Translation of Shakti Chattopadhyay's iconic poem

Here is a translation of Shakti Chattopadhyay's iconic poem ‘অবনী বাড়ি আছো?’

Abani, are you home?

Doors clasped shut, the hood's fast asleep

Someone keeps knocking at the door

‘Abani, are you home?’

It rains here all year long

Clouds graze like cows

Sullen green tube-weeds

Clasp at the doorway -

‘Abani, are you home?’

The molten heart aches

With a faint distant pain

As I doze off

Suddenly, a knock at the door

‘Abani, are you home?’

Here is the original poem:

দুয়ার এঁটে ঘুমিয়ে আছে পাড়া

কেবল শুনি রাতের কড়ানাড়া

‘অবনী বাড়ি আছো?’

বৃষ্টি পড়ে এখানে বারোমাস

এখানে মেঘ গাভীর মতো চরে

পরাঙ্মুখ সবুজ নালিঘাস

দুয়ার চেপে ধরে–

‘অবনী বাড়ি আছো?’

আধেকলীন হৃদয়ে দূরগামী

ব্যথার মাঝে ঘুমিয় পড়ি আমি

সহসা শুনি রাতের কড়ানাড়া

‘অবনী বাড়ি আছ?’

A conversation with the Indus Action group

Indus Action (https://www.indusaction.org/about) describes itself as a do-tank and not just a think-tank in the development sector. It is run by young professionals with the aim of improving policy implementation and narrow the gap between law and action. They approached me for a conversation on some recent work I have done on income transfers. I was interviewed by Siddharth Premkumar on November 20, 2020.

It was a stimulating conversation - the link to the recording is below.

When I was asked what general advice I had for them at the very end, I had to think hard about what to say that would go beyond the usual platitudes (the last 7 minutes of the clip). Perhaps I will write something on this at some point.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-y-4ZPD4Rk&feature=emb_logo