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Fatima Latifova

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The novel Ali and Nino has been translated into Tamil and published by Sridharan Madhusudhanan, the Ambassador of India to Azerbaijan, Azernews reports.

A presentation ceremony for the book, which was published in Tamil for the first time, was held in Baku. This translation by Ambassador Sridharan Madhusudhanan marks a significant step in the development of intercultural relations between India and Azerbaijan.

Ali and Nino is a novel primarily set in Baku and has been published over 100 times in more than 30 languages worldwide. The most remarkable aspect of this presentation was that it was the first time the novel was translated by an Indian.

At the event, held under the motto “A Bridge between India and Azerbaijan through Literature,” opening speeches were delivered by Shahbaz Khuduoglu, Director of Qanun Publishing House, and Kannan Sundaram, a representative of the Kalachuvadu Publishing House from India. Their speeches emphasized the power of literary translations in fostering mutual relations between cultures.

Speaking at the presentation, Ambassador Sridharan Madhusudhanan expressed his satisfaction with the achievement of translating the work into Tamil, one of the world’s oldest languages.

The ambassador thanked all his Azerbaijani friends who greatly assisted him in clarifying the meanings of ambiguous words and in the translation process overall. He also expressed his desire for more books to be translated as part of the ongoing development of cultural and interpersonal ties between India and Azerbaijan. The translation of Ali and Nino into Tamil is Ambassador Sridharan Madhusudhanan’s third translation work and his sixth book overall. His previous works include translations from Chinese into Tamil, making him the first person to directly translate from Chinese to Tamil.

Nigar Kocharli, Director of the Ali and Nino bookstore chain, emphasized in her speech the appropriateness of publishing the Tamil translation of the novel Ali and Nino in the Ali and Nino bookstore.

Afterward, four distinguished guests jointly unveiled the book.

The evening also featured a display of a collection of Indian books translated into Azerbaijani, aiming to further underscore the strong literary ties between the two nations. The presentation of Indian street foods such as panipuri, chaat, and jalebi added a festive atmosphere to the event.

It should be noted that this event was organized by the Embassy of India, Qanun Publishing House, and the Ali and Nino bookstore chain, with the support of Indian associations in Azerbaijan: the India Azerbaijan Association (IAA), the Baku Malayalee Association (BMA), the Azerbaijan Telugu Association (ATA), and the Baku Tamil Sangam (BTS). The leaders of these organizations were also present at the event and expressed their support.

The live discussions that followed further confirmed the shared love for literature and reflected the growing literary and cultural connections between India and Azerbaijan.

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