Nandikar celebrates 50

It is a momentous occasion that a theatre group is celebrating 50 years of existence. In a time where popular culture and media is replacing traditional forms of performing arts, it is a great achievement for Nandikar. I am personally very happy because I have been fortunate enough to know the creative brain behind this group Mr. Rudraprasad Sengupta and few of the leading characters in the group. On this historic day, on their birthday announcement card was a poem by a very famous Bengali poet Subhas Mukhopadhyay with a translation by Swatilekha Sengupta of Ghare Baire (a film by the Indian filmaker Satyajit Ray) fame. I took a humble attempt at doing my own translation. So here it is -

My precious, my jewel,
my dear child,
What would make you happy,
what would you take
this year?

Feed me
a cupful of milk daily
Buy me two earthen toys.

Rather -
Splash a burst of colors
into the sky
And
erasing all evil, spread on the ground
a peaceful world
for unending dreams.