A Man's Tribute To Womanhood!

Thanks, Vandhana!

Dear Vandhana,
Thanks a lot for your kind post. To cherish and laud the women in one's life, one need not be gracious or great, one should have the capacity to see the truth and the courage to admit it.
regards,
sridhar

 

Thanks Meena!

Hello Meena,

Thanks Meena. The ultimate credit should go to the great poet, Abdul Rahman. Any man who reads this poem is bound to burst out with similar words. Words have the power to create worlds, to destroy worlds, and at times like these, they also have the power to reveal the truth.

And those magnificent words made me think of the women in my life and the post wrote for itself. That is all.

Chitra who has an eye for ultimate things in life has a great role to play in this post as it was she who suggested the book in the first place.

I want to share this secret with you Meena (and through you to all the ladies in IL). Indhu is now in IL. A few posts down the line I would have the pleasant duty of replying to my wife's post. Can you guess her user ID?

regards,
sridhar

 

Thanks, Anjana!

Dear Faultless One,
Thanks for those great words. The more you read this post the more your heart will swell in pride for being born as a woman. For you are and would be playing the roles of daughter, sister, wife, friend, mother and grand mother.

If you think my wife is lucky, you have the facility of telling her directly by pm. For she is now an ILite. But as I told Meena, you will have to find out her user ID.
regards,
sridhar

 

Thanks, Rajeswari!

My Dear Rajeswary,
You have made my heart swell in pride with the word you have used to describe my post.
When you say that I have been "genuine" to my family, it sounds like the best conduct certificate I can ever hope to have in my life.

thanks, rajeswary,
sridhar

 

I have to thank you for several reasons

Shahana,

It was your post and then CVs request that made me translate the poem yesterday. But honestly translation was running in the background even when I was typing the poem.

I have to thank you again for your father bears the name of this great poet.

Thirdly I have to thank you for rightly guessed my wife's role behind whatever I am today.
She has helped in my writing. She has edited almost all my stories before they are despatched. But unlike many husbands I have not shared much of household work with her. She does all the work and literally hands me the things on the platter.

And finally I should thank you for saying that every woman, whatever maybe the role she plays, gives the same kind of affection to her near and dear.

Thanks shahana,
sridhar

 

You have already done that, Sundari

You women already have done that "mannippom, marappom" several million times over; or you would not have chosen to live with us men.
Thanks, dear Sundari, for the short yet potent post.
sridhar

 

Thanks Sudha!

Dear Sudha,

The quality of translation depends on the emotional impetus provided by the original. In this case that was tremendous and in fact was so great, that I started auto-translating even while I was posting the poem. I was waiting for the first request to translate and immediately I posted the translation.
Technically I took only 10 minutes to translate the whole poem. But the translation was running in my mind for three days.

Point about men hesitating to praise their wives is a very subtle observation. It is fashionable to either humiliate or mock or pretend as if they are afraid of, their wives. To praise one's wife is a bad fashion statement but all truths are precisely that - bad fashion statements.

And thanks for accepting the half-half theory. But what is LNL I thought it was LNC? But I being a simple mofussil man of 28 can understand PC far better.
regards,
sridhar

 

Thanks again, dear Faultless One!
sridhar

 

Thanks is not the word, Chitra!

No Chitra, don't let your affection for me blind you to the greatness of AR. The translation was good because the original was even better. And it emotionally stirred me so much that translation became a very natural and a seamless process.
Anyhow thanks for the words of praise. Pray God that I should get an opportunity to translate one full work of this quality.
regards,
sridhar

 

I feel I have won the Manbooker!

Dear Ambika,
To have my translation work praised in such words by Ambika herself, I feel like winning the Manbooker prize.
Honestly Ambika, when you first told me that you were about to pursue your Doctorate in Translation I was just wondering whether there is so much to learn and research in a prosaic job as translation. I met Dr.Rajeswari my school-mate who has actually done her thesis on translation studies. Then I learnt that Sahitya Academy gvies an award for translation works. It was only when I translated the book from English to Tamil did I fully know the importance of translation.
I just know two languages, Ambika. I think you know about 5 or 6. I used to imagine how much should you have derived in translating Annamacharyas songs! And while talking about translation I could see how emotional and enthusiastic you become. And you do it with love even though you are a creative writer and a poet in your own merit.


I have never been able to write a poem of my own. But when I read some powerful verses like this, translation happens and I don't have to strain myself.

Thanks for the nice words you have for my wife and my daughter. And you have conferred the greatest honour on me by saying that I deserve them.
Thanks, Ambika. Thanks again.
sridhar