Bangladesh little mag editors attend festival in Kolkata
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Chandan Banerjee
KOLKATA, Jan 14: A group of editors of little magazines published in Bangladesh are attending the Little Magazine Festival, being held in Kolkata from January 11 at Nandan compound, the hub of Paschimbanga's cultural activities. The fest will conclude tomorrow (Sunday).
It may be recalled that the newly elected chief minister of Bengal Mamata Banerjee made commitment to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that steps would be taken to strengthen the cultural exchange between the two countries day by day. In line with her promise, Banerjee invited the poets, authors and publishers to join the festival, is being organized by the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy, a wing of Information & Culture Ministry of West Bengal.
Books such as Shashwatiki of Rajshahi, Kobi, Aranya, Kobita Sangkranti, Deepan, Samay, Junction (all from Dhaka) are being displayed at the festival.
According Sajal Ahmed, editor of Kobi, there is no such festival with little magazines in Bangladesh. "We get a place in the Ekushey Book Fair that takes place from February 1 to 21. That's all. No such exclusive fest with little mags", he said.
"Our little magazines get a different characteristics through this fest", said N Zulfikar, the editor of Deepan.
Paschimbanga Bangla Academy, headed by eminent author Mahasweta Devi invited eight editors of Bangladesh via Mr Zulfikar and got six of them as two others had some visa problem.
Bangladesh reportedly has over 300 magazines and 100 little magazines. But they do not have any centralised organisation. Otherwise, more and more people from these magazines would have attended the show.
"We shall take extra initiatives from next year for participation of more
Bangladesh people in this festival and that we have to do through central government", Sais Utpal Jha, secretary, Paschimbanga Bangla Academy.
KOLKATA, Jan 14: A group of editors of little magazines published in Bangladesh are attending the Little Magazine Festival, being held in Kolkata from January 11 at Nandan compound, the hub of Paschimbanga's cultural activities. The fest will conclude tomorrow (Sunday).
It may be recalled that the newly elected chief minister of Bengal Mamata Banerjee made commitment to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina that steps would be taken to strengthen the cultural exchange between the two countries day by day. In line with her promise, Banerjee invited the poets, authors and publishers to join the festival, is being organized by the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy, a wing of Information & Culture Ministry of West Bengal.
Books such as Shashwatiki of Rajshahi, Kobi, Aranya, Kobita Sangkranti, Deepan, Samay, Junction (all from Dhaka) are being displayed at the festival.
According Sajal Ahmed, editor of Kobi, there is no such festival with little magazines in Bangladesh. "We get a place in the Ekushey Book Fair that takes place from February 1 to 21. That's all. No such exclusive fest with little mags", he said.
"Our little magazines get a different characteristics through this fest", said N Zulfikar, the editor of Deepan.
Paschimbanga Bangla Academy, headed by eminent author Mahasweta Devi invited eight editors of Bangladesh via Mr Zulfikar and got six of them as two others had some visa problem.
Bangladesh reportedly has over 300 magazines and 100 little magazines. But they do not have any centralised organisation. Otherwise, more and more people from these magazines would have attended the show.
"We shall take extra initiatives from next year for participation of more
Bangladesh people in this festival and that we have to do through central government", Sais Utpal Jha, secretary, Paschimbanga Bangla Academy.