The local Bengali Association, Saraswat Sabha Library and Bengali Education Society are jointly organising a seminar on “identity crisis of mother tongue” at Saraswat Sabha Library Hall, Dhantoli on Sunday, February 24 at 6.30 pm.
Noted Bengali novelist Shirshendu Mukhopaddhay, well-known Tagore researcher and writer Ranjan Bandyopadhyay and a popular Bengali singer-lyricist, writer and film director Anindya Chatterjee of Chandrabindu Band would deliver talk on “identity crisis of mother tongue”, particularly Bengali language.
Ranjan Bandyopadhyay
Anindya
It is a matter of concern that many of the dialects are fast vanishing in the merciless avalanche of globalisation and associated fallout. The decline of language has been, like ecological depletion, a serious concern for our time. Over the last few decades, reports of decline of language have been coming up from all continents, rich or poor, north or south. In absence of the mother tongue one is caught between identity crisis and cross cultural communication.
People from most of these minor language communities are facing a kind of social stigma – that their mother tongue is symbol of backwardness. They hesitate to use it and many believe that education in the mother tongue is inferior to education in English.
Against this backdrop, the Saraswat Sabha Library, Bengali Education Society and Bengali Association have jointly organised the seminar on the occasion of International Mother Language Day to mark Saraswat Sabha Library centenary year.
Mukhopaddhay is one of the best-seller Bengali novelists of West Bengal and Bangladesh. A Sahitya Academy awardee, Mukhopaddhay has written stories for both adults and children. He started his career as a school teacher and is now on the staff of Anandabazar Patrika at Kolkata. He is also associated with Bengali magazine ‘Desh’.
His short story ‘Dosar’ and ‘Hirer Angti’ were filmed by renowned film-maker Rituparno Ghosh. His another story ‘Goynar Baksho’ was adapted into a movie by director Aparna Sen. He was awarded Vidyasagar Award for his contribution to children’s literature.
Bandyopadhyay, a former English professor of a Kolkata-based college, writes regularly in different newspapers. He is an eminent scholar, TV presenter and well-known Bengali writer. His notable books include: Pranosakha Vivekananda, Kadambari Debir Suicide Note, and Likhini Je Lipikhani and Ranur Robi.
Another speaker, Anindya Chatterjee is a popular Bengali Singer, film director and a writer based in Kolkata. He is the singer-lyricist of famous Bengali band Chandrabindu. In 1989, Chandrabindu was formed by him and his college mates Rajesh Bose, Upal Sengupta and Chandril Bhattacharya. Chatterjee edits famous ‘Rabibar’, a popular weekly magazine of daily ‘Pratidin’. He will also talk about the importance of mother tongue and how we can preserve it.
Dr Tapan Chakraborti, president of Saraswat Sabha Library, Pradip Ganguly, Secretary of Bengali Education Society and Pradip Maitra, President of Bengali Association appeal to all Bengali-loving people in Nagpur to attend the programme and ensure its success.
