Japanese Naomi Watanabe fell ‘in love with Bangla’

Naomi Watanabe fell in love with Bangla and the Bengalis when she was doing her research on the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The Japanese citizen is now settled in Bangladesh and has learned the language she fell for.

The 53-year old is an official at an international development organisation and writes regularly, especially on society, politics and philosophy in Bangladesh based on her experience of living here.

She has authored nine books as of now with her anthology of short stories ‘Rupantorer Kothokota.’

She took an active interest in Bangladesh as she was doing her research on the politics in Bengal and the Awami League’s leadership in the period from partition of the Indian Subcontinent in 1947 to the Liberation War in 1971 at the post-graduate level in Niigata University in Japan.

Watanabe, who used to write from her student days, wanted to work on the Bangladeshi society.

L“I wanted to know more about the making of a nation that emerged through a war. I went to Kolkata to learn Bangla during my thesis work and visited Bangladesh. I felt that I have more to write about this place after I learned Bangla,” Watanabe told bdnews24 at the Ekushey Book Fair.  

“I think there is not much difference between the letters in Bangla and Japanese. But I still haven’t mastered the writing, especially the consonant clusters but I’m fluent in speaking Bangla,” she said as she recalled her initial lessons.

Watanabe’s mother Sutuko Kato and husband Takashi both are poets who inspire her to write.

“I perceive literature as a part of my daily life. I wake up at 4 in the morning every day and then spend an hour and a half in the world of literature. Sometimes I read and sometimes I write. I write something every day,” she said about her writing.

Watanabe, a law student had the opportunity to work in Bangladesh in 2000 after she had joined the Japanese development organisation JICA. She published a research report on the socio-economic context of the farmers in Bangladesh following regular research.

She has been living in Bangladesh since 2009 and Biswasahitya Bhaban published her book ‘Japito Jibone Amar Bangladesh’ in 2014.

“I have travelled to different parts of Bangladesh and written this book from my experience,” she said.

Her other published titles are ‘Ami Kothay Dnarabo,’ ‘Protibeshigon,’ Lekhoker Chithi,’ and ‘Sohodor ebong Kobi.

Watanabe expressed her gratitude to writer and researcher Ratan Siddiqui for connecting her to the publishers in Bangladesh.

She perceives Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Mahashweta Devi and Humayun Azad as part of her muse.

Naomi Watanabe regularly had her books published during the book fair since 2014. She perceives the book fair as the greatest interaction between the writers and their readers.

“The young people, who remain engrossed in Facebook and smartphone throughout the year, concentrate on books for this month.

"Even if they don’t buy books, it gives me immense pleasure to see them discussing books or authors. People from all ages coming from all parts of the country are buying a wide range of books---I love to see this.”

Watanabe took her nine books to Japan and translated some parts of them for her friends.

An interest has been generated among the young people in Japan about Bangla language and literature and some of them are doing research on it, she said. The Tokyo Bangla Book Fair has played an important role to create the appeal.

But it is the juvenile literature that should be attempted first to make Bangla literature popular in Japan, Watanabe feels.

She will start translating the classic children literature in Bangladesh into Japanese along with her original writings.

“Bangladesh and Bangla language have become my life now. I love this country. I’ll move to Bangladesh permanently after some time and work more on Bangla language and literature,” Watanabe said.