Not a stranger anymore

Tue Feb 17, 2015 12:01 AM
Last update on: Sun Mar 8, 2015 01:53 AM

Staff Correspondent

Tue Feb 17, 2015 12:01 AM Last update on: Sun Mar 8, 2015 01:53 AM

One visitor engrossed in a book at Amar Ekushey Granthamela-2015 yesterday with less than a week to go before February 21 or Language Movement Day. Photo: Star

The language for which Rafiq, Salam, Barkat sacrificed their lives in 1952 has fascinated many foreigners throughout decades.

Japanese development worker Naomi Watanabe is one such admirer of Bangla. While researching in Ramkrishna Mission in Kolkata in 1989 she came across Satyajit Roy's masterpiece "Pather Panchali", a 1955 film, which aroused her interest towards the language.

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Gradually, Naomi strengthened her ties with Bangla and Bangladesh, first through her master's thesis on the Liberation War and then volunteering for a Japan-based NGO that worked on the development of a Bangladeshi village.

However, her formal lessons on Bangla started when she came to the country in 2009 and stayed for five years, while working at a private institution here. "That was when I began writing, encouraged by a colleague," she said.

Naomi wrote about her life in Bangladesh in her first book in Bangla titled "Japito Jibone Amar Bangladesh", published last year.

This year, besides translations of two Japanese stories for children, her second title in Bangla "Ami Kothai Darabo" about her vacillation over choosing between Bangladeshi and Japanese lifestyles was brought out by Biswa Sahitya Bhaban.

Leena Hasina Huq, centre, at the launching of her collection of stories “Golapbala”, published by Daruchini Prokashani, at the Nazrul Mancha in the Bangla Academy portion of the fair yesterday afternoon. Photo: Star

About the language, Naomi said the sentence structure in Japanese and Bangla was same--subject, object and then verb, but she struggled with learning the aspirated consonants.

"But I have to fix it because I am taking lessons in Lalon songs and pronunciations have to be clear while singing," she said, sitting at Biswa Sahitya Bhaban's stall at the Amar Ekushey Granthamela-2015 and signing her book for interested readers.

Meanwhile, University Press Ltd (UPL) as part of its celebrations of 40 years in the publishing sector has been holding book launches at its stall at the Suhrawardy Udyan portion of the fair to bring readers and writers closer.

On February 14, Rizwanul Islam's book "Unnoyon Bhabnay Kormoshongsthan O Sromobajar", written on popular economics for general readers, was launched at the stall, where Toufiqul Islam Khan, research fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), introduced the book.

"Human Rights in Bangladesh: Past, Present and Future", published last year by UPL and edited by Imtiaz Ahmed, also featured in the event. Some of the editors of this volume were present at the function, including Hameeda Hossain and Prof Amena Mohsin.

Ninety-eight new books hit the fair yesterday, and 15 were launched.