What is ShabdVedh?
ShabdVedh is the latest book by India’s Thesaurus Man Arvind Kumar.
Shabdvedh is the story of Arvind’s 70-year journey in the creative world of words. A journey that begins as the 15-year-old Arvind enters a printing press as a mere typesetter, takes him to the pinnacle of journalism, and then plunges him into the vast ocean of words from where he emerges as the creator of India’s first modern thesaurus – Samantar Kosh.
In Arvind’s words, “The only worthwhile thing in my life is my work. My personal life is straight, simple and uninteresting.” ShabdVedh chronicles Arvind’s experiences and learnings over 70 years spent in the spheres of Lexicography, Journalism, Translation, Literature and Cinema.
With 51 articles written by Arvind over the years and a few written about his work by others, ShabdVedh is a simple account of a lifetime spent working with diligence, dedication and with a sense of duty towards society.
Contents of ShabdVedh
The contents of ShabdVedh are organized into 9 sections:
1) Prologue
2) The making of Samantar Kosh
3) Thereafter
4) Lexicography
5) Information Technology
6) Hindi
7) Translation
8) Literature, and
9) Cinema.
Prologue recounts how a long-cherished wish for a thesaurus in Hindi makes Arvind give up his glamorous job as the founder editor of Madhuri, India’s most respected film magazine, to embark upon the task himself and how he organizes his personal and professional life to embark upon this mega-undertaking.
The Making of Samantar Kosh chronicles the challenges and trials Arvind faced during the 20 years it took to create Samantar Kosh. He discusses the linguistic, societal and lexicographical considerations in creating the thematic structure of Samantar Kosh and his ultimate success in creating india’s first modern thesaurus in Hindi.
Thereafter is an account of Arvind’s works after Samantar Kosh namely The Penguin English-Hindi/Hindi-English Thesaurus & Dictionary, Sahaj Samantar Kosh, Arvind Word Power: English-Hindi and Arvind Tukant Kosh.
The Lexicography section of ShabdVedh includes a systematic study of the tradition and legacy of lexicography in India; an analytic comparison of Amar Kosh, Roget’s Thesaurus and Samantar Kosh; a discussion on the linguistic and social considerations in lexicography; the critical role of information technology; the current situation of Lexicography in India and the way ahead.
In the section on Hindi, Arvind discusses the changing order of Hindi ~ its development from the time of independence and its future ~ all within the global context. The section also provides an overview of journalism in Hindi over the last 70 years – how it has changed and evolved as a powerful medium of communication.
Translation forms a major section of ShabdVedh. It begins with the importance and use of tools in translation; the art of translating poetry; the considerations and challenges Arvind faced in translating the Bhagavad Gita as well as Shakespeare, Marlowe and Goethe into Hindi. Excerpts from his translations of Julius Caesar and Faust are included in ShabdVedh. The section also includes a critique of three stagings of Dharamvir Bharti’s monumental play, Andha Yug as well as a memoir to famous Hindi writer, Jainendra Kumar.
Film lovers will especially like the section on Cinema where Arvind relates his interactions with his two heroes in Indian cinema – Raj Kapoor and Shailendra. ShabdVedh recounts the emergence of Madhuri as a popular and influential film magazine of the 60s and 70s and its important societal role in bridging Cinema with Literature.
Arvind discusses the modalities of creating Hindi Film Itihaas ke Shilalekh, Madhuri’s highly popular feature in the 1970s. Shilalekh was a scene-by-scene narration of a film by Arvind himself along with insights into the writing, acting, music, lyrics, cinematography, lighting and editing aspects of film making. ShabdVedh includes the Shilalekha of the classic film Saigal’s Devdas. This was the first time such a serious AND interesting analysis of Hindi classic films was being made.
Table of contents
विषय सूची
मेरे पापा का बचपन- मीता लाल
शब्दवेध: एक परिचय
1. पूर्वपीठिका
Ø वह सुबह
Ø टेढ़े मेढ़े रास्ते
2. समांतर सृजन गाथा
Ø हंस पत्रिका मेँ 1991 मेँ छपे पाँच लेख:
1. थिसारस और मैँ
2. हिंदी और थिसारस
3. कुछ शब्द समूह और भावक्रम की समस्या
4. भगवान को भाषा मेँ कहाँ रखेँ?
5. आत्मा से परमात्मा तक, ब्रह्मा से विष्णु तक
Ø समांतर कोश की रचना मेँ काम आए ये कोश
Ø समांतर कोश का नाम कैसे बना
Ø समांतर कोश छपा इस तरह
Ø एक शानदार परंपरा: भारत और थिसारस
Ø स्वतंत्रता के पचासवेँ वर्ष मेँ: समांतर कोश
Ø समांतर कोश: प्रस्तुति
Ø समांतर कोश का आविर्भाव: एक ऐतिहासिक क्षण
Ø समांतर कोश को पलटना शब्द महोत्सव मेँ से गुज़रने जैसा है
Ø बृहत् समांतर कोश: क्योँ और क्या
3. तदुपरांत
Ø शब्देश्वरी: प्रस्तुति
Ø पौराणिक नामोँ मेँ गूढ़ अर्थ छिपे हैँ
Ø अरविंद सहज समांतर कोश
Ø द पेंगुइन इंग्लिश-हिंदी/हिंदी-इंग्लिश थिसारस ऐंड डिक्शनरी
Ø भोजपुरी-हिंदी-इंग्लिश लोक शब्दकोश
Ø अरविंद वर्ड पावर: इंग्लिश-हिंदी
Ø नया उत्तम कोश
Ø अरविंद तुकांत कोश
Ø अरविंद तुकांत कोश का आयोजन
4. कोशकारिता
Ø संस्कृत, अँगरेजी और हिंदी थिसारस: सहज समाजीय संदर्भ
Ø कोशकारिता: हमारी राष्ट्रीय दशा और दिशा
Ø डाक्टर हरदेव बाहरी हैँ, रहेँगे
Ø अरविंद कुमार अपने डाटा मेँ नए शब्द कैसे जोड़ते हैँ
5. सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी
Ø सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी और कोशकारिता
Ø मशीनी अनुवाद: संसार की तात्कालिक आवश्यकता
6. हिंदी
Ø मानक हिंदी वर्तनी
Ø हिंदी मेँ इंग्लिश कैसे लिखेँ?
Ø तेज़ी से बदलती हिंदी
Ø आँखोँ देखी पत्रकारिता
7. अनुवाद
Ø कोश, समांतर कोश और अनुवाद
Ø गीता का मेरा हिंदी अनुवाद
8. साहित्य
Ø काव्यानुवाद की कला
Ø शैक्सपीयर के लिए हिंदी छंद और भाषा
Ø जूलियस सीज़र: एक अंश
Ø फ़ाउस्ट काव्यानुवाद
Ø फ़ाउस्ट: कुछ अंश
Ø अंधा युग: एक प्रस्तुति मन मेँ, तीन प्रस्तुतियाँ मंच पर
Ø अंतिम देवता – जैनेंद्र कुमार
9. सिनेमा
Ø जन जन का सजग चितेरा… शैलेंद्र
Ø राज कपूर और मेरे संगम की शाम
Ø माधुरी कब, क्योँ, क्या, और मैँ
Ø हिंदी फ़िल्म अध्ययन: माधुरी का राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग
Ø हिंदी फ़िल्म इतिहास के शिलालेख
Ø देवदास
Arvind Kumar, Samantar Kosh, Dictionary, Films, Information Technology, Amar Kosh, Roget’s
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