Kerala writers bond over timeless Bengali works

KOLKATA: Arogya Niketan' and ' Aranyak', the two iconic works of Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay and Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay respectively, continue to remain bestsellers in Kerala in their translated versions.
Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay still unfailingly inspire imaginations of readers across generations there and it's difficult to find a single reader whose bedside read is not `Gitanjali'.
This, along with many other gems from the world of Kerala literature, were discussed by six top writers from the state, who were in the city over the weekend for a literary bonding with the community. The special festival was organized by the Kolkata Kairali Samajam and it saw large partici pation from the community.
For a long time the 10,000 odd members of the Malayali community in the city had been demanding a literary event. While cultural festivals focusing on their classical dance and music were common, there were hardly any serious literary events in the city. This is because, much like the Bengalis, the Malayalis too are a book-reading community that thrives on literary criticism and debate.
Finally, the Samajam was able to tie up with the Kerala Sahitya Akade Sahitya Akademi for a two-day festival that saw discussions, debates, book releases, talks on the regular Malayali translations of Bengali literary works and a dearth of the reverse, Bengal's folklore tradition, Tagore's aesthetics with special reference to his spirituality as opposed to religiosity.
Some of the prominent writers from Kerala who had come to the city for the event are Vaisakhan (pseudonym of Gopinath Nair), ace short story writer who is also the president of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, K P Moharan, one of the top literary critics of Kerala and secretary of the Akademi, Sunil P Ilayidon, Alankode Leelakrishnan, E P Rajagopalan, K M Anil, S Saradakutty, Joshy Joseph, Susmesh Chandroth and Su nil Nliyath.
“In the three Bandyopadhyays [Tarashankar, Bibhuti Bhushan and Manik], we find an unparalleled portrayal of life, pulsating and throbbing in their pathos...almost cathartic...that have inspired generations of Malayali writers.From Bankim Chandra, we have learnt the art of imagery and depth of character portrayal...Tagore has had an all pervading influence with his universal humanism similarly,“ said Vaisakhan. “Gitanjali has been translated countless number of times in Malayalam from 1923 till 2014, such is the craze for it in Kerala,“ explained Moharan.