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