INITIATIVE FOR TRANSLATING TAGORE’S GITANJALI INTO MIZO LANGUAGE

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Press Information Bureau Ministry of I&B <pib.kolkata@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 5:42 PM
Subject: Local Release.........1

Press Information Bureau

Government of India

* * * * * *

INITIATIVE FOR TRANSLATING TAGORE'S GITANJALI INTO MIZO LANGUAGE

A TWO-DAY WORKSHOP CUM SEMINAR ON RABINDRANATH TAGORE BEGINS IN EZCC KOLKATA

Kolkata, September 3, 2010.

 

The School of Languages and Culture, Rabindrabharati University Kolkata is collaborating with the University of Mizoram to translate Gitanjali into Mizo language. This information was given by Prof. Karunasindhu Das, Vice Chancellor, Rabindra Bharati University, in Kolkata today. He was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day workshop cum seminar at Aikatan, EZCC, Kolkata, on 'Reception of Rabindranath Tagore in the north-eastern region of India'. It is being organized by Rabindranath Tagore Centre for Human Development Studies, a joint initiative of University of Calcutta and Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata in collaboration with Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata.

 

In his opening remarks the noted economist Prof. Amiya Kumar Bagchi, Director, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, said that, Tagore was not just a Bengali but a great man whose influence on the north-east and the reciprocal influence of the region on him needs to be discussed so that we can learn about how creative work in the north-east has been influenced by Tagore.

 

Prof. Indranath Chowdhury, former Secretary, Sahitya Academy, said that, among the seven sisters of the north-east, Manipur, Assam and Tripura have interacted more with Tagore. Hence their history of reception is more. Prof. Chowdhury spoke of the three main aims of Tagore: to enrich literature and other art forms, to reform education and to reform villages. Stimulation, acquiescence, assimilation and also revolt are the four possible responses, he observed. Prof. J. B. Bhattacharjee, former Vice Chancellor, NEHU, said that the first translation of Gitanjali into Garo language was done in the 1930s. The north-eastern hill university has incorporated this book into its Garo syllabus in both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Prof. Sukanta Chowdhury, Professor Emeritus, Jadavpur University, said that, there are more translations of Tagore into international languages than into Indian languages. That is because we take it for granted that the Indians know about Tagore – but this is not always the case. Prof. Sankha Ghosh, chaired the inaugural session. He also formally released two books one translation of Gitanjali into Nepali by Prof. Debika Thapa and another by Shri Bikach Choudhury of Tripura.

 

Shri Anup Motilal, Director, EZCC proposed the vote of thanks. He spoke about the importance of this workshop particularly at a time when we are celebrating the 150^th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Shri Motilal said that the essence of Tagore is not essentially Bengali but Indian and universal.

 

As part of the two-day workshop cum seminar four academic sessions are being organized today and tomorrow with a view to revisiting Tagore to find out how different facets of his personality, his ideas about life, society and politics and the appeal of his literary output, songs and paintings were received by the people of the north-east region and to discuss and analyze the findings properly in the workshop eventually for documentation and publication.

 

sp/dk/kol/17:30 hrs.

 

--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/