Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet 2024

Literature and the arts, in Tata’s opinion, are the best ways to broaden perspectives, ignite the imagination, and open minds. To bring together eminent creative minds, opinionated leaders, and local talent from the literary, film, music, and other industries, the city of Kolkata experienced the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet 2024 at the Victoria Memorial grounds which was scheduled to take place from January 23 to January 27, 2024. This year, the college graced the Literary Meet as the Educational partner for the 5 sessions sponsored by The Bhawanipur Education Society College. About 20 bibliophile students, the Rector and Dean of student affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah, Prof. Minakshi Chaturvedi, Prof. Champa Srinivasan, Prof. Vasundhara Mishra, Prof. Vanita Sharma, Prof. Sampa Sinha Basu and Ms. Samiksha Khanduri, from the Dean’s Office attended the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet 2024.

The inauguration ceremony marked the beginning of the first day of the 12th Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet which was opened by the honorable Governor of West Bengal, Shri CV Ananda Bose. This season kicked off at 12:40 p.m. with Mrs. Sudha Murty’s talk on The Gift of Multilingualism, which explored how her writings have been influenced by Kannada, English, and other literary traditions, in conversation with Ms. Malavika Banerjee. Mrs. Murty’s talk was a splendid combination of humor & an accomplished authorial voice, which was not just witnessed by avid readers, but essentially by children between 5 to 10 years of age. The Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah was the honoree & the speaker at the 12:40 p.m session being interviewed by Ms. Nilanjana S. Roy on his well-known works, A Life in Writing.

The day saw a host of literary personalities including, Mr. Anupam Roy’s short story collection, and Mr. Damon Galgut who talked about his books and how South Africa is evolving. Other authors included Mr. Sebastian Faulks and Ms. Anuradha Roy who talked about their new book, The Seventh Son. The day’s evening was lit by Mr. John Boyne who talked about his timeless classic, “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” while in conversation with Ms. Jashodhara Chakraborti. The last session of the day started at 6:30 p.m. with discussions on Ms. Janice Pariat’s work ‘Everything the Light Touches. As these sessions ended the students & teachers also got an opportunity to get their books signed by the authors themselves!

On the second day of the Meet, ie. 24th January 2024, a selection of sessions were attended by the students, including one on Ms. Ruchira Gupta’s ‘Republic of Hope 1-1’; another session titled “Is Lord Ganesha Married?” led by Anand Neelakantan who explored how the epics and readings of ancient texts vary depending on the region and period. One interesting session was by Mr. Anindyo Roy on Edward Lear and the Kanchenjunga, who covered his encounter with Lear’s fascination with the Himalayas in a discussion with Deepika Jaidka. The discussion of Nilanjana S. Roy’s novel Black River with Vikram Iyengar began in the evening and the day concluded with a session on “Journey to India Modern”, with the celebrated designer, Tarun Tahiliani in Conversation with Sandip Roy.

On the 26th, a few sessions were held in the Bengal Club, where Mr.Janam Mukherjee gave a talk titled, “ Hungry Bengal”, which explores the history of the Bengal Famine and its impact. Then, at 12:45 p.m., a discussion on Damon Galgut’s tryst with EM Forster’s unfinished novel Arctic Summer and Forster’s India took place. At the Victoria Memorial venue, a session by Abdulrazak Gurnah, Damon Galgut, and Mark Gevisser on “Many Africas, Many Stories” was conducted on how modern African literature avoids stereotyping. An engaging discussion about “Found in Translation,” featuring Daisy Rockwell and Daniel Hahn introducing Arunava Sinha to various literary realms, took place in the evening. Soon after, the most anticipated session of the day on The Great Padma by Amitay Ghosh and Kazi Khaleed Burgundy started, along with Supriya Chaudhuri, Ashraf who talked about the river’s influence on the history and imagination of the area. An engaging discussion on Caribbean Ink featuring works from the islands beyond the Nobel laureates, led by Denise de Caires Narain, took place at 6 p.m. with Debnita Chakravarti. The concert entitled Eka Anupam, featuring Anupam Roy, kicked off the evening. Numerous Bhawanipur Education Society College students enjoyed the melodies of Anupam Roy and also got their books signed.

An educational talk on Republic of Hope III: Against All Odds, featuring Kamal Shah, Minu Budhia, and Shruti Mohta, was conducted on embracing the differently abled and overcoming medical obstacles. Arghya Sengupta’s talk on the Colonial Constitution began at 2.50 pm, during which he discussed his recent research on constitutional history with Monideepa Banerjee. The First Firangs, a discussion led by Jonathan Gil Harris and Jayanta Sengupta with Priyadarshinee Guha, covered the tales of the first European explorers to arrive in India and this was the last session at the Literary Meet.
The Kolkata Literary Festival unfolded as a mesmerizing spectacle, weaving a tapestry of enchanting moments and captivating sessions. The theatrical brilliance of “Ismat Apa Ke Naam,” featuring the illustrious trio Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, and Heeba Shah, added a magical touch to the proceedings. The grand finale, a live performance by the legendary Shubha Mudgal, immersed the audience in the timeless melodies of khayal and thumri. The house brimmed with fans, creating an atmosphere of pure musical euphoria, marking the festival as a truly enchanting experience.
The four-day immersion in knowledge, idea exchange, and encounters with beloved authors proved to be an enriching and exhilarating experience for The Bhawanipur Education Society College students. Witnessing our college acknowledged as the ‘Knowledge Partner’ added an extra layer of joy and pride to the entire event.

Reporter – Kasis Shaw