Majboor on His Translator
Arvind Gigoo doesn't like to put Professor as
Prefix to his name. I think he is right. Gigoo is
a scholar, endowed with great humility. It was VK
Zutshi who introduced me to Gigoo at Udhampur,
where we all were living as exiles. After the
first meeting, we began meeting too frequently.
This company was further enlivened by the
participation of Messers ML Goja and PK Goja.
Gigoo Sahab has translated thirty of my poems from Kashmiri into
English. The translations were well received by
leading writers of
India. It was he who introduced me to a big
audience and great writers through his crisp and
creative translation. These poems were brought out
in an anthology - "Waves", which
received 22 reviews. The reviews were later
published in a book form.
Arvind Gigoo is a forthright person. He doesn't like to keep
secrets to himself. His book 'Ugly face of
Kashmiri', has been written in a style
that is unique. It has introduced a new genre in
literature. The book demythifies Kashmiris of all
shades, presenting them as they are. Gigoo has
penchant to give surprises. Till the book was out
none of his close friends knew he had written the
book.
Gigoo when at home looks lazy, who spends most of the time
sleeping. But when he decides to work he is a
dynamo of energy, a giant and all excellence. He
is liberal, dislikes to own hackneyed old
ideologies. Gigoo has his own philosophy of life.
Source: Kashmir
Sentinel
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