Selected Dohas

by K.C. Kanda

This book is meant to introduce the reader to the famous 'dohas' of five Hindi poets: Kabir, Tulsi, Rahim Khankhana' Varind Kavi and Sheikh Farid. The book contains 523 'dohas', which have been thoughtfully selected and faithfully rendered into English language, lucid, rhythmical and appropriate. The translation attempts to retain the beauty of rhyme and assonance, the special features of a 'dohas', which account for their musicality and memorability.

Each poet is first introduced with a brief biographical-cum-critical note which gives a foretaste of the 'dohas' to come.

The book begins with a general introduction to the form and features of the 'Dohas', which is fairly comprehensive and informative. Then follow the series of selected 'dohas' in Hindi, their transcription in the Roman script, and their translation into English. It is hoped that this book will be warmly received by lovers of literature, including especially those readers who are not familiar with Hindi in the Devnagri script.

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Kishan Chand Kanda has had a long and distinguished tenure as a Reader in English at Delhi University. He holds a doctorate in English from Delhi University, Master’s degrees in English from Punjab University and Nottingham University, and a first class first M. A. degree in Urdu from Delhi University. He has published 10 books of Urdu poetry translations and is the recipient of the Urdu Academy Award for excellence in translation.