Mom's Birthday

When matter, energy or data is translated into some other form it is always accompanied with a loss.

1. Energy -- Electric to motor == Heat is the loss
   
2. Data -- Analog to digital == Precission is the loss
   
3. Matter -- Rock to stones == Small particles that fallout is the loss

And the same in case of language. Translation can never be perfect even if it is by the same author. But it is good fun to find the appropriate word for same thought in different languages.



Every thought should be expressed in the same language in which it was conceived. This is what I learnt on my mothers birthday this year.(Jan 16th)

We planned to celebrate this particular birthday of her, in her own style. That I should say is ಸಾತ್ವಿಕ ವಿಧಾನ. We tried to include the complete family in the celebrations.
The schedule of events was

1. ಸ್ವಾಗತ ಭಾಷಣ
2. ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥನಾ ಗೀತೆ
3. ಶ್ಲೋಕ ಪಾರಾಯಣ
4. ಗೀತೆಗಾಗಿ ಒಂದು ಗೀತೆ - gookul
5. ಕೊಳಲು ವಾದನೆ - ಚೇತನ್
6. ಆಟಗಳು

The song I had written as a tribute to my mom goes like this
ತನಗೆ ಆಂಗ್ಲ ಭಾಷೆ ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವವಳು ಇವಳೇ,
ಆದರೆ ನಮಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ಆಂಗ್ಲವ ಕಲಿಸಿದವಳು ಇವಳೇ .
ತನಗೇನು ತಿಳಿದಿಲ್ಲ ಎನ್ನುವವಳೂ ಇವಳೇ ,
ಆದರೆ ನಮಗೆಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ತಿಲಿಸಿದವಳೂ ಇವಳೇ.
ಇತರರಿಗೆ ಹೋಲಿಸಿದರೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಹೆದುರುವವಳೂ ಇವಳೇ,
ಆದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಧೈರ್ಯ ತುಂಬುವವಳೂ ಇವಳೇ.
ಇವಳು ನುಡಿಸುವಳು ವೀಣೆ,
ಹಾಗು ಸಂಗೀತದಲ್ಲಿವಳು ಪ್ರವೀಣೆ.
ತನ್ನ ಹೆಸರಲ್ಲಿ ಭಗವದ್ಗೀತೆ ಹೊಂದಿರುವವಳೂ ಇವಳೇ,
ಅದನ್ನು ಸಾರ್ಥಕ ಪಡಿಸುವವಳೂ ಇವಳೇ.
ಅವಳೇ ಇವಳು ಇವಳೇ ನನ್ನ "ತಾಯಿ" ಗೀತ.
ಒಂದು ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಮಗಳಾಗಿ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯಾಗಿ, ಸೊಸೆಯಾಗಿ, ಅತ್ತಿಗೆಯಾಗಿ, ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಕ್ರಮವಾಗಿ ನಡೆದು ಬಂದಿರುವ ನಿನಗೆ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಪರವಾಗಿ ಹುಟ್ಟುಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು.

Mom was really happy. She tried to express that a few times. It made me feel that this was the best gift I had ever givcen to anybody. I never believed in birthday celebrations or wishing on birthdays. But this particular event changed my opinion.
She said పరవా లీదే బిత్రోడు బాగా రాసిండావు. ఎబ్బుడు రాస్త్వి.(Little rascal that was good when did you write it?)I can't deny the fact that I loved it, to be recognised and be praised for something.
She continued "అంతా బాగుండా కాని కొనాలూ తాయి అనీ బొదలు అమ్మ అనింటే బాగుండు".(Everything was fine but instead of saying mother in the end you should said amma.) How could I commit such a blunder. ಇವಳೇ ನನ್ನ ಅಮ್ಮ ಗೀತ That would have been perfect. That was what i wanted to convey.The two words ತಾಯಿ and ಅಮ್ಮ, very similar yet so different. They mean the same but what they convey is so different. They are like two aliens who look so similar but are from different universes.


The problem was that I had thought in english and translated it to kannada. I had learnt my lesson for the day, dont try to translate. Express your idea in the same language in which you percieve your idea.