Market power of one language can completely obliterate the experience of others

What is the point of industrialization without environmental safeguards, farming science with wasteful consumption, medicine with people addicted to drugs their whole life, arms purchase without any real political sovereignty? Sadly, India got the worst of both the worlds.

https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/1310279256900067330?s=19

I translated another Lithuanian Sutartinė "Kūkal rože ratilio" into Telugu as కంకుల రోజా గుత్తీలో. Such Sutartinės are sung around midsummer, when women gather for a social event, or for celebrating the harvest.

https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/1303336792830156800?s=19

They sound a lot like Telugu folk songs. 😀

https://t.co/S6aux7l6ZN

I discussed the deep symbolism of the lyrics to the folk history of Slavic people, who suffered a lot over their history, due to invasions and war. Their situation is not unlike the north-west of India. There are many haunting melodies here. They might be simple, but very moving.

I translated a lullaby from Beaggu language of the Solomon Islands "Rorogwela" into Telugu as చంటితమ్ముడూ జాయిగా బజ్జోరా. Many people know the tune from the electronic band "Deep Forest", but the original singer "Afunakwa" didn't earn a penny out of this.

https://t.co/cyb3HDim7l

I discussed the issues related to protecting authenticity in creative expression, especially when taking source material from small vulnerable groups. This is the struggle of our times, where the market power of one language can completely obliterate the experience of others.

Today, I translated "Mahk Jchi" by the Native American a cappella group "Ulali" from Tutelo & Saponi languages into Telugu as "మా గుండెలు నిండుగా ఉన్నాయి".

This song reminds how the song and spirit of their ancestors are still flowing through the singers.

https://t.co/5i4SVTSl12

Today, I translated “𒌓𒌷𒄴 𒌓𒍪𒊏𒌷𒀀“ (In those days, in those distant days) from Sumerian language into Telugu as “ఆ రోజుల్లో, ఆ అలనాటి రోజుల్లో”. It is from the Epic of Gilgamesh (గిల్గమేషుని కథ), and sung by Peter Pringle.

https://t.co/SS4kgTCNonఆ-రోజుల్లో-అలనాటి-రోజుల్/

Today, I translated the song "Kozala" (to exist) by the singer Rebecca M'Boungou and her band "Kolinga" from the Lingala language of Congo into Telugu as "బ్రతికుండడం, శూన్యంలోకూడా నిలిచుండడం". This song has great jazzy rhythms and some profound lyrics.

https://t.co/9LIXgBVOyF

I translated the Peyote healing song "Wani Wachiyelo"of the Native American Lakota tribe into Telugu as "ఇంకా జీవించాలనుంది". 

https://t.co/izPHcDy4RZ

I translated the Cherokee morning chant for greeting the sun "We n'de ya ho" into Telugu as "బ్రహ్మంతో ఒకటైయాను".

I find it very sad that a lot of the native American songs simply disappeared. We only have very few morcels from this oral literature. 

https://t.co/mDFaddJXtn

I translated the Maori folk song "E papā Waiari" from the Hawaiian singer Fiji into Telugu as "ఓ పాపా వయ్యారి". I kept the exact Maori words from the title in Telugu, and that somehow worked! 😀😄

https://t.co/anUYpXXlK4

I translated the ancient Egyptian chant "A Ka Dua", which was deciphered from hieroglyphs, into Telugu as "ఓ పైనున్న వాడా". 

I discussed the possible identification of this deity with Mahadēva Śiva in Hinduism.

https://t.co/auVDjqDlc6

I translated the "Forest Hymn" from the band "Deep Forest" into Telugu as "గాలి కూస్తోంది అడవి తల్లి కీర్తి". I am not sure which language the original lyrics are from (possibly the Pygmy language in Congo). The album gives the lyrics only in English.

https://t.co/a7MDCOm7x4

I translated the Tuareg song "Nànnuflày" from the Malian band "Tinariwen" into Telugu as "సంతుష్టి". I started this translation hobby with a song from Tinariwen, so it was nice to revisit their work. Excellent graphic video and animation, by the way. 😀👍

https://t.co/pkJ0QXszIO

Today, I translated “Purple haze” by Jimi Hendrix into Telugu as “నీలారుణ మసక”. The lyrics describe the effect of taking some drug, a very common theme in that era. Hendrix died far too early, but opened up a grand vista of music for us.

https://t.co/eR7co7rfw9నీలారుణ-మసక/

I translated the Japanese song プライベート サーファー by the singer Ua into Telugu as "అలలపై ఏకాంతస్వారీ", via a machine translation into English. I was not happy with this, but I hope to improve this in the future, if I see any authentic translation. 🙂

https://t.co/XHCPcRQUFf

I translated the Ukranian song "монах" (Monakh) by the folk band Darkha Brakha into Telugu as "తాగి తందనాలాడిన సన్యాసి". This song describes the need to enjoy the presence of the current moment, instead of suffering an overly regimented life. 

https://t.co/XOPDytziV7

I translated the Polish folk song "Oj ty rzeko" into Telugu as "ఓయి నదీవే, ఎందుకు నిండుగా లేవు?". The song is sung impromptu by the folk singer Karolina Cicha and her band in Rajasthan. She posted the video on Youtube, showing a very fresh performance. 😀

https://t.co/JtKdU57T1C

I translated the song "Perkūne, Ugniaveidi" by the Lithuaninan singer Rugilė Daujotaitė into Telugu as "పర్జన్యా అగ్నివదనా". The song has mixed English and Lithuanian lyrics. In my translation, I adopted the Sanskrit cognates of the Lithuanian words. 😀

https://t.co/m0Y1ScTLgM

I translated "Les feuilles mortes" from French into Telugu as "ఎండుటాకులు". The song is sung beautifully by Juliette Greco, who passed away yesterday. I hope my translation helps more people discover French chansons, immortalized by singers like Greco.

https://t.co/Yv0EPpEkN7

I translated the renowned French song "La Mer" by Charles Tenet into Telugu as "కడలి, నా హృదయాన్ని తట్టింది". This song is entwined with so many of my own memories along the French sea coast. 😀

https://t.co/yoylRGdtkf

I translated the Khmer song "កូនកំសត់" (kaun komsott) by the renowned Cambodian singer of the 1960s Ros Serysothea into Telugu as "పాపం పసిపిల్లలు". This lilting melody is filled with Vātsalya Bhāva. Thanks to @premanmurthy for suggesting the song.

https://t.co/e4c5ubmuAS

I translated the Blues song "We don't care" by Eric Bibb and Habib Koité into Telugu as "మనకి అనవసరం". The song is about the indifference of so many people to world's problems. The musical collaboration between the American and Mali musicians is fantastic.

https://t.co/iT26C3ixCF

https://twitter.com/vakibs/status/1309955883825328129?s=19

This thread of A-Z top #OdiaSongs is a unique list covering most singers of the era. It was a golden period with lyricists and composers giving their best. Odia language is indebted to them for ever. Further, these represent authentic Odia life and culture and not archaic Odissi.

https://twitter.com/NathTusar/status/1309158761169391618?s=19

Clearly they have no idea what we suffered in the 80s and 90s on long distance video coaches. Have watched Jo Jita Wohi Sikandar at a volume that could bring back Alexander the Great from the dead. Don't know if things have improved, but this just doesn't look scary.

https://twitter.com/sanjeevsanyal/status/1310253259286749184?s=19