2 min readAug 11, 2013 05:39 AM IST
First published on: Aug 11, 2013 at 05:39 AM IST
The first thing that greets one at an exhibition of Japanese comics at the Japan Foundation is a bowlful of colourful origami. Titled “Yunagi No Machi Sakura no Kuni”,the show marks the launch of Hindi translations of a popular comic series that was first
published in Japan in 2004. The series comprise two Japanese stories,Yunagi No Machi (Town of Evening Calm) and Sakura no Kuni (Country of Cherry Blossoms).
Both books — published in Hindi by Vani Prakashan Publishers — are on display alongside 30-odd black-and-white sketches that bring out the turmoil in villages torn apart by the Hiroshima bombing in 1945. The first story — called Nirav Sandhya ka Shahar in Hindi — narrates a girl’s efforts to stay alive after her family and friends are killed. “In coastal cities such as Hiroshima,every morning and evening,the air tends to stop,making everything lifeless (or nirav). This story highlights the importance of daily life,which was disturbed by the tragedy,” says Timoko Kikuchi,the Hindi translator. Kikuchi has been living in Delhi for more than 20 years and has a PhD in Hindi from JNU.
The second story,Sakura ka Desh,revolves around children whose parents suffered radioactive exposure during the atomic attack. These children live in constant fear of radiation-related diseases.
Message clippings by the original Japanese author,Fumiyo Kono,accompanies the exhibition and talks about the importance of bringing out such stories for the younger generation. “I have felt much desire to not write about the world’s victorious and glorious people,but rather those whose true glory remains hidden,” she says. “I am delighted that I have established a relationship with India through the book. I’ve written and illustrated the comics as if I were writing a letter to my friend,” adds Kono.
The exhibition is on at Japan Foundation,Lajpat Nagar,till August 31. Contact: 26442967
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