Japan Mein Urdu Maktoob Nigari
Compiled by Amir Ali Khan
ZAK Books
ISBN: 9-789697-679157
316pp.

Japan Mein Urdu Maktoob Nigari may seem like the title of a book detailing the experiences of Urdu calligraphers in Japan, but is something entirely different. It is a compilation of letters written to eminent scholar and critic Dr Moinuddin Aqeel, who is famous for promoting Urdu in Japan. It is the first book of its kind, where the letters have been penned by non-Urdu speakers.

Urdu language’s roots in Japan go back to 1908, when the Urdu Department was established at the Tokyo School of the Foreign Studies. The School (later University) was established by the Japanese government in 1899 with the idea of teaching various foreign languages there. Today, it has departments of English, French, German, Russian and Korean languages.

Dr Moinuddin Aqeel, who had influenced many during the 1980s and ’90s as a prominent Urdu professor at the University of Karachi, played a big role in promoting the language during his stay in Japan.

He started out as a visiting professor at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 1993, and remained active in various Japanese universities for the next 15 years, including the Daito Bunka University, Osaka University and Kyoto University. The letters from colleagues and students transport the reader to a time when traditional values were paramount.

A compilation of Urdu letters written by Japanese academics and students to a Pakistani Urdu scholar is an enriching read for anyone interested in language, literature and cultural exchange

Most of the letters published were from Prof Asada Yutaka and his wife, who considered Dr Aqeel family. Prof Yutaka, the ex-chairman of the Department of Urdu at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies was famous for the translation of Shaukat Siddiqi’s novel Khuda Ki Basti in Japanese, besides also translating the scripts of famous Bollywood classics such as Umrao Jan, Henna, Pakeezah, Shatranj Ke Khilarri and Garam Hawa.

Prof Yutaka, who sadly passed away in 2022, knew Dr Aqeel for nearly five decades. The correspondence reflects their closeness. Written in pre-internet days, his letters were often short, but where one can feel his love for Pakistan and Urdu. Once upon reaching Tokyo, Prof Yutaka called the Japanese capital hell, as compared to the paradise that Karachi was for him.

The letters from Suzuki Takeshi, also known as Japan’s Baba-i-Urdu, come next. Professor Takeshi was influential in making way for Dr Aqeel’s appointment as a visiting professor in Japan, as is evident from the letters. They met in the 1970s, despite Professor Takeshi studying Urdu from the University of Karachi on an exchange programme earlier. The letters carried answers to queries, congratulatory messages as well as small details, such as his tour itinerary, when on a visit.

Prof Takeshi, with Prof Yutaka, is credited with compiling an Urdu-Japanese dictionary, while his other famous work is the translation into Japanese of the short stories of the legendary short story-writer Saadat Hasan Manto. He was assisted by a promising student of his, Hiroji Kataoka, who later also became a professor. Kataoka was friends with Dr Aqeel during his days at Karachi University, where he had come for a diploma course.

Urdu language’s roots in Japan go back to 1908, when the Urdu Department was established at the Tokyo School of the Foreign Studies. The School (later University) was established by the Japanese government in 1899 with the idea of teaching various foreign languages there. Today, it has departments of English, French, German, Russian and Korean languages.

Known as the person who arranged the first-ever mushaira in Japan, Kataoka’s correspondence with Dr Aqeel began in 1992, with a congratulatory message on the latter’s coming to Japan as a visiting faculty. There even is a two-line message from the year 2000, where Prof Kataoka wishes Eid and New Year to Dr Aqeel and his family, which fell close to each other.

The love of BBC Urdu by all lovers of the language across the world takes the reader back to the days when radio was still the main mode for receiving news. In his final letter written sometime in 2022 (before the compilation), Prof Kataoka informs Dr Aqeel about his forthcoming publication, the translation of Allama Iqbal’s Javid Nama, which seemingly would not have been possible without the latter’s help.

The fourth and most important person whose letters reflect the deep friendship between Pakistan and Japan comes from Prof Takamistu Matsumura. Prof Matsumura completed an advance diploma course in Urdu from Lahore in the late ’80s, despite completing his Masters in Urdu in 1982 from Osaka University of Foreign Studies. He has translated a lot of Urdu work into Japanese, especially ghazals by Mir Taqi Mir. Prof Matsumura still writes to Dr Aqeel and consults him even today.

The Government of Pakistan has conferred civil awards from time to time to these Japanese professors for their contributions in the field of education, and they all adored Dr Aqeel. The book also has letters from other professors who loved Urdu and Dr Aqeel, including Prof Hiroshi Hagita (Current Head of the Urdu Department at Tokyo University), Dr So Yamanay, an Urdu poet himself as well as a teacher, and Mamiya Kensaku, a teacher with a firm grip on Urdu as well as Sindhi.

Students also chip in with letters for the book, which serves as a valuable resource for understanding the dynamics of Urdu education in Japan.

The compiler, Amir Ali Khan, has himself been teaching Urdu in Japan for the last 20 years. He was also a student of Dr Aqeel in the University of Karachi in the late ’80s, a little before Dr Aqeel moved to Japan. Amir Ali Khan has written a couple of books himself. Well aware of the credentials of those who wrote to Dr Aqeel, he decided to give a befitting tribute to his teacher, by working on this collection of letters.

The book is an enriching read for anyone interested in language, literature and cultural exchange, because it blends cultural exploration with reflections on societal values, which sadly are often missing from the present times.

The reviewer writes on old films and music and loves reading books.

X: @suhaybalvi

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, May 5th, 2024