In a pioneering initiative to build cross-cultural bridge between the Islamic world and India, the Indian epic-poem Ramayana has been translated into Arabic by famed Lebanese poet Wadi-al-Bustani.
The book, entitled Ramayana, was unveiled at the Jaipur Literary Fest last week. Delegates from Kalima, a cross-cultural translation and publishing initiative from Abu Dhabi, were also present at the function.
It will promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of each other’s spiritual heritage, says Syed Shahid Mahdi, vice president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
“Every culture has a Ramayana and it is a profound act of humanity to share each other’s most powerful stories, he says.
“This is an important sharing of secular values through the translation of the great epics, which represent both the Indian faith and mythic imagination,” says ICCR Director-General Suresh Goel.
The book includes an introduction by Dr. Khalil Al Sheikh and was revised by Dr. Thikr Al Rahman, Director of the India Arab Cultural Centre in New Delhi.
Al Bustani (1988-1954) has also translated many world classics such as “The Quatrains of Al Khayyam” by Edward Fitzgerald (1912). A passionate student of ancient Indian literature, he read classics in English and French translations, as well as in Sanskrit. Al Bustani translated the “Mahabharata”, one of the great epics of India, into Arabic. In 1971, he also translated some of the poetry of iconic Indoian poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), and published it in a book entitled “Al Bustani”.
Author Profile
- India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) is an emerging think tank and a media-publishing company focused on international affairs & the India Story. Centre for Global India Insights is the research arm of India Writes Network. To subscribe to India and the World, write to editor@indiawrites.org. A venture of TGII Media Private Limited, a leading media, publishing and consultancy company, IWN has carved a niche for balanced and exhaustive reporting and analysis of international affairs. Eminent personalities, politicians, diplomats, authors, strategy gurus and news-makers have contributed to India Writes Network, as also “India and the World,” a magazine focused on global affairs.
Latest entries
DiplomacyApril 23, 2024Resetting West Asia, re-booting the world, but not fast enough: T.S. Tirumurti- India and the WorldApril 22, 2024India’s G20 Legacy: Mainstreaming Africa, Global South in global agenda
- DiplomacyApril 10, 2024Diplomat-author Lakshmi Puri pitches for women power at LSR
- India and the WorldApril 6, 2024UN envoy pitches to take India’s solutions to the world stage
