Poetry – the common heritage of mankind

Karachi
A project titled ‘Poets Translating Poets (PTP)’, undertaken by Goethe-Institut and Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai, aims to create a platform for poets from South Asia and Germany to translate each other’s works.
The project, initiated in July 2015, involves 48 poets and 20 translators of 19 South Asian languages and German and over eight months of translation workshops, and photo essays. A follow-up to the first session in this regard was held at the T2F on Monday evening which was moderated by noted intellectual and short story writer, Dr Asif Iqbal Farrukhi.
The panel included Daniela Danz, a German poetess; Andreas Altman, a German poet; Attiya Dawood, a noted Sindhi poetess; Amar Sindhu, eminent Sindhi poetess and journalist; Afzaal Ahmed Syed, an Urdu poet and critic; and Ali Akbar Natiq from Islamabad.
In reply to a question from the moderator, Amar Sindhu said that it was a beneficial experience because a realisation was brought home that despite the vastly varying cultures and language, human experiences and issues were largely the same everywhere as human emotions transcended geographical barriers. In short, she said, it brought home the oneness of humankind.
Afzaal Ahmed Syed said that this translation was highly warranted as it acquainted humans with the commonality of all human issues, regardless of land or clime. Andreas Altman read his poem in German the translation of which was presented by Afzaal Ahmed Syed.
Ali Akbar Natiq said, “Our imagery is the same but the linguistic difference seems to magnify the diversity. However on this trip to Karachi, I’ve realised that poetry is the common heritage of all mankind.”
Attiya Dawood said that despite the linguistic and vast cultural differences, the commonalities were far too obvious to see.
German poetess Daniela Danz narrated her insistence on coming to Pakistan despite all that was being said about the security situation here and said that she was really happy to see that the concerns turned out to be a myth. “The treasure of commonality should be enlarged,” she said.
The sum total of the programme seemed to be the emphasis on the oneness of mankind, and this seemed to be the be-all and end-all of the project.