Please excuse me for typing the incorrect version of your esteemed surname. Since so many friends of mine are Mehrotras, hence the mistake occured by the way; in future I shall be ever cautious.

Regards,

Krant.

Thanks for pointing me to your poems and translations. I’ll read them as soon as I get a free moment. In the mean time, please take note that my name, as typed in several places above, is Amit “Malhotra” and not “Mehrotra”.

Thank you

Amit Malhotra

Thank you for letting me know the meaning of “Jiishaan”. As far as my transliteration goes, “ja-ii- sh-aa-n” does not mean I meant “jaiishaan”, but the “ja” indicated the Hindi letter “ja”. That transliteration was simply meant to illustrate the spelling of the word in Devanagri not to illustrate the pronounciation of the word, which obviously, as I also indicated in my post is “jiishaaN” with a nasal “na” sound at the end to fit the meter.

Now that I know what “jiishaaN” means, I think your interpretation of the couplet is slightly off.

I also think there’s an error in the book. The couplet in the book appeared as:

a.nDaman Khaak terii kyo.n na ho dil mei.n naazaa.n
chhake charaNo.n ko jo pi.ngale ke huii hai jiishaa.n

As this is literal transliteration, I think the word “Chhake” should have been “chhuke”

And hence, the meaning should have been, “Andaman (the prison is being personified here), why shouldn’t your dust be sacred to me, the dust that has become alive (self-conscious does indicate being alive) or “khuddar” (which would mean proud) after touching Pingle’s feet”

Now this makes more sense as there’s no indication in the couplet that it’s talking about creating pride, self-consciousness in the heart of Pingle, rather the fact that Pingle was incarcerated in that prison has turned the dust of the prison into something sacred, something proud.

Thanks for commenting

Amit Malhotra