Dr. Mohammad Muazzam Sharif
Literary Translation is a love affair and adaptation is the romance–and who else is the best proponent of love and romance other than Shakespeare! Translation conforms to rebirth/revival and Professor Irena Makaryk of the University of Ottawa even describes it as a type of “resurrection”. Given the numerous translations of his plays and poems that are currently available as well as the recent surge in adaptations across the nation, Shakespeare is undoubtedly resurrected in Pakistan. Just as Shakespeare in Kabul, a book about the fascinating presence of Shakespeare in Afghanistan, may sound odd, Shakespeare in Pakistan in general and in Pashto language in particular may appear to sound the same–but it is not! Shakespeare has been present outside the curriculum long before the recent rise in adaptations, the increase in appearances of references to and from his plays in the media reports of Pakistan, and the recent claims amongst academicians and performers about introducing Shakespeare in Urdu and Pashto in Pakistan and in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa respectively.
Apparently harmless claims are made recently by various bodies and academicians claiming to be the “first ever” to work on Pakistanizing or localizing Shakespeare or introducing his plays in Pakistan and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa in Urdu and Pashto languages respectively. These claims come mostly either due to the limited knowledge regarding subject at hand, that is “academic ignorance” or the feeling of superiority amongst the scholars. Both fall into the old school colonial approach where Shakespeare remains English and untouchable; and so do the Shakespearean scholars/performers. This colonial mindset marks English language and Shakespeare (and his works) as a symbol of so called elite-status.
Shakespeare has been present in the region since 1775. Based on multiple reliable historical accounts, such as the 1607 Journal of the Captain of the British East India Company’s ship The Red Dragon, a troupe played Hamlet for the entertainment of the crew, first on the ship and subsequently on the land (subcontinent). However with the passage of time people localized Shakespeare and his works. A theatre company by the name of “Alfred” was introduced in the now Khyber Pukhtunkhwa in 1904, which resultantly performed an Urdu drama Khwab-i-Hasti (The Dream World of Existence) written by Agha Hashar Kashmiri, also known as Shakespeare of Urdu. This drama is an Urdu adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Later on, Agha Hashar founded his own Shakespeare Theatrical Company.
Shakespeare has also been translated into Pashto extensively; however, a large number of people are not aware of it mainly because Shakespeare is mostly read and understood as a colonial subject of “English” literature. Additionally, the records regarding Shakespeare in Pashto are either not largely public or easily accessible, or no one has taken the time to gather them, put them online, and make them available to and for the public. That being said, translations of The Merchant of Venice by Murad Ali Shinwari, The Tempest originally titled as JakaRr by Rahm Ghani Sahar, Romeo and Juliet and Adam Khan au Durkhani by Mohammad Nawaz Tair, and Venus and Adonis originally titled as Da Meene Tandha (The Thirst for Love) by Abdur Rahim Majzoob are few of the examples that speak volumes of the richness of Shakespearean translations into Pashto. Sarfaraz Khan’s Tareekh-e-Khattak provides a list of Shakespearean translations that include unpublished translations too. These works include Pashto translations of Hamlet, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice (Da Venice Sodhgar), Twelfth Night (Dolasama Shpa), Tempest (Tofan). The Pashto translation of The Merchant of Venice was published as early as 1962. A more recent example of translation is the 2024 performance of Macbeth in Pashto at the Edwardes College Peshawar. However, the play was translated into Pashto in verse form by the famous Pashto poet/writer Qalander Momand way earlier.
Having said that, the colonial race to be the “first ever” needs to be challenged and changed. An informed attention is required to focus on the content of the works–works that may go extinct if no proper attention is paid to them–and their respective availability to the academic and non academic circles. Only then can we truly break free from the colonial fractals–decolonize–and start approaching Shakespearean works as well as English/Foreign Literature with a newly informed state of mind (decolonized in all aspects); hence, putting them to better use. This allows space for Pakistanizing Shakespeare (as well as our entire education system). If we wish this ‘love affair’ to succeed and materialize we need–by decolonizing first–to change the way we approach Shakespeare, Literatures, and our entire education system.
