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

French in IT

In the last October, a leading IT house Accenture Kolkata called me to train their engineers with French business conversation. Though it was not a long run run project, the enthusiasm of theses professional made me teach them the way French people speak, live and exist. Some of them really coped up well within such a small span of time (  weeks only) which will help them to understand what their French collaborator wants from them.They even asked for a long run teaching service from me after finished the course, which means they are interested enough to go deepen to a new and unknown culture. Though a small project, it was really nice to work for these enthusiastic youths.

Kolkata Accenture engineers whom I taught French

India in Argentina

My painting in 2001

December usually comes to me with a lot of dreams come true. As I already am a regular writer to Lakbena magazine of Buenos Aires, Argentina, my passion pushes me more and more to read their new poems and to express my own passion. It is Laberna endless encouragement which made me fearless to concentrate writing in Spanish. So, in their 14th edition ( published on 3rd January) they honored me by publishing my new four small poems. Moreover, they adore me so much as I belong to near to Tagore house and also his native language Bengali. Tagore is still inspiring them, what a great honor for us. they know by Tagore. Moreover, another big honor is awarded me by a renowned Buenos Aires based magazine--- Realidades y Ficciones in their 11th edition of the year ( 24th December, 2012)As the only non-Spanish writer by birth, I was placed in the center of some renowned authors like

Maruja VIEIRA (Colombia)

Adriano CORRALES ARIAS (Costa Rica)

Anahí DUZEVICH BEZOZ (Argentina)

Luis Ángel MARÍN IBÁÑEZ (España)

Andrés FORNELLS FAYOS (España)

Noelia Natalia BARCHUK (Argentina)

Mercedes DAZA GARCÍA (España)

Marcos Rodrigo RAMOS (Argentina)

Josep Esteve RICO SOGORB (España)

Please visit the page of  Realidades y Ficciones to read my poems: http://colaboraciones-literatura-y-algo-mas.blogspot.com/

Please visit the website of Lakberna to read my poems:  www.lak-berna.unlugar.com

13th International Conference in Lucknow

Me in the box as Simultaneous interpreter

Reading a translated speech

Room2 -Parallel session

This is the consecutive third time that I again came back to Lucknow to meet the Supreme Court Judges of the World rather than to provide my service as an interpreter here. Feeling warmth by the organizer CMS and obviously by the guests of Latin American countries like Peru, Chile, Argentina ( this time 19 guests came to share their valuable opinions on the unique law for child protection), Ecuador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, the program again mesmerized me to interpret them in three different and difficult formats --- simultaneous in box, consecutive in TV and newspaper interviews and and reading speeches and answering to the questions of the CMS students in Parallel sessions and Auditorium sessions. In addition to that, my passion drove me to meet the African French speaking delegates not only for helping our French team, but also to get some valuable experience they ( Chad, Cameroon, Benin, Madagascar, Tunisia guests) gained in their country. Above all, the dinner in two consecutive nights in Lucknow Taj Hotel added the cheery on the top of the cake where I had to talk with the guests continuously about our culture, systems and above all the reality of the application of child protection law in our country rather than to taste Lucknow specials in the hotel garden. Marvelous is the most cliche expression to use here, better to say that my passion will bring me back again to this old historical archive in the 14th Conference.

Room -5 parallel session

Me with The Algerian Delegation Team

Mr. Layachi at the backside of Victoria

Mr. Layachi in Victoria

It was airy and foggy November morning in Kolkata where I met the Algerian Delegation Team of Sonelgaz, Algeria to receive them as the interpreter of Asbesco India Pvt. Ltd. of Howrah who use to produce and export electric translation and distribution system. Mr. Layachi is the head of Sonelgaz engineering team. on 20th , the first day, we visited the City of Joy and tasted Indian dishes, tried our specific rural dresses. With a less traffic problem unusually, they enjoyed the day a lot with my company. The very next day, we went to the factory in Howrah, the sister city of Kolkata and visited all procedures of production which was quite an of-bit to me. The same day, we visited their new factory which is supposed to run fully from this year and which is now considered the biggest in our country in electric transmission domain. From third day, we started concentrating on auditing, processing, marking and ordering the products. Though tiring to be in the noise of factory procedure demonstration, I enjoyed and learnt a lot from the factory guys and obviously from Mr. Layachi.