Small events turn out to be momentous. I translated a couplet posted by him on Facebook, tagged him and posted it. The appreciation I got there brought in the realisation that I could translate poetry. A beautiful world has opened to me since then. Doing a book of translated poetry still seems like a dream when I look back.
Reading Harmeet Vidyarthi’s poetry, I could relate to it as bringing out the concerns of a conscience trying to wade through the challenges thrown at it from all sides. His poems are simple conversations with deep intent. They are like hearty interactions with a reader who is familiar with the corruptions ailing the contemporary times. He has written on diverse themes, he has written down emotions in such simple language. They just start flowing as the reader gets down to reading the poems.
Translating these poems, I have tried to keep as close as possible to the poetic intention. It has been exhilarating journey, and the nervousness accompanies the fact that this is one of my first attempts at introducing a work of art into another language. I am grateful to Harmeet Vidyarthi Ji for trusting my competence and I thank all my teachers till date for the skills that I possess. Thank you, God! May good art and artists flourish always.