Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Hundreds of viewers decked in traditional Indian attire gathered at the Thoreau School in Concord, Massachusetts, last month as Calcutta Club USA, a Concord-based group passionate about the ‘City of Joy’, its art and culture, held Sanskriti 2016, its second South Asian Book Fair.
The daylong event April 24 fused literature, art and theater and drew participation from global South Asian authors writers and leaders, some of whom, spoke through video conferences India’s ambassador to the United States, Arun Kumar Singh flew down from Washington to attend the Sanskriti Book Fair where leading publishers from Kolkata and Japur, along with some local publishers, took part.
The opening ceremony in the main auditorium started with poetry recitation by Bratati Bandyopadhyay, a famous elocutionist from Kolkata. The afternoon interaction sessions were started with distinguished professors, directors, business leaders and writers, including Amit Chaudhuri, an eminent Indian English author and academic from Calcutta.
Singh in his keynote talked about the critical need for literature-based events in fostering mutual understanding between diverse cultures and complimented the Calcutta Club for its initiative for getting involvement of writers and encouraged it to grow the effort by inviting mainstream participation.
Rep. Cory Atkins, D-Concord, and Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, were also present to greet the ambassador.
Moderator Shouvik Gangopadhyay led the panel of notable authors such as Vivek Bald, MIT; Maina Singh, American University, D.C.; Manreet Sodhi Someshwar, New York, who discussed on ‘History in South Asian Literature’ and answered questions from the audience. Technologist Sam Pitroda from Chicago delivered his speech on ‘Dreaming Big.’ Speakers also included socialite and columnist Shobhaa De.
The event ended with two short Indian plays and included a special reading session from a panel of six authors from New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
The post Calcutta Club Of USA Holds Sanskriti Book Fair In Massachusetts appeared first on News India Times.
