Kolkata welcomed the monsoon with a celebration of Bengali poetry as Antonym Collections launched “Chime of Time,” its first bilingual yearbook of Bengali poetry in translation, on June 29th. The launch took place during the “Bohoman Kobita Adda,” a musical evening held at the Rag Anurag Music Research Academy.
Curated by Anindita Mukherjee and Amanita Sen, “Chime of Time” is a landmark collection featuring the works of 50 poets, showcasing some of Bengal’s most compelling poetic voices.
The evening began with a discussion featuring the editors and translators, who shared insights into the project’s journey from its initial concept to its final compilation. Anindita Mukherjee and Amanita Sen spoke about the inherent challenges of translating poetry and the significant undertaking of editing a comprehensive volume like “Chime of Time.” Translators Amitava Sen and Moulinath Goswami delved into their experiences with literary translation, highlighting the difficulties in bridging linguistic gaps while preserving the subtle nuances of both the original and translated languages. Satadal Mitra, alongside Amanita Sen, emphasized that gathering poems from diverse sources provided a more inclusive representation of Bengali poetry’s varied essence.
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This engaging discussion, which explored both personal perspectives and creative obstacles in the translation process, set the stage for the official book launch. The book was formally unveiled by Ramchandra Pramanik, Satadal Mitra, Anindita Mukherjee, Yashodhara Roy Chowdhury, Amanita Sen, and Biswadip Chakraborty.
The launch was followed by an evening of captivating poetry readings by both translators and contributing poets. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the event, celebrating a shared passion for literary translation, a deep love for literature, and the ongoing creation of powerful poetry.
