Parasor Chatterjee Memorial Lecture by Department of English

The annual Parasor Chatterjee Memorial Lecture has been instituted by Mrs. Mithua Chatterjee, wife of Late Parasor Chatterjee who was a Selection Grade Lecturer in English and Head of the Department, who died while still in service on 12^th October 2004. The endowment lecture is delivered by an eminent scholar who is invited to primarily address the students of the Department of English of this college. The accessibility of the lectures ensures that the students from the other departments and the students from the neighboring colleges attend as well. The topic is usually relates to the syllabus of the undergraduate (Honours) course, in order to maintain the relevance of the lecture to the course of study offered by the college.

The First Annual Parasor Chatterjee Memorial Lecture is delivered by Prof. Subhas Sarkar, Ex- Head of the Department, Department of English, Rabindra Bharati University on 4^th March 2005.Prof. Sarkar’s lecture on Metaphysical Poetry mesmerized the students and the teachers alike. Next year, in 2006, Dr. Pradip Ranjan Sengupta, Department of English, Behala College delivered the 2^nd Memorial Lecture on 2^nd September. Dr. Dattatreya Datta, Head of the Department, Department of Drama, Rabindra Bharati University delivered the 3^rd Parasor Chatterjee Memorial Lecture on 13^th October, 2007. Dr. Datta’s lecture, titled “Dimensions of Love in Twelfth Night”, dwelt on various aspects of the famous Shakespearean comedy, which he had also translated into Bengali. Noted philosopher, Professor Arindam Chakrabarti also graced the occasion and encouraged the students.

In 2008, Dr. Dipak Sankar Chakrabarty, Reader of English, Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur delivered a talk titled “Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest” on 9^th August 2008. The lecture was a student friendly introduction to the world of Oscar Wilde and his influence on contemporary Victorian society. Next year, on 1^st August, 2009, Head of the Department of Kalyani University, Professor Proloy Kumar Deb gave a lecture on the relevance of tragedy. He demystified the classical legacy of the genre and charted its transformation through various epochs. Noted Professor of Philosophy, Loknath Chakraborty was the special guest on the occasion. On 7^th August, 2010, Dr. Barun Chattopadhyay, noted educationist, delivered a lecture titled “The Original Writings of Rabindranath Tagore” thereby marking the occasion of 5^th year of the Annual Parasor Chatterjee Memorial Lecture.

In 2011 (27^th August), Dr. Muktinath Chatterjee, Chairman of Council of Higher Secondary Education chose to talk about Tagore’s iconic play, Raktakarabi (The Red Oleander). The talk was followed by a wonderful performance of Raktakarabi by Pathasena, the noted theatre group. Next year, on 18^th August, 2012, the Memorial lecture was delivered by Dr. Subhendu Sarkar of Ranaghat College. The subject of the lecture was on the theatre world of the noted thespian, Badal Sircar. His brand of street theatre was discussed in his insightful lecture titled “Badal Sircar: Bikalpa Theatre Erkhonje”. Dr. Apurba Kumar Dey also spoke on the playwright in his own inimitable way. His talk was titled “Bangla Sahityer Oitijhyo o Uttaradhikar: Badal Sircar” That year, the Memorial awards were given away by Swami Tyagarupananda Maharaj, Principal of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur. In a special discussion that followed the lecture, noted writer, Sanjib Chattopadhyay and Professor Loknath Chakraborty talked about faith and afterlife. Satabdi, the noted street theatre group, performed Badal Sircar’s Michil (The Procession).

In 2013, Dr. Debasish Bandyopadhyay, Associate of English, Vidyasagar University delivered a talk on Psychoanalysis and Shakespeare on 28^th September. The students also staged a play titled “Stranger than Strangest” which is written by Dr. Jolly Das and is based on Macbeth and Midsummer Night’s Dream.In 2014, Dr. Arpita Chattoraj (Mukhopadhyay), Head of the Department of English, Burdwan University delivered a lecture titled “Modernism in Literature” on 8^th November. On 12.09.2015, noted scholar Debasish Mukhopadhyay spoke about the genius of Satyajit Ray in a freewheeling talk aptly titled “Satyajit Ray – Ekti Bishleshan” (Satyajit Ray – an Evaluation). The Lecture was followed by the screening of the rare film on Ray by James Beveridge. Next year, in 2016, Prof. Subir Dhar, former Head of the Department, Department of English, Rabindra Bharati University spoke about the art of illusion in the Renaissance on 10^th September. He explained the role played by magic and rituals in the evolution of Elizabethan literature. While doing so, he also performed some of the magic tricks used during those times.

In 2017, the Memorial Lecture was given by Prof. Sanjukta Dasgupta of University of Calcutta on 9^th September. This year the theme of the lecture was “Indian writing in English: Triumphs and Transformations”. There was a performance, as well, titled “The Artist and the Waiting” by Soumyadeb Hui.