Brief Profile: Mukta Lall

Jumbo Editorial Team

Mukta Lall, who has recently transliterated her illustrious grandather Prof Tilok Chand Mehroom’s poetic collection Bachon Ki Duniya from Urdu to Hindi, was born at Rawalpindi, then a part of undivided India, now a famous city of Pakistan, on March 6, 1944. Her father Jagan Nath Azad was also an eminent Urdu poet.

She completed her higher secondary education from Queen Mary's Higher Secondary School, Delhi, in 1961 while she did a secretarial course from YWCA in 1962. She joined Siemens later the same year (1962) and retired as Senior Manager-HR in June 2004, having worked there for more than four decades.

Upon retirement from service, she took keen interest in learning Urdu, having taken correspondence courses from Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi. The purpose of learning the language was to read the works of her father and grandfather.

It was during her interaction with Dr Abdur Rasheed, Instructor at Jamia Milia, when the idea to transliterate the works of her father and grandfather was discussed and the dream started turning into reality. In order to retain the originality and beauty of the poems it was decided to transliterate and not translate them.

The assistance and guidance of Dr Abdur Rasheed, Instructor, Jamia Milia, and his elder brother Mr Abdul Mughni, Managing Director, Dilli Kitab Ghar, encouraged Mukta Lall to accomplish the most cherished goal of her life. After having transliterated her grandather Prof Tilok Chand Mehroom’s poetic collection Bachon Ki Duniya, she is currently working on her father Jagan Nath Azad’s poetry book Bachon Ki Nazmein, which consists of 16 poems. Then she has planned to transliterate Bahare Tifli, another literary masterpiece of her grandfather.

Mukta Lall revives golden memories by transliterating Prof Tilok Chand Mehroom’s Bachon Ki Duniya

Jumbo Editorial Team

Mukta Lall, hailing from an illustrious literary family, has done a commendable job by having transliterated children’s poems from Urdu to Hindi. The title of the book, Bachon Ki Dunya, orginally written by her illustrious grandfather, Prof Tilok Chand Mehroom, has been retained.

These poems were penned by Prof Tilok Chand Mehroom, an eminent Urdu poet, at a time when there was a dire need for good Urdu literature for children. His passion for teaching had provided him the opportunity to interact with children and such experiences encouraged him to create ‘Bacchon ki Duniya’ which was a monumental contribution.

“Urdu as a language personifies beauty and the art of poetry enhances it. This book has been transliterated and as the transliterator, I have added a few pages to throw some light on the life of the poet. The only difference lies in the script which is now Hindi, however the language remains Urdu and to ensure easier understanding, footnotes that contain meanings of unfamiliar words have been provided,” Mukta Lall, whose father Jagan Nath Azad was also a great Urdu poet, told Jumbo Editorial Team in a recent interview.

“Bachon Ki Duniya as a book is also very educative. The values relating to Almighty God, punctuality, nature, to be a good human being, high thinking are all instilling thoughts that these poems exuberate,” the New Delhi-based Mukta Lall pointed out.

“The poet was inspired from within and the mystical beauties that lie in the simplest form of life and nature, is what provoked the poet to create these poems. The poet also wishes that young children not only imbibe values that the poems want to convey but also put them in action,” she added.

Mukta Lall has indeed chosen a perfect way to pay a tribute to her grandfather and father, both of whom enriched Urdu literature with poetry of pedigree.

She has printed only 300 copies of the book and most of these have been presented to Jamia Milia, Urdu Academy, Ghalib Academy, Ghalib Institute, Urdu Ghar and to a few professors and intellectuals abroad as well.

The book, which is priceless for it’s not available for sale, has been very well received by these institutions and has been acknowleged as worthy contribution.