Resume of Rashid Butt

Rashid Butt

Translator of 
Selected Works of Chairman Mao Zedong, 
from English to Urdu 

Name:

Rashid Butt (Rashid Ahmed Butt)

Father's Name:

Jamaluddin Butt (Late).

Date of Birth:

April 12, 1943 (As per Passport), Original being: April.04.1944

C.N.I.C. No.

42201-8222409-9

Academic Qualifications:

l B.A (1964) from Gordon College, Rawalpindi

     (Punjab University).

l M.A (Journalism) Karachi University, Karachi

     (Incomplete – Rusticated on political grounds in 1966)

Professional Experience:

·        Joined Daily Jang, Rawalpindi in 1961.

·        Joined Daily Jang, Karachi as Sub-Editor in 1964.

·        From 1965, worked with Daily Hurriyet, Karachi, Daily Anjam, Karachi and Central News Organization (CNO), Urdu Unit Radio Pakistan, and Again with Daily Jang, Karachi upto September 1967.

·        In 1966, got admission in department of journalism, University of Karachi while working with Daily Jang, Karachi as Senior Sub-Editor, Incharge City Page. And also translating Selected Works of Chairman Mao Zedong, from English to Urdu for the Government of the Peoples Republic of China – through the Chinese Consulate at Karachi, where I was introduced by my Mentor, the renowned Writer and Journalist Mr. Shaukat Siddiqui (Late)

Those were the times when frequenting a Communist Diplomatic Enclave simply, was tantamount to be some sort of “Undesirable.” Implied “shadowing” resulted in 2 years rustication from Karachi University.

·        Invited on contract by the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as Foreign Staff Member of the Urdu Deptt. of Foreign Languages Press, Beijing in September 1967. The job was to translate the Selected Works of Chairman Mao Zedong from English to Urdu. Worked in China for three terms (1967-1969, 1972-1975 and 1977-1983) spanning over more them 14 years. In 1989, the Chinese Government invited me as aguest in recognition of my services during my overall stay in China. I translated Five Volumes of selected Works of Chairmen Mao Zedong (5^th volume not published due to certain political ups and downs there), Political and Party Documents, Constitution of the Peoples Republic of China, 3 Books on China’s Long March, Books based of Chinese Plays, Agriculture, Economy, Family Laws, Deng Xiaobing’s Speech at United Nations (1974), Famous Chinese Novel “Song of Youth” by well known woman writer Yang Mo, with the back ground of the peoples struggle for independence. Classic Folklore, Pictorial and other stories for children, Chinese short stories and novelettes of contemporary phase of Chinese literature. Also worked occasionally for Chinese Magazine “China Pictorial” and Radio Beijing.

 Publications & Translations:

·        In between, while in Pakistan, worked with Daily Jang Karachi, Hurriyat Karachi, Central News Organization,  Punjabi Unit, Radio Pakistan, Islamabad, Founder Member of Daily Massawaat Lahore, Founded by Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1970, Founder Member of Daily AZAD Lahore, Monthly Al-Saif, Islamabad, worked as Freelance translator for Foreign Publicity Department, Ministry of Information Islamabad (English to Urdu and vice-versa), Daily Amn Karachi in the capacities of Senior Sub-Editor, Shift Incharge. Monthly Show Time, Karachi as Publisher/Editor.

·        In 1970 during Yahya Khan Regime forcibly dismissed due to country wide News Papers/Journalists Strike.

·        Daily ASAS Karachi (Editor).

·        In 1978, New World Press Beijing China, Published my detailed impressions on China “My Days in China” in the Book “Living in China by Twenty Authors from Abroad”. Its 2^nd Bi-Lingual (English – Chinese) Edition was published in 1982. My impressions, the First Hand Report on Chinese Cultural Revolution and other fields are being used as Reference source material in Research, Academic Books, Seminars, Symposiums, Lectures and Teaching material by Europeans and American Researchers, Writers as well as Universities, such as:

l. Rashid Butt, a Pakistani journalist who worked in the (China's) FLP's Urdu section for three terms (1967-1969, 1972-1975 and 1977-1983), provides a vivid description of the workplace over this time….Rashid Butt, 'My Days in China' in Living in China, by Twenty Authors from Abroad, New World Press, Beijing, 1979. Most of the contributors have nothing but praise …. but, Butt's article is not only the most detailed but also the most critical; it also brings historical and non-Western perspectives to the changes over these decades. The book must have been considered a success, for a bilingual version was published in 1982, featuring nine of the original twenty authors. Remarkably, Butt's critical account was included uncut …. See Living in China by Nine Authors from Abroad, New World Press, Beijing, 1982.

Professor Bonnie S. McDougall, Department of Chinese Studies, University of Sydney, Australia, Excerpts from Research Paper "Translation and Authority" 6 - 8 March 2009 at University of British Columbia, Canada.

l. Book: Translating Science: the Transmission of    Western Chemistry into Late Imperial China,1840-1900

….As the longest-serving foreign member of the translation team, Fryer must take a large part of the credit for this. ... The uneasy relationship between the foreign translator and his or her Chinese colleagues continues to the present time. ...

See Rashid Butt, 'My Days in China', Book: Living in China, New World Press, Beijing, 1982, ... Author: David Wright, Pages 584, Published in 2000, by Brill Academic Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands and  Boston, USA.

l. Research Article: Foreign Involvement in China's

Colleges and Universities: A Historical Perspective

…. For over a century foreign educators have entered China as teachers and administrators. While political turmoil and change has dictated the numbers and the nationalities of those participating, there has been no period since the 1860s when foreign educators were absent from Chinese institutions of higher learning. ...

R. Butt, "My Days in China", Living in China, New World Press, Beijing (1979)…. By E. Porter (1987) Vanderbilt University, USA in International  Journal of Intercultural Relations, Official Publication of the International Academy for Intercultural Research, Vol. 11, No.4, 21 July 2005. Editor-in-Chief: Dan Landis, University of Mississippi, USA. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. Printed in Great Britain.

v     Book: Translation Zones in Modern China by

Bonnie S. McDougall,

Publishers: Cambria Press, New York. USA, 2011.

In (Rashid) Butt's words ..... This sorry state began to improve in the late 1970s. Miraculously, periodicals, particularly, China Pictorial, now came out of press relatively on time. The contents are diversified and have a social flavour…

Beijing Review: Issues 1-26

books.google.com.pk1980 - Snippet view While Rashid Butt, a Pakistani journalist still in his prime, is frankly outspoken in his criticism of China's Cultural Revolution (1966-76), the elderly teacher Denise Lebreton from France sees something praiseworthy in its' spirit.

A Great Restlessness: The Life and Politics of Dorise Nielsen-Page340

books.google.com.pkFaith Johnston - 2006 - 361 pages - Preview Denise Lebreton, Living in China, 114. 3. David and Nancy Milton, The Wind Will Not Subside (New York: Pantheon, 1976), 214. Americans Nancy and David ... 19.Rashid Butt, in Living in China, 146. 20. Lebreton, in Living in China, 120.

·        Edited, Designed and Printed Allied Bank's House Journal "Alliednews" from 1991 to 1999.

·        Translated and Published Z.A. Bhutto's Book "IF I AM ASSASINATED" in Urdu.

Published Books of various writers in Urdu such as:

·        “Babri Masjid” by Humaira Ather

·        “Marvi Ka Des” by Fareedullah Husaini

·        “Selected Poetry of Saqib Lukhnawi”

·        “Reit Pe Likha” by Farhad Zaidi

·        “Shairi” by Ather Nadir

·        “Cheen – Kal Aur Aaj” by Prof. Rehana Mughni

·        “Shehr -e- Adab” by Islam Emad.

·        “Dard -e- Mushtarak” by Saadia Hareem

·        “Baat Se Baat” by Humaira Ather

·        “Taleemul Faizoon” by Prof. Faiza Ehsan Siddiqui

·        “Al-Fauzul Azeem” by Prof. Faiza Ehsan Siddiqui

·        “Islam Ka Nizam -e- Serf -e- Daulat”

by Prof. Faiza Ehsan Siddiqui

·        “Character Building as Qur’an Says” (English) by

Dr. Zaeema Alvi-Ahmed

·        “Insan Ka Kirdar Qur’an Ki Roshni Mein” by

Dr. Zaeema Alvi-Ahmed

·        “Misbahus Salat” by Binte Ahmed Umar

(Dr. Batool Zubairi)

·        Kalam -e- Ashraf, Kamal -e- Hasan by

Prof. Naushaba Siddiqui

·        “Ander ki Dhoop” by Musarrat Jabeen

·        “Naimat -e- Gham by Syed Sajjad Ahmed Razmi

·        “Sarguzasht -e- Aftab” by Husn Bano Qizibash

·        “Munjamed Lamhe” by Tala’at Asharat

·        “Fanoos” by Saadia Roshan Siddiqui

·        “Intkhabe -e- Kalam -e- Amin Hazeen Sialkoti”

by Dr. Jehan Ara Pal.

·        “Reiki Aur Hum” by Syed Abdullah Tariq

·        “Jhurmat” by Syed Islam Emad

·        “Sauti Iblagh” by Prof. Ahmed Nasim Sandhelvi

·        “Izhar -e- Ishq (Sindhi)” by Muhammed Mithal Jamali

·        “Suraj pe Dastak” by Sumera Ishtiaq

·        “In memoria – Nasim Tariq (English/Urdu)

(A Case study of Alzheimer)

·        “Chand Chehrey” by Qaisar Masood Jafri

·        “Dil-e-Shorida” by Hasnain Kazmi

·         “Taisha-e-Koh Kan” by Muhammad Mohsin

·        “Moti Nama (Poetry)” by Durdana Jalil

·        “Husn-e-Hasan (Poety)” by Hasan Ismail

·        “Asharat-e-Dast-e-Mehraban” by Tala’at Ashart

·        “From Captivity to Freedom” (English)

       by Major Khwaja Jalil Ahmed (Under Print)

·        “Dhoop Chhaon” by Syed Islam Emad

·        “Asman-e-Adab ka Tara Mandal”  

      (Interviews of Renowned Literary Personalities

      by Humaira Ather

·        “Aankhon Aankhon Rahey” (Poetry)

       by Waseem Barelvi

·        “Mera Kia (Poetry) by Waseem Barelvi

·        “Mausam Andar Baher Key” by Waseem Barelvi

·        “Jee Han! Ab Bhi Waqt Hai, Apny Mua’mlaat Durust Karney Ka” 

by Dr. Zaeema Alvi – Ahmed

·        “Tatmiul-Quloob (Diloon ka Itminan – Qur’aan Say”

by  Dr. Zaeema Alvi – Ahmed

·        “Qur’anic Duas With Arabic, Arabic  Transliteration

       in Roman Script, Urdu and English Translations”

       by Dr. Zaeema Alvi – Ahmed

·        “Qur’anic Duas for Children and Beginners With Arabic, Arabic  Transliteration  in Roman Script, Urdu and English Translations”

     by Dr. Zaeema Alvi – Ahmed

Editing / Production

1.      Edited, Translated, Layout and Prepared for Printing/Publishing bi-lingual English/Urdu Monthly Newspaper of Hong Kong "Fanlink Post"

2.         Produced the tri-lingual (English, Sindhi, Urdu) Quarterly Journal "Sindh Madressah Chronicle" of

  Sindh Madressahtul Islam Karachi.

3.         Prepared Comprehensive Research Report on   "Jews in Pakistan", entailing their origin, history, migrations, scattering all over the world, their religion, fundamantals, rituals, etc.

4.         Exhaustive research on Jain Religion, its history, rituals, canons, fundamentals etc., its existence in the geographical territories of Pakistan and prepared a detailed report tited as "Jainism and Jains in Pakistan". Both published by South Asian Research and Resource Centre, Islamabad under title “Thread not Scissor”

5.         Edited, Translated, Layout and Prepared for Printing/Publishing bi-lingual English/Urdu Aligarh Almuni Association, New York Sir Syed Day Magazine Alig. Mag. 2012

6.         Edited, Translated, Layout and Prepared for Printing/Publishing bi-lingual English/Urdu Aligarh Almuni Association, New York Sir Syed Day Magazine Alig. Mag. 2013

Present Engagements:

·              Writing Articles occasionally for Magazines and Newspapers.

Presently: (Books under print)

1.            Research based detailed Report/Book on "Muslims in China" in English as well as in Urdu. The Report/Book deals with Muslims arrival in China, their history, monuments and present status.

·              “14 years in China.” (English and Urdu Editions). An “un-ending” amalgam story of my stay in China with an eye witness account of four variable periods of Chinese political cum social scenes. What I saw? Heard? How I faced the Great Cultural Revolution? Eye - opening, unforeseen, unforgettable sweet as well as sour events – late 70s Beijing - London esoteric sentimental journey by Trans Siberian Railways – Living in China that once used to be – exploring memories that still linger on.

·              Selected Writings of Mao Zedong (Urdu). in one volume covering the period of 1926 to 1949. These writings deal with the social, economic, political, neo - colonial subjects. It is interesting that the period of his writings and thoughts, though bygone, the wilful role of super or developed powers exists in a new “man-eating” form. And Pakistan is one of the frontline victims of such unwanted role.

·              From Opium to War of Liberation. Chinese peoples  blood - smearing struggle against Opium and tyrannous opium trading British, European and American colonialists from 1781 to 1940s.

·              China’s Long March (Three Books in one Volume). A 1935 – unparalleled epoch of history that resulted into a turning point and changed the destiny of a nation – An independent and a free Nation!

·              Strange Tales – Selection from the Chinese Classical Folklore.

·              Old Tales Retold – A masterpiece collection by China’s great fiction writer Luxun.

·              Translated/Published Chinese Short stories for

Urdu Quarterly Magazine “Ijra”.

·              Written/Published Reportage on “Great Wall of China” for Urdu Quarterly “Collage”.

·              Written/Published Researched Article “Collage” for Urdu Quarterly “Collage”.

·              Translated/Published Chinese Novelette “At the Middle Age” for Urdu Quarterly “Collage”.

1.            Research, Compilation, Editing Translation from English to Urdu and vice versa, Publication of Books and Periodicals and freelance journalistic writing.

2.            Preparing the research-based Book "Zulfikar Ali Bhutto - A Writer Laureate, mirrored in his own writings and in the writings of eminent personalities, writers and poets." (Urdu and English Editions)

3.            Prepared, edited and proof read Telephone Directory of Government of Sindh.

Contact:

Rashid Butt

10-Mehr Terrace, Street-6,

Muhammad Bin Qasim Road,

(Burns Road),Karachi-74200. Pakistan Tel: 9221-2636133

Email: contact_rb44@yahoo.com

contact.rb44@gmail.com