Latest news with #SyedMohammadTaqi
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘There were sounds of sirens and distant explosions every day'
For the people of Alipur in Karnataka's Chickballapur district, the past few weeks have been an unimaginable nightmare. Many had gone to Iran to pursue education, theological studies, or for work. None had anticipated that escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel would leave them trapped. 'We never thought we would make it home again,' said Syed Mohammad Taqi over phone to The Hindu who returned to India on Saturday. A resident of Alipur in Gauribidanur taluk, Mr. Taqi was part of a group of 11 students who were among over 100 villagers stuck in Iran. 'I cannot describe the fear,' he continues. 'There were sounds of sirens and distant explosions every day. Our neighbourhood was just 5 km from a missile strike. The nights felt endless as flashes lit up the sky like fireworks, but far more terrifying.' Communication was almost impossible during those tense days. 'There was no Internet. We couldn't reach our loved ones back home. Our families in India were frantic. Only after the Indian Embassy moved us to a hotel were we given wi-fi, and finally, we could speak to them,' Mr. Taqi recalls. Alipur is a close-knit village with many pursuing studies or business in Iran. On June 18, The Hindu reported how the war had unsettled Alipur's residents. Shafeeq Abidi, a well-known Urdu poet and former journalist from the village, said that around 40 of his fellow villagers had already come home safely. For many, the terror began on June 13. 'That is a day I will never forget,' says Mohsin Raza, a medical student in Tehran. 'The first explosion happened just a kilometre from our hostel. Initially, we thought it was an accident or a loud army vehicle. But then the windows shattered. Outside, we could see missiles arcing across the night sky. That's when we realised this was a serious attack.' Mr. Mohsin, along with other students, immediately reached out to the Indian Embassy. 'We contacted them and told them how dangerous it was becoming. The embassy promised us they were working on evacuation plans as the conflict intensified,' he added. Meanwhile, Syeda Faize, who stayed in Tehran, spent those days huddled in a basement shelter. 'There were constant bombings, and the sound of explosions was deafening. We hardly slept. Every blast felt like it could be the last. Our only thought was to survive,' she added. In India's ongoing evacuation initiative Operation Sindhu, citizens were moved to comparatively safer cities like Qom and Yazd before being relocated to Mashhad and eventually returning to India. Although most of Alipur's stranded residents are finally home, those who survived the ordeal say they cannot forget the chaos they witnessed. 'We thought we would never make it,' Mr. Taqi says, his voice filled with emotion. 'But we're here back in our village safe at last.'
Business Recorder
22-05-2025
- Science
- Business Recorder
BOOK REVIEW: Breathing new life into Taqi's seminal work
The English translation of The Future of Civilization, originally penned in 1980 by distinguished scholar Syed Mohammad Taqi, is a remarkable literary achievement— masterfully rendered by his granddaughter, Sumera Naqvi. Over the course of three dedicated years, Sumera Naqvi has breathed new life into this profound work, making it accessible to a global audience while preserving the original script's intellectual rigor and poetic depth. Syed Mohammad Taqi himself was a prolific translator, having brought numerous seminal works of philosophy, economics, and science into Urdu. In addition to Das Kapital by Karl Marx, John Dewey's Democracy and Education, Alfred North Whitehead's The Aims of Education, and Sir James Jeans' The Mysterious Universe, he translated several other important works to enrich Urdu literature and academic discourse. His commitment to bridging cultural and linguistic divides is now beautifully reciprocated through Sumera Naqvi's meticulous translation of his own magnum opus. What sets this translation apart is its seamless flow and natural cadence—so much so that readers unfamiliar with the book's history would scarcely realize it is a translation. Sumera Naqvi's command over English, combined with her deep understanding of her grandfather's vision and philosophy, ensures that the text resonates as though originally composed in English. The clarity of expression, the elegance of prose, and the faithful conveyance of complex ideas all testify to her exceptional skill. I am sure that cultural differences played a significant role in shaping the translation process for Sumera Naqvi, presenting both challenges and opportunities as she worked to translate The Future of Civilization from Urdu into English. The original text is deeply embedded in South Asian cultural, religious, and historical contexts, which may be unfamiliar to many English-speaking readers. Sumera Naqvi had to carefully interpret and convey these references in a way that preserved their meaning without alienating readers unfamiliar with the cultural background. This often required adding subtle explanations or choosing equivalent concepts that resonate across cultures. Urdu, with its rich poetic tradition, contains idioms, metaphors, and expressions that do not have direct equivalents in English. She needed to find creative ways to translate these phrases so that the emotional and aesthetic impact remained intact, while ensuring clarity and natural flow in English. The book discusses Islamic civilization, philosophy, and religious symbolism extensively. Translating these ideas demanded sensitivity to avoid misinterpretation or oversimplification, especially since certain concepts carry layered meanings within the original cultural and religious framework. She had to balance fidelity to the source with accessibility for a diverse, potentially secular readership. The tone and rhetorical style of Urdu academic and philosophical writing can differ significantly from English conventions. Sumera Naqvi had to adapt the prose to meet the expectations of English-speaking readers while retaining the author's authoritative and reflective voice, ensuring the text felt both authentic and approachable. One of the key themes of the book is the universality of civilizational dialogue and shared human values. Her translation had to maintain the cultural specificity of the original work while highlighting its universal messages—striking a delicate balance between honouring the unique cultural identity of the source and making the ideas globally relevant. The translation not only preserves the intellectual essence of the original but also captures its emotional and cultural nuances. This delicate balance allows readers to fully engage with Syed Mohammad Taqi's timeless reflections on civilization, culture, and dialogue without the barriers often posed by translated texts. This translation is a testament to both the enduring relevance of Syed Mohammad Taqi's work and the remarkable talent of Sumera Naqvi as a translator. It stands as a bridge between generations, languages, and cultures—inviting a wider audience to partake in a vital conversation about the future of humanity. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
