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I have always maintained that a translator’s task is far more tedious than that of the writer’s. For, it’s not just a thankless job but the translator also has to be cautious not to miss out the basics while maintaining the very flow of the work. And in this particular volume, Journey To the Holy Land : A Pilgrim’s Diary (OUP) by Amir Ahmad Alawi, the translator duo, Mushirul Hasan and Rakhshanda Jalil, have maintained not just the flow but have also prefixed a much-needed introduction to the diary jottings of well-known Urdu scholar, who had undertaken this Haj journey way back in 1929. Alawi had written details of this journey in Urdu, in the form of a roznamcha or a daily diary. Originally titled Safar-i-Sa’adat (Propitious Journey), it had all the ingredients of a travelogue coupled with Alawi’s observations, jottings, experiences, interactions with his fellow passengers while on this long journey to perform the Haj, travelling from Uttar Pradesh to Saudi Arabia. In an age and stage when travelling was indeed tough.
And with Alawi passing away in 1952, this volume would have remained buried or forgotten on some nondescript shelf, if it had not got translated, from Urdu to English. And also, if it hadn’t got that much-needed introduction. For, the introduction carries not just the very crux of the holy Haj, but also those vital historical inputs, religious backgrounders, narratives, and as well as the social settings. As Mushirul Hasan and Rakhshanda elaborate in the introduction; "This essay seeks to locate, briefly, the place of Haj in Islam, describe some of the well-known customs, rituals, and practices associated with it ... Haj literally means an effort, though it is translated as pilgrimage. One of the five pillars of Islam, it is obligatory upon every Muslim to undertake it once in a lifetime. It begins on the eighth of the month of Zul Hijja, the day of setting out for Arafat, which is located some 13 miles east of Mecca ..." After the introduction, comes the actual travelogue. Of course, owing to space constraints it’s impossible to quote extensively from those jottings. Let me begin by quoting a few lines from the very first jotting which focusses on when Alawi starts off on this journey from his home in Kakori, situated on the outskirts of Lucknow, "19 Sha’baan, AH 1347 (January 31, 1929 ), I had left home on Thursday at 8 o’clock in the morning. Scores of relatives crowded the ladies’ quarter. Every person, related or unrelated to me, appeared sad. My mother had urged people not to cry. Hence, the stoic composure of silence. I felt dismal but controlled myself I tried to talk about this and that but no one would look me in the eye or talk to me `85To end this poignant (hasratnaak) scene I got up from my place, performed my ablution and offered two rakat prayers. Then, I took my leave, first from my mother, followed by other relatives. My middle daughter stood at the door. She clung to me and wept. Her tears signalled others to do the same. Everyone joined in. I consoled her as best as I could, controlled my own tears and stepped out into the mardana (men’s quarter). Here, too, friends, relatives and neighbours had gathered. I left everyone to Allah’s safekeeping and approached the car. My younger son, Nawab, who is physically challenged and, therefore, closer to me than the others and has spent 10 years with me, stood beside the car. He saw me and stepped away. I beckoned him to come close. He did so without looking at me. I won’t forget that gesture. Like him, I remained composed and got into the car. Some of my relatives drove with me to Lucknow ..." And as Alawi’s journey takes off, so does this volume. Taking you through those places, with those people who were with him on that journey. Some very interesting and informative inputs on his co-passengers, "A man from Kashgar, accompanied by his wife and daughter, is also a fellow traveller. He had reached Kashmir from Kashgar (Chinese Turkestan ) after travelling on horseback for 40 days. He boarded the ship from Karachi. I marvelled at his courage. Truly, the Haj belongs to such men of piety ... Their daughter, who is eight or nine years’ old, is extremely pretty. She looks like a Chinese doll. She, too, travelled with her parents on horseback for 40 days and reached here after a long and arduous journey ..." And though I’m tempted
to write many more details from Alawi’s journey, but it’s best if
you read them in the volume ... Leaving you with these last few lines,
as he records the very last day of his journey: "After an hour or
two, the train reached Lucknow. My brothers, sons, relatives, and
friends were waiting for me at the platform. I also saw my Nawab
standing among them. I lost all control, when I set my eyes on him.
Tears began to flow uncontrollably. I left the train in a violent
hurry. I reached Nawab after meeting all the assembled relatives. I
hugged him and began to cry like a baby `85 The train for Kakori
waited on the platform `85.I got off today on June 8 at the Kakori
station after four and quarter months. My homeland’s breeze
gladdened my heart. Such happiness surged deep within my heart that
the journey’s troubles and toils disappeared, as though by magic
..."
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