Dr Syed Manzar Alam

Interpreter par Excellence

-RAMANI.VB.

 

Respect for the Laws of Kuwait, Admiration of the Judiciary of Kuwait and Love for Arabic, Urdu, Hindi and English languages - No wonder Dr.Syed Manzar Alam shines as the Interpreter to the Chief Justice of Kuwait.

His journey from Lucknow to the corridors of the Palace of Justice in Kuwait did not happen overnight. Dr. Syed Manzar Alam completed his graduation in Arabic literature from Dar Al Uloom, one of the prestigious universities for Arabic studies in Lucknow. In 1967, he joined Kuwait Embassy in Delhi and came to Kuwait in 1972 to start his career as translator / interpretor in the Ministry of Justice.

The suave nature, the courteous personality typical of people from Lucknow and linguistic proficiency saw him steadily rise to become the trusted and respected Chief Interpreter to the Chief Justice of Kuwait.

The trust the Chief Justice of Kuwait bestows upon Dr. Alam is evident when he shares the important court proceedings with Dr.Alam for translation. Dr.Syed Manzar Alam has accompanied the Chief Justice of Kuwait almost all over the world, as a part of the official delegation. Dr.Alam assists the office of Chief Justice to prepare and present reports for various international conferences and legal conventions.

Dr.Syed Manzar Alam is extremely happy that his position enables him to lend a helping hand to expats who need guidance in court matters. As many of the expatriates are not fully conversant with the Kuwait Legal procedures and the official Arabic Language, the assistance from Dr.Alam comes as a god-sent help. "In court, every case doesn't require a lawyer.

For cases of Civil nature, like claims of money with documentary proofs, non-settlement of indemnity by the employers, car accidents,etc., you can directly approach the filing officer at Ministry of Justice to file your case. Hiring the services of a Lawyer is a must only for Criminal cases", he explains.

"Kuwait is the best place to live in if you follow the law of the land". Dr.Syed Manzar Alam is all praise for the impartiality of the legal proceedings in Kuwai and the administration of justice. "In front of the Judiciary, there is No Kuwaiti or Indian. If you have sufficient proof, you will surely get justice from the Kuwait court, no matter what your nationality is ".

Dr.Syed Manzar Alam is convinced that it is necessary for all expatriates to learn Arabic, so that there is no language barrier in their dealings with various ministries and offices. He has helped the community with his unique book named "Speak Arabic" which is one of the most popular Arabic teaching books available in local market for the beginners to learn Arabic.

He used the best of his efforts to make sure the book must be of use to the layman coming to Kuwait. This is evident from the fact that the 5th edition of the book is out in the market now in full swing.

Dr Alam is also a well known poet. Many articles and his poetry has already been published in Kuwait Times Urdu edition earlier. " His first poetry collection book named as PUS MANZAR which in urdu means background is a true reflection of how the important healthy topics of the society have been dealt with and not the ordinary romantic poetry which , he says, is no more required. His second poetry collection book is also destined to be released shortly, he said "

He is on his way to publish his first travelogue in Urdu, covering his visits to countries like USA, United Kingdom, Japan,China,Canada, Pakistan,India,Australia,Russia and South Africa. He said that these visits provided him a chance to meet many top people of the world including many Presidents, vice-Presidents, Prime Ministers and Chief Justices.   Dr Manzar thoroughly enjoys recollection of incidents and events related to his judicial trips abroad.

He relates about the latest South African coference in Cape Town where during the photo session with the President of South Africa and the CJ, the official lady photographer who was very smartly engaged in fixing all the conference paricipants in right places asked him and the CJ to take front seats asking tall people to take middle and back seats.

He also mentioned that at one of the conferences he forgot to carry his Special Conference Pariticipation ID card and it was with great difficulty that he got the entry in the conference opening session.. "It was a great lesson for me for ever" , he said.

Dr. Alam recalls of the instance where he played a crucial role of interpreter for the case where the Kuwaiti Airways plane was hijacked in the year 1998. The pilot was British National and the role of interpreter was very crucial. The media highlight on the next day's news papers was ''Interpreter par Excellence" - a recognition of his professional talents.

"If you live abiding by the rules and regulations of the country, I can assure you, Kuwait is the best place to live", says Dr.Syed Manzar Alam. Well, that is a fair judgement based on facts from one who has spent more than four decades in the portals of Judiciary of Kuwait.

Email: dr.smanzar@gmail.com

 

 
  
IFL  - Kuwait 2024