ISLAMABAD, Jan 7: “Our students at the University in Tokyo were quietly learning Urdu through books but we thought that the best place to test their assimilation and understanding of the language was Pakistan”, said Prof Yukata Asada of the Department of Urdu at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (who led a group of his students from the university, which performed delightful plays in Urdu here) at a function to meet some prominent Pakistani writers and intellectuals. The function to honour the group was organized by the Pakistan Academy of Letters in Islamabad Tuesday evening.

Not only the assimilation and understanding of the language in ample measure did the young group of Japanese students of Pakistan’s national language exhibit; but the few selections (even with makeshift arrangement for Pakistani costumes like a duppatta given by a lady Pakistani writer) that they performed at the request of the audience had a body language that seemed to spring from an effort to successfully bring out the feel; nay, the very sensibility of the language.

“We were amateur artists, but the increasing warmth of our Pakistani friends as we went on staging our plays (they had six shows at different places in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad) all the way in providing us all the facilities connected with the paraphernalia, the stage props like adjustments in lighting and proper audio facilities, made our job easier,” said Prof Asada, adding that the group went on improving their performance as they went on presenting shows in Pakistani surroundings. “It was because they were performing before an Urdu-knowing audience; and as they leave Pakistan for Tokyo they do it with a sense of satisfaction.”

The host, Iftikhar Arif, said he was simply amazed the way the young group have assimilated “roz marra” (spoken language) and mahawra (idiom and usage) of the language. “Both countries are trustees of great civilizations, and they can certainly learn from each other”, he said.

Senior Pakistani writers, including poet Zia Jallundhuri, short-story writer Mansha Yaad, and poet, writer and columnist Kishwer Naheed presented books of the Academy to Prof Asada and Iftikhar Arif gave the shield of the institution to him, as the writers present garlanded the entire group.

Young Japanese girl Udea Akiko repeated the wonderful performance of Aik Bar Mera Kaha Maan Jaieyea with perfect, professional ease and girls Yanada Aiko and Hoshine Yuko performed a short selection from the third scene of the play Šperfumed by them earlier (as wife and husband respectively they talked in a pure Urdu-like fashion about their worry about the choorian (bangles) and not less than three joras (dresses) they were supposed to give at the wedding of the niece of the husband; and as Hoshina Yuko (Azra), in chaste Urdu said it had to be done, even if they had to take some loan for the purpose.

Student Yanagi Kaori beautifully sang Enka, the Japanese love song that began on a low note and climaxed in a beautiful, awe-inspiring rise of the voice (without accompanying musical instruments.) Even without knowing Japanese, it seemed to have touched the audience who gave her a real, good applause (by the way even in a language one knows sometimes the music so mingles with the voice that one can certainly experience the beauty of it without understanding!).

Philosophies apart, the impact that these Japanese have made of the serious way they are learning our language, and the perfect manner they presented the Urdu play rightly prompted Iftikhar Arif to say that even in Western countries where there were academies for art and drama, presenting plays in a foreign language was no joke.

Down the memory lane, this writer remembered interviewing Takeshe Suzuki, in the early sixties of the last century, then a young Japanese student at the Urdu Department of Karachi University (who loves Urdu, quotes Iqbal) who a few years ago retired from the University in Tokyo as Professor of Urdu, and was honoured with an Award by the Government of Pakistan for his love for Urdu. Incidentally, Prof Asada happens to be his student. He also studied Urdu at Karachi University.—-Mufti Jamiluddin Ahmad