Poetry
Қиссаи Ҳиндустон
Not translated into English
Mirzo Tursunzoda · 1948
Synopsis
The cycle arises from a journey to India in the spring of 1947, for a conference of the peoples of Asia held in Delhi. The poet sings the country's beauties there, from the Ganges to the Taj Mahal and the hanging gardens, and tells of British colonial oppression, against which he sets Soviet achievements. The first poems, written during the stay, were completed on his return, and the whole calls on oppressed peoples to become aware of themselves and to free themselves.
Context
The journey took place in February and March 1947; Tursunzoda was part of a delegation of eight Soviet scholars. The cycle appeared in two stages, before and after India's independence, and comprised in all more than fifteen poems, from the Ganges to the poem of the return. It was translated into many languages, and the poet remained tied to India, from which he later received the Nehru Prize.
Who it is for
For readers interested in the Soviet view of India at independence and in Tajik poetry of the mid-century.
Prizes and reception
Awarded the State Prize of the Soviet Union in 1948, it is the work by which Tursunzoda is known in India.