son 'Anees' and daughter 'Rabia'. "I like the poetry of Mir Anees, so I named my son after him. Why not name our children like that, why can’t Kulsum be called Kusum and vice-versa?", he asks. He also feels that if the poems of Dr Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal
Sir Muhammad Iqbal , commonly referred to as Allama Iqbal , was a poet and philosopher born in Sialkot, then in the Punjab Province of British India, now in Pakistan...
are introduced in Hindi textbooks for children, it would bring the next generations closer. My job does not give me a lot of spare time, so it took me two years to complete the translation of these shlokas and shabads all of which are a part of the Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Granth Sahib
Sri Guru Granth Sahib , or Adi Granth, is the religious text of Sikhism. It is the final and eternal guru of the Sikhs. It is a voluminous text of 1430 angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708...
", he said.
His Publications
- Andha Khuda - Jalandhar, Deepak Publishers -(1978)
- Ek Saf-ha Purnam - Hoshiarpur, Charvak Publications - (1986)
- Faridnama -(Poetical Translation of Shiekh Farid's Punjabi Verses in Urdu and Hindi Scripts)' -[Delhi, Ajanta Books International, ISBN 9788120205871 - (2003)