PM Modi praises renowned author Tomio Mizokami promoting Indian culture in Japan: Who is he?
PM Modi met with Japanese author Tomio Mizokami, who was awarded the prestigious ‘Padma Shri’ in 2018 by former president Ram Nath Kovind.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday met with the renowned Japanese author, Hindi and Punjabi linguist, Dr Tomio Mizokami, the Padma recipient, who is credited with boosting India-Japan ties through his relentless work to promote Indian culture on the Japanese soil.
Their meeting came on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies in Japan’s Hiroshima.
On being interviewed about his interaction, Dr Mizokami said that he urged PM Modi that the next ‘Vishwa Hindi Sammelan’ be held in Japan. When asked about the reason why his interest developed in the Hindi language, the professor said, “I was born in the Japanese city of Kobe, which back then was largely dominated by the Indian population…I was influenced by them…I was curious to learn about their language…”
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He also added that he admired former PM Jawaharlal Nehru. “In those times, he (Nehru) also had a major influence around the world….he, as one of the founders of the ‘Non-Aligned Movement’ (during the cold war period), was an inspiration for youngsters like us who wanted peace and stability. So, why not learn the language of such a leader,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He also added that he admired former PM Jawaharlal Nehru. “In those times, he (Nehru) also had a major influence around the world….he, as one of the founders of the ‘Non-Aligned Movement’ (during the cold war period), was an inspiration for youngsters like us who wanted peace and stability. So, why not learn the language of such a leader,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}All you need to know about the Padma Shri awardee, multi-linguist author:
{{/usCountry}}All you need to know about the Padma Shri awardee, multi-linguist author:
{{/usCountry}}1)Dr Tomio Mizokami of Osaka University was honored with the prestigious 'Padma Shri' award in 2018 for his contribution to Literature and Education. His award was an acknowledgement of his ‘relentless service’ to promote Hindi and Indian culture. He has also been a recipient of the ‘Hindi Ratna’ in 2001 by the Uttar Pradesh government.
2)The 81-year-old author has dedicated his life to learn, research and teach Hindi in India and Japan (Osaka). Mizokami was born in 1941. Following the completion of his graduation, he studied Hindi from 1965-68 in Allahabad. He also took lessons to learn Bengali during this time.
3) Later in 1968, he returned to Japan and joined the Osaka University’s Hindi department as a research assistant. Mizokami is also an alumnus of the University of Delhi (DU), where he pursued a Masters' degree in Hindi language. He later obtained his Ph.D in Hindi in 1983. He has translated nearly 301 popular Hindi film songs with Japanese subtitles.
4) He has also worked towards promoting Indian languages in the United States. He was a visiting Scholar at the University of Chicago and University of California from 1989-90 where he taught Punjabi.
5)At the age of 65, he was awarded the title of ‘Professor Emeritus’ of Osaka University of Foreign Studies. Among his many accolades, Mizokami also received ‘Vishwa Hindi Samman’ in London in 1999.
