Literary Tourism

Sometimes, unexpectedly, life  becomes more soothing, musical, generous with joy. One day, I received a call from a young Spanish writer and professor Pablo Martinez from Pune just to accompany him and his friends in their Kolkata trip. Thanks to Dr. Shyama Prasad Ganguly, renowned scholar of Hispanic Culture and literature and Ex-Professor of JNU, New Delhi and our Spanish Study Center, Kolkata, I was awarded to accompany them. Last evening of April they arrived here bringing also soothing rain and reliving wind in the mid summer.  From next morning I started to execute my plan blended with my passion as this was the first time I worked with people from my own world- literature. I told about Pablo already- he is from Murcia, Spain, and his mother possesses a publishing house where Spanish translation of Sunil Ganguly's poems were published from for the first time. His friend David Seidenberg, a Californian Sociology teacher and a Guitarist by passion and Emi Noguchi, a Californian English teacher and a young essayist also came with Pablo. So, when I met them in the hotel, I came to realize that I should taste every corner of Kolkata so that they would get a clear idea of Bengali culture. We started with Bengali breakfast, then visited Nandan, and the cultural hub of Nandan area, then Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, Art Galleries, attended also ICCR 's program on Tagore's birthday. Next day, we visited the north- Tagore's birth place, Marble Palace, Star Theatre, College Street's grand book market, tasted coffee of Coffee House ending with a Bengali dinner. For next few days, I made a plan chart for them and according they visited Shantiniketan, Birth place of the novelist Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhya, some more places in the suburbs areas. After 1 week long trip, they happily called me again just say goodbye! What is heart-touching is that they promised me to come again here in the next year! 

David, Emi & Pablo

Me, David & Pablo

In ICCR on Tagore's birthday program

Tagore's House

Medical Interpretation: New experience

Albert David is Kolkata's one of the oldest pharmaceutical companies with a good reputation. Thanks to their good connection with our renowned Spanish Study Center, Kolkata they called us in mid May 2013 for assisting an audit inspection by a Peruvian team in their factory. Due to my serious illness, I could attend only one day, other three days my colleagues ( Atasi Chatterjee & Surjit Sanyal )  attended the meetings and interpreted the Peruvian pharmaceutical team. Though I attended only one day, I found it's very tough to work in this stuffy atmosphere( especially in the lab area) , though quite enjoyable with friendly employees and Peruvian doctors ( I accompanied two Peruvian doctors during their lab inspection and afternoon meeting with the quality control team of AD). It's new experience in my interpretation job. Definitely, this will help me to jump into more medical interpretation in near future.

My colleague Atasi ( 2nd from right) with Quality Control team of AD and the Peruvian Lady ( 3rd from let)

Again Kolkata with a friend of Forlan

It was on a excessive hot morning of 26th April, 2013, that Mr. Nelson Alpuy, the owner of Garnie Uruguay and a friend of Golden Boot winner of the last World Cup Football- Diego Forlan, arrived at Kolkata. Same morning, we started roaming around the city and suburbs to visit some leather goods factories and leather processing factories too. He was very happy to see the quality provided by the people here. After a haring work and tiring day, we tasted some Italian dishes. The very next day, I assisted him in some business contracts and they went on to visit some tourist spots like Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, Nandan to have some idea of the cultural side of cultural capital of India. It was nice memory to accompany him here.

Nelson Alpuy in Victoria