{{Short description|Indian Hindi language poet, journalist, and translator (1945-2016)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=November 2018}} '''Neelabh Ashk''' (16 August 1945 – 23 July 2016) was an Indian Hindi language poet, journalist, and translator.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/tongue-twisters/490828/0|title=Tongue Twisters – Indian Express|website=archive.indianexpress.com|access-date=2016-07-23}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/found-in-translation/article4784678.ece|title=Found in translation|date=2013-06-05|newspaper=The Hindu|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X|access-date=2016-07-23}}</ref> He published various poetry collections. He is best known for translating the works of notable authors like Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, William Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, and Mikhail Lermontov.<ref name="NDTV23Jul16"/>
==Personal life== Neelabh was born in Mumbai on 16 August 1945.<ref name="Bhaskar23Jul16">{{cite web | url=https://www.bhaskar.com/news/c-271-197154-re0072-NOR.html | title=मशहूर कवि और पत्रकार नीलाभ अश्क का निधन | work=Dainik Bhaskar |language=Hindi |place=New Delhi | date=23 July 2016 | access-date=28 July 2016}}</ref> His father was Hindi writer Upendranath Ashk. He graduated in Commerce and completed his master's degree from Department of Hindi, Allahabad University. Both the times he scored first positions in his batch of 60s. In 1980, he started working with BBC London's foreign broadcasting department of Hindi as a producer for four years.<ref name="Bhaskar23Jul16"/><ref name="LH1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.livehindustan.com/news/national/article1-prominent-poet-of-hindi-neelabh-ashk-is-no-more--546503.html|title=नहीं रहे हिंदी के मशहूर कवि, पत्रकार और अनुवादक नीलाभ अश्क |language=Hindi |place=New Delhi|date=23 July 2016|website=Live Hindustan |access-date=23 July 2016}}</ref> His published 24 poems on his experiences in London in the ''London Diary Series''.<ref name="LH1"/> He returned to India in 1984 and continued working as a poet and writer, translator.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://hindi.catchnews.com/india/veteran-journalist-and-poet-neelabh-ashk-pass-away-1469254009.html|title=कवि और पत्रकार नीलाभ अश्क नहीं रहे|last=|first=|date=|website=Catch News|publisher=|access-date=2016-07-23}}</ref> He also handled work of their publishing house which was named after him as "Neelabh Prakashan".<ref name="LH2">{{cite web | url=http://www.livehindustan.com/news/Allahabad/article1-glaucous-poet-neelabh-ashk-died-546581.html | title=अलविदा नीलाभ अश्क! मशहूर कवि व अनुवादक नहीं रहे | publisher=Live Hindustan |language =Hindi |place=Allahabad | date=23 July 2016 | accessdate=29 July 2016}}</ref>
Ashk married two times. He separated from his first wife, after she died, he married second time girl named Bhumika Dwivedi Ashk, another writer, artist and social worker . He left his parental home of Allahabad and moved to Delhi.<ref name="BBC"/> Ashk died at his Delhi residence on the morning of 23 July 2016 after a long illness at the age of 70.<ref name="NDTV23Jul16"/> His funeral took place the same afternoon at Nigam Bodh Ghat. Various authors and writer's associations expressed grief on his death.<ref name="LH2"/> On his death, contemporary Hindi poet Manglesh Dabral said that he lived an "unfulfilled life" and praised his "deep knowledge" of the English, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi languages.<ref name="BBC"/> Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, chairperson of Sahitya Akademi called him "a revolutionary poet".<ref name="NDTV23Jul16"/>
==Works== Ashk translated Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize winning novel ''The God Of Small Things'' to Hindi as ''Mamuli Cheezon Ka Devta''.<ref name="NDTV23Jul16">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/popular-hindi-poet-neelabh-ashk-dead-at-70-1435220 |title=Popular Hindi Poet Neelabh Ashk Dead At 70|date=23 July 2016 |place=New Delhi|website=NDTV |access-date=28 July 2016}}</ref> He also translated Salman Rushdie's ''The Enchantress of Florence'', as well as various works of William Shakespeare and German playwright Bertolt Brecht.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="NDTV23Jul16"/><ref name="LH1" /> His translation of ''A Hero of Our Time'', originally written by Russian author Mikhail Lermontov, was published as ''Hamare Yog Ka Ek Nayak'', and Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' was published as ''Pagla Raja''.<ref name="Bhaskar23Jul16"/> Brecht's popular play ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' was rendered into Hindi as ''Himmat Mai''. Ashk also translated poems of Indian poets Jeevanand Das and Sukanta Bhattacharya and foreign poets Nâzım Hikmet, Ernesto Cardenal, Pablo Neruda, Nicanor Parra, and Ezra Pound.<ref name="LH1" />
Ashk authored a popular book called ''Hindi Sahitya Ka Maukhik Itihaas'' published by Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya.<ref name="NDTV23Jul16"/><ref name="BBC"/> He also maintained a blog "Neelabh ka Morcha".<ref name="Bhaskar23Jul16"/> He edited the periodicals ''Natrang''<ref name="Outlook23Jul16">{{Cite web|url=http://www.outlookhindi.com/country/india/journalist-and-poet-neelabh-ashk-pass-away-9997|title=वरिष्ठ पत्रकार और कवि नीलाभ अश्क का निधन|website=Outlook Hindi| language=Hindi |date=23 July 2016 |accessdate=28 July 2016}}</ref> and ''Rang-Prasang'', the later being published by the National School of Drama.<ref name="Bhaskar23Jul16"/> He also wrote scripts for television, radios, and plays.<ref name="LH1"/>
His first poetry collection, ''Sansmarnarambha'', was published in the 1970s and was well received.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web | url=http://www.bbc.com/hindi/india/2016/07/160725_neelabh_ashk_pu | title=अधूरी ज़िंदगी ही जी पाए नीलाभ.. |language=Hindi | work=BBC | date=25 July 2016 | accessdate=29 July 2016 | author=Dabral, Manglesh |authorlink=Manglesh Dabral}}</ref> His Hindi poetry collections are:<ref name="Bhaskar23Jul16"/><ref name="LH1" /> * ''Jungle Khamosh Hai'' * ''Uttaradhikaar'' * ''Shok Ka Sukh'' * ''Shabdo Se Naata Atoot Hai'' * ''Ishvar Ka Moksh'' * ''Apne Aap Se Lambi Baatcheet'' * ''Cheezein Upasthit Hain'' * ''Khatra Agle Mod Ke Uss Taraf Hain''
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://neelabhkamorcha.blogspot.in Neelabh Ka Morcha] on BlogSpot
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashk, Neelabh}} Category:1945 births Category:2016 deaths Category:Hindi-language poets Category:Hindi-language Indian writers Category:20th-century Indian translators Category:University of Allahabad alumni