Translating Rabindranath Tagore not easy: Javed Akhtar

Kolkata: Having penned more than 1500 songs, lyricist Javed Akhtar has said that it was not easy for him to translate Tagore songs in Hindi.

The celebrated poet-writer has translated eight songs of Rabindranath Tagore to Hindi, which are featured in an album.

"I have a lot of experience in writing to the tune. I have written over 1500 songs and they are to the tune. So I can tell you that writing to the tune is not that difficult for me. Translating Tagore is not as easy," Akhtar said.

Stating that he has tried to keep the language as simple as possible, Akhtar said, "I have tried to be at the backseat but at the same time have kept the original tune. I have not added anything and tried to keep the simplicity of the language," he said.

Launched here last evening at the Kolkata Literary Meet, the album 'Anant' has eight songs such as 'Tum Kaisey', 'Tumhey Janoo', 'Ghanghor', 'Aisa Tumhara Prem', 'Sakhi Prem' which were originally written as part of the 'Gitanjali' collection of poems.

Produced by Baithak Records, the songs are sung by Sangeeta Datta while young Sarod maestro Soumik Datta has set the tune. "This is our tribute to Tagore on the centenary year of his Nobel prize for Gitanjali," Datta said.