The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: The Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation was awarded to My Journey, Insha J. Waziri’s translation of Mera Safar by Ali Sardar Jafri.
That Dawn Will Surely Come Someday, Vinay Rajoria’s translation of Vo Subah Kabhi To Aaegi by Sahir Ludhianvi, was runner up.
The award is named after Urdu poet and scholar Ali Jawad Zaidi, who passed away in 2004. He wrote several books of poetry and prose including landmark texts such as A History of Urdu Literature, Uttar Pradesh ke Marsiyago, and Taarikh-e-Mushayara. He was honoured with the Padma Shri, the Ghalib Award, and the Mir Anis award, among others.
The winner, Insha Waziri, is a literature student and journalist. She has previously translated the short story ‘Usne Kaha Tha’ by Chandradhar Sharma Guleri for the book The Great War published by Bloomsbury India, excerpts of the play ‘Rang De Basanti’ by Bhisham Sahni for the book Jallianwalla Bagh: Literary Responses in Prose & Poetry published by Niyogi Books, and the poem, ‘There Is This Place…’ for the anthology Contagious Tales by the New Weather Institute.
The jury noted that Waziri’s translation was chosen as winner since it not only aligns with this year’s theme of ‘resurgence,’ but also captures the lyrical beauty of Jafri’s poem in all its poignancy.
Vinay Rajoria, runner up of the Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English Translation 2024. Photo: By arrangement.
Runner up Vinay Rajoria is pursuing a Master’s degree in English literature and language from Jamia Millia Islamia. His philosophical poems and polemical essays have been published in LiveWire, The Wire‘s page for youth issues.
The jury chose Rajoria’s poem as a runner-up because “it seamlessly renders into English, Sahir’s rich evocative imagery and progressive ideals.”
The judges for this year’s award were Syeda Hameed and Nishat Zaidi.
Hameed has been a member of the Planning Commission of India and the National Commission for Women, and was founder member of the Muslim Women’s Forum (MWF). She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.
Literary critic and translator Nishat Zaidi is also professor and former head at the Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
The judges made special mention of Rise and embrace the right to die, Andleeb Shadani’s translation of Uthho marne ka haq istemal karo by Habib Jalib.