Own report: With the onset of monsoon in Kolkata, Antonym Collections launched the First Bilingual Yearbook of Bengali Poetry in Translation, Chime of Time, in the musical evening of Bohoman Kobita Adda on 29th June in Rag Anurag Music Research Academy. The Chime of Time book has been curated by Editors Anindita Mukherjee and Amanita Sen, a groundbreaking collection of 50 poets’ work, bringing together some of Bengal’s most urgent and powerful poetic voices. The evening initiated a discussion by the translators and editors tracing the project’s path from inception to compilation. Anindita Mukherjee and Amanita Sen discussed the challenges of translating poetry and editing a colossal book like Chime of Time. Translators Amitava Sen and Moulinath Goswami shared their experiences of literary translations, the gaps of spoken languages, and maintaining the nuances of both languages while translating poetry. Satadal Mitra emphasized that compiling the poems from various resources was a more inclusive way of representing Bengali poetry and its diverse flavours with Amanita Sen.The discussion unpacked the translation process, from personal perspectives to creative hurdles, setting the stage for the official book launch by Ramchandra Pramanik, Satadal Mitra, Anindita Mujherjee, Yashodhara Roy Chowdhury, Amanita Sen and Biswadip Chakraborty. This was followed by an evening of poetry reading by translators and contributing poets, as the audience enjoyed the evening, celebrating the passion for translations, love of literature, and space for more powerful poetry together.
