Reading “Sharing a Room with Sparrows” was particularly impactful because of the way Taneja connects Azad’s imprisonment to our shared experience of the pandemic. The “spiritual journey” that Azad takes on alongside the sparrows is a deeply convicting reflection on life and how our perception of time affects the focus of our attention. I was particularly struck by Taneja’s connection of Azad’s writings to George Floyd and the nation’s reaction in the summer of 2020. Taneja writes, “Perhaps only because the altered experience of time as a shared global phenomenon has already brought about a moral reckoning in human relations” (239). In truth, I had not considered how our perception of time during the pandemic influenced the attention and subsequent response given to the atrocities committed against George Floyd, “giving people the time” to sit and watch in horror for the entirety of the nine minute video. Suddenly, we, as a nation so focused on being busy and getting things done, had the time to care about the horrific violence and racism persistent in our society. I thought this was an incredible comparison and application of Azad’s writings with the sparrows.
Additionally, this reading made me think about the role of translation in research. As an English speaker myself with no knowledge of the language in which Azad writes (Urdu, correct?), I have to rely entirely on the translation of Taneja, and this author has the impeccably difficult job of translating poetic text from another century in a way that carries the same meaning. This challenge is evident in her lengthy explanation of her translation of peace/accommodation on page 233. How does not reading the text in its original language impact our understanding of it? Are we missing elements because we are reading a translated version? Sometimes, certain sentiments or ideas cannot be easily changed from one language to another, and I imagine this is a particularly difficult and recurring issue present when studying such poetic writing in one language and publishing articles about it in another language.
Looking to “Hindustan is a Dream,” I was left with many curiosities regarding Taneja’s extended ethnographic research project in India. How did she begin working with Urdu poetry? What did her time in India look like? She hints at attending poetry readings and even a protest, but I am very curious as to what other events she observed and how she conducted interviews. She also references social media posts such as on Twitter and Facebook (21)—was this an important part of her study? How much time did she spend online as an observer? I look forward to hearing more about how she conducted this research as well as how she protected her informants/herself while studying Islamaphobia at such a tense, violent time for Muslim people in India.