Professor Alokeranjan Dasgupta teaches Indology at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany. In addition to about 12 volumes of poetry, and many essays in Bengali, English, and German, he has also done many translations of Indian literature into German and European literature into Bengali. He received many prizes for his work, viz., Goethe Award in Germany (1985), Rabindra-Award (1987), Ananda Award (1985) and the Sahitya Akademi (in 1992, for Marami Karat, a book of poems).

Articles in Parabaas:
My Tagore (Text of a lecture given in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1993).
"Der Vater" and "Kinderleid" - 2 poems of Gunter Grass translated into Bengali by Alokeranjan Dasgupta

Amitabha Sen has been a regular contributor of cartoons, sketches and articles (in English - which have been translated into Bengali) to Parabaas. He is the founder of Spinor Capital LLC, a Chicago based quantitative finance firm. Educated in India and the US, he studied theoretical physics and finance, and worked for many years at the Swiss investment bank, UBS. Before his career in finance, he made a ground-breaking discovery in Einstein's theory of relativity which led to a new theory of quantum gravity.

Selected Articles in Parabaas:
The Legacy of Mr. Carr, A Gift for the Gifted (Essay on Indian Mathematician Ramanujan; Parabaas-10)
Namib-er Morubhumite (Travelogue on Namibia, translated into Bengali; Parabaas-1)
Sketches (Sketches,Parabaas-3)

Anandarup Ray, a son of Annada Sankar and Lila Ray, was a student in Visva-Bharati in the 1950s. After studying economics in Cambridge University and Chicago, he joined the World Bank in Washington. In the last years before retirement, he was a senior advisor to Larry Summers and Joseph Stiglitz. He is the author of several books in economics. He is currently the founding president of the Santiniketan Ashram Sammilani International.

Articles in Parabaas:
Rabindranath Tagore and His Contemporary Relevance (Essay, co-authored with Uma Das Gupta).

Ana Jelnikar was born in Slovenia and educated in Ljubljana and London where she has recently completed a PhD at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. She has published scholarly articles in Canada, India and Slovenia. Jelnikar is the translator of the first Slovenian edition of C. G. Jung's Man and His Symbols, as well as seven collections of contemporary Slovenian poetry. Her most recent publications include an anthology of Six Slovenian Poets (Arc Publications, 2006, she co-translated with Stephen Watts and Kelly Lenox Allan), Look Back, Look Ahead: Selected Poems of Srečko Kosovel (Ugly Duckling Presse, co-transalted with Barbara Siegel Carlson), and Meta Kušar's poetry collection Ljubljana (Arc Publications, 2010, co-translated with Stephen Watts). Jelnikar is one of the founders of the annual Golden Boat International Poetry Translation Workshop in Slovenia, which she helped run between 2003-2009.

Articles in Parabaas:
Let him speak in his own voice: Three books by Uma Das Gupta (Book reviews).
Rabindranath Tagore and Srečko Kosovel: Joint Perspective in a Disjointed World (Essay).

Anandamayee Majumdar is an assistant professor in Statistics, Arizona State University. She has translated two books: Julius Fuchik's Notes from the Gallows as Surjodayer Gaan (ISBN 984-560-076-X, publisher:Jatiya Grantha Prokashan) and David Guest's Lectures on Dialectic Materialism as Dwandik Bostubaad (ISBN 984839106-1; publisher: Sahittik).

Articles in Parabaas:
A Review: Maitreyi Devi's Tagore by Fireside (Book review)
Madhobi, the young spring flower (translation of a song; PB: 8/1010)
My heart is secured with yours (translation of a song; PB: 8/1010)

Anima Chattopadhyay, M.A., B.Ed., retired school teacher, has been a life-long disciple of maestro Subinoy Roy. She received a diploma in music from 'Geetobitan' (গীতবিতান). Since 1970 she has been performing in the AIR, Kolkata.

Duti Rabindrasangeet (songs; Pub. 05/2012)

Anirban Dasgupta is the son and foremost student of Pandit Buddhadev Dasgupta, a well known exponent of sarod. From him Anirban has absorbed a vast repertoire of sarod compositons and performance techniques. Anirban has also been trained as a Software Engineer and pursues an engineering career alongside his music. He is currently based in Dracut, MA, USA.

Rabindra-Sangeet as a Resource for Indian Classical Bandishes (Essay, with audio samples)

Ashish Lahiri's interests lie in writing, translations, and in compiling dictionaries. He is particularly interested in the intersection of History and Science. His published work includes original titles in Bengali (অন্য কোনো সাধনার ফল, স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ ও বাঙালি সেক্যুলার বিবেক, রবীন্দ্রনাথ : মানুষের ধর্ম, মানুষের বিজ্ঞান, বিজ্ঞান ও মতাদর্শ, দ্বি-শতবর্ষে রাধানাথ শিকদার), translations into Bengali (e.g., of Ramachandra Guha's India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy, and J. D. Bernal's Science in History), and a title in English (Caught Between Two Cultures : Science in Nineteenth Century Bengal).

গীতার রবীন্দ্র-ভাষ্য: মারণতত্ত্বের উড়োজাহাজ (Essay)

Bhaswati Ghosh writes and translates fiction and non-fiction. Her first work of translation from Bengali into English–In Conversation with Ramkinkar–has been published by Delhi-based Niyogi Books in 2012. This work also won her the Charles Wallace (India) Trust Fellowship for translation in 2009. Her non-fiction writings have appeared in Letters to My Mother and My Teacher is My Hero–anthologies of true stories published by Adams Media. Bhaswati has contributed to several websites (including Asia Writes, Notun Desh, Chowk) and print magazines (Teenage Buzz, ByLine, Cause and Effect). She has written for major Indian dailies such as The Times of India, The Statesman and The Pioneer. 

Articles in Parabaas:
Freedom in Tagore's Plays (Essay, 05/2011)
New Doll (Translation, 05/2011)
Inside the World of Tagore's Music (Book review, 08/2011)
At Ramkinkar’s House with Shakti (Translation of a memoir by Samir Sengupta, 02/2012)
Shakti's Singing (Translation of a memoir by Samir Sengupta, 04/2013)

Professor Brian Hatcher currently holds the Packard Chair of Theology at Tufts University, MA, USA. Most recently his translation of Isvarchandra Vidyasagar's Hindu widow remarriage' has been published by the Columbia University Press. His other publications include Idioms of Improvement: Vidyasagar and Cultural Encounter in Bengal and Eclecticism and Modern Hindu Discourse. He is currently translating Saradindu Bandyopadhyay's work from Bengali, some of which have been already published. More information can be found in his website.

Articles in Parabaas:
Aji Hate Satabarasha Pare: What Tagore says to us a Century Later - a Lecture (in English) by Brian Hatcher.

Classically trained in Kathak dance, Brinda Guha has been learning Kathak from Kalamandir Dance School (directed by Malabika Guha) for 15 years. She is now a member of the newly formed Kalamandir Dance Company. Brinda has perfomed all over the United States, Canada, England and India with her dance troupe. She also learns the art of Spanish Classical Flamenco dancing with Dionisia Garcia in New York City, and has been learning for the past 3 years in effort to add a new dynamic to her dance style and to her Kathak. Brinda is a student at New York University with a concentration in Economic Policy and Mathematics, and has studied Classical Piano for 10 years with Richard Hendrickson.

Articles in Parabaas:
Dhwanilo Ahwana.. a dance based on Flamenco and Ballet and set to a Tagore song

Chirantan Kundu obtained graduate degrees from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. Currently he is based in California as a software professional. He has been associated with Bengali little magazines since he was young. His Bengali articles regularly appear in Parabaas.

Selected articles in Parabaas:
Jhnakidarshan (a satire in Bengali on the state of Tagore appreciation)

Professor Clinton Seely is in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. Among his published books are: A Poet Apart: A Literary Biography of the Bengali Poet Jibanananda Das (1899-1954) (1990), The Slaying of Meghanada - A Ramayana from Colonial Bengal (2004), Barisal and Beyond--Essays on Bangla Literature, It Rained All Night, Ananya Jibanananda (অনন্য জীবনানন্দ), The Scent of Sunlight: Poems by Jibanananda Das, etc. With Leonard Nathan, he has translated Ramprasad's songs in a book Grace and Mercy in Her Wild Hair: Selected Poems to the Mother Goddess.

Articles in Parabaas:
The Scent of Sunlight: Poems by Jibanananda Das (PB: December 2011)
Reliving through Letters: A bit of time again with Buddhadeva Bose (PB: 06/2004)
Translating Between Media: Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray (Text of a lecture in English, given in 2000)
Jibananander Upare Kichhu Chhinna Chinta (জীবনানন্দে্র উপর কিছু ছিন্ন চিন্তা) - by Clinton Seely (in Bengali)
NibiD Paath - Clinton Seely's Jibanananda - by Ankur Saha (a review in Bengali of Clinton Seely's book on Jibanananda)
Reflections on Clinton B. Seely's Translation of Meghanad-Badh Kabya - by William Radice (a review of Seely's book) (PB: 09/2004)
Barisal ebong tar por (বরিশাল এবং তার পর) - by Sumita Chakravarty (a review of Seely's book) (PB: 10/2010)

Damayanti Bhattacharyya sings mostly Rabindra-sangeet, and also songs by Atulprasad, Rajanikanta, D.L. Roy, etc. She had secured the first position (in First Class) in music in Vishva-Bharati, and also later acquired a Master's degree in the First Class from the Rabindra-Bharati University. She learned music from stalwarts such as Kanika Bandyopadhyay, Nilima Sen, and Subinoy Roy. Besides many performances in India, she has also performed in the Far Eastern countries in a team led by Nilima Sen. She can be contacted through Parabaas.

Songs in Parabaas:
Du'ti Rabindrasangeet (Two songs of Rabindranath from her first album Praner khelaghore)
Aro Du'ti Rabindrasangeet (Two more songs of Rabindranath from her album O paraner bandhu)

Dhriti Bhattacharya is currently pursuing a PhD in Materials Science at the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

Dipali Chakraborti was a head of the Department of English of the Shillong College, India, before retiring to Chandannagar, West Bengal.

Articles in Parabaas:
I (Translation of Tagore's poem Ami.)

Faheem Hasan Shahed, Ph.D. is an academic and researcher by profession. Chair of English Department at American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), he teaches Applied Linguistics and Communication Skills. Besides, he has been involved in freelance journalism and creative writing. His book When Bhawdroloks are Around, Commoners Beware has earned wide acclaim from literary critics. Music has been his lifelong passion. He sings Rabindrasangeet (Tagore’s songs) and Harano Diner Gaan (Bangla songs of yesteryears). Faheem is also a lyricist, tune composer & music arranger. His albums on Tagore songs and self composed songs are soon to be released.

Music in Parabaas:
দু'টি রবীন্দ্রসঙ্গীত (কান্তি অনন্ত নুজ্‌হাত-এর সঙ্গে দ্বৈতকন্ঠে)

Gopa Datta Bhowmik studied in the Presidency College, Kolkata, and thereafter obtained a Ph.D. from the Jatavpur University. Her thesis was on Tagore literature and paintings. She was a professor in the Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata, in the Department of Bengali Language and Literature and later was the pricipal of the same College during 1998-2004. Currently she is the Vice Chancellor of Gaurbanga University. Her publications include কথার অলিন্দে (এবং মুশায়েরা) and গল্পউপন্যাসের পাঠপ্রসঙ্গ (অবভাস).

Articles in Parabaas:
পূরবীর পাণ্ডুলিপির চিত্রচর্চা: 'আকারের মহাযাত্রা' (Essay in Bengali.)
অন্য এক পরণকথা (Book review in Bengali.)

Indrani Chakrabarti studied English literature and Mass Communication at Jadavpur University, Calcutta. She has been working in the FM Radio section of the Times of India group for the past six years. Her hobbies are: books, movies of Satyajit Ray, Rabindrasangeet and Impressionist paintings.

Articles in Parabaas:
A People's Poet or a Literary Deity? (Essay)

Indranil Dasgupta was educated at St. Stephen's College, Delhi and at Boston University, from where he obtained a PhD in Physics. Besides writing, he also dabbles with many other things having to do with Bengali language and software, including Parabaas-Axar, a versatile wordprocessing application. The first Bengali novel to appear in the internet was by him (Rahuler Diary Theke). He has many articles in Bengali in Parabaas.

Selected Articles by Indranil Dasgupta in Parabaas:
The Trip to Heaven - Sunil Gangopadhyay (Short story translated into English)
Gora'r Rabindranath (bengali article on Tagore's novel Gora)
Loke Bole Aloukik(Complete Fiction; in Bengali)
Shakti'r Gadya (Essay on Shakti Chattopadhyay's Fictions; in Bengali)

Hannele Pohjanmies was born in Lahti, Finland, in 1946. She studied biology and geography (University of Helsinki; M. Sc. 1975, majoring in geography of developing countries). Assistant in environmental science (University of Helsinki).

Radio programs on nature conservation, environmental subjects and cultural policy 1970-75. Editor at Otava Publishing company 1975-84.

Two children (1984,1986). Full-time mother and freelance journalist from 1984, writing for several magazines on psychology, way of life, literature and nature.

Edited several collections of poems. Published psychological essays Elämänrohkeuden juurilla, Kirjapaja 2002, and collections of translations of poems: Rabindranath Tagore: Rakkauden laulu, Kirjapaja 2002; Ellen S. Jaffe: Syntymälauluja, Therapeia-säätiö 2005; Rabindranath Tagore: Rakkauden lahja, Memfis Books 2006; Rabindranath Tagore: Hedelmätarha, Memfis Books 2007.

Click here to learn more about the writer in Finnish.

Articles in Parabaas:
In Phalgun, One Night (Tagore in Finland) (incl. translation of 3 Tagore poems in Finnish)

Imre Bangha is a Lecturer in Hindi at the University of Oxford and the Head of the Alexander Csoma de Kőrös Centre at the Hungarian University of Transylvania, Romania. He holds a Ph.D. from Visva Bharati and his publications include Hungarian translations from various South Asian languages as well as Saneh ka marag, a book in Hindi on Anandghan (Ghan Anand) and The First Published Anthology of Hindi Poets: Thomas Duer Broughton's Selections from the Popular Poetry of the Hindoos--1814. His book, Hungry Tiger/Encounter between India and Central Europe: The case of Hungarian and bengali Literary Cultures (Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi; 2008) has been reviewed in Parabaas by Ketaki Kushari Dyson.

Article in Parabaas:
Rabindranath Tagore and Hungarian Politics (Essay)

Jayita Ghosh received training in Rabindrasangeet in Santiniketan from Santideb Ghosh, Kanika Bandyopadhyay, and Nilima Sen. Later she earned post-graduate degree in music from the Visva-Bharati. She can be contacted through her webpage.

Songs in Parabaas:
Du'ti Rabindrasangeet (1) (Two songs of Rabindranath)
Du'ti Rabindrasangeet (2) (Two songs of Rabindranath)

Jyoti Prakash Datta (1939-1998), an engineer and accountant by profession held deep interest in literature and liberal religions. Translating Rabindranath Tagore's non-fiction held a strong appeal for him in their potential to communicate Tagore’s world-view among a non-Bengali readership. He was also inspired by the absence of perceptive English translation of the majority of Tagore's essays, discourses and letters.

Jyoti Prakash was closely associated with the Brahmo Samaj and the Unitarian Universalist Association. He lectured in India, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States of America, and has been published on a wide variety of topics in The Statesman, Tattwa-Kaumudi, Indian Messenger, Perspectives, ISTD Review etc. He was working on the Santiniketan translations and the book ISO 9000 : A Roadmap for Design, Installation and Implementation of Quality Management Systems at the time of his death.

Articles in Parabaas:
Selections from Santiniketan (Translation of Rabindranath's Santiniketan Addresses)

Music composer, singer, poet Jyotirindranath Moitra (জ্যোতিরিন্দ্রনাথ মৈত্র) became a legend during his lifetime in the 1930s and 40s. He was born in November, 1911 in a zamindar family in Sitalai, District Pabna, of the undivided Bengal. He obtained an M.A. in English from the Calcutta University.

He was associated with the Indian Peoples Theatre Association (IPTA) from its beginning. His creative works during that era spanned many areas: Nabajiboner Gaan, Jhonjhaar Gaan, or his poem Madhu-bangshir Goli are still sung and recited in meetings, processions or many ceremonies.

In the 1950s he was forced to leave Calcutta in search of a career and finally settled in Delhi, at the Bharotiya Kala-kendra. Under the auspices of Sangeet-Natak Akademi he produced Ramlila, Lambakarna-pala, Phalguni, and Smriti-Satta-Bhabishyat— the last one being the Sahitya Akademi award winning poem by his classmate Bishnu Dey. He was the music director of Rabindranath, the famous documentary by Satyajit Ray released on the Tagore birth centenary. He also directed the music for several films by Ritwik Ghatak. He returned to Calcutta in the 1970s‐there he taught music in several institutions, Gitabitan, Patha-Bhavan School, and Indira Sangeet Sikshayatan. He died on October 25, 1977.

He learned Hindusthani classical music from Haricharan Chakraborty, Vishmadev Chattopadhyay, Kalinath Chattopadhyay and Asfaq Hussain Khan. He received training in Tagore songs from Sarala Devi Chaudhurani, Anadi Dastidar, and Indira Devi Chaudharni. But his commercially published record is only one.

Songs in Parabaas:
Three songs of Tagore (Music)
Three more songs of Tagore (Music)
Two songs of Tagore (Music)

Based in Kolkata since 1975. Kakali Ray's childhood was spent in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. She learned Rabindrasangeet from Santidev Ghsoh, Kanika Bandyopadhyay, and Nilima Sen at the Sangeet-Bhavan in Santiniketan. Later on she also took lessons from Debabrata Biswas and Suchitra Mitra. She is associated with Gandhar, a musical insititution in Kolkata.

Music in Parabaas:
রবীন্দ্রসঙ্গীত

Dr. Kalyan Kundu is a founder member of The Tagore Centre, UK. He has co-edited several books on Tagore—Rabindranath Tagore and the British Press, This World is Beautiful, Imagining Rabindranath: Tagore and the British Press 2; translated (with Anthony Loynes) Tagore's Se'; and also authored two books in Bengali: British patra-patrikay Rabindra-prasanga, and Italy safare Rabindranath o Mussolini prasanga.

Articles in Parabaas:
Mussolini and Tagore (Essay)

Kanti Ananta Nuzhat is currently pursuing her Doctoral research at Monash University, Australia. A faculty of Economics at North South University in Dhaka, she has been involved in extensive research in her field. Her book The New Urban Woman in Bangladesh: Their Changing Economic Profiles has been well received in the academic circle. She is a Rabindrasangeet graduate from Chhayanot (ছায়ানট), the country’s premier institution of Bangla Music. She also excels in Lalangeeti and Harano Diner Gaan, and has performed on stages at home and abroad. Besides, she is a creative lyricist whose song ‘Gorbo Bangladesh’ is a hit number by popular band ‘Shunno’.

Music in Parabaas:
দু'টি রবীন্দ্রসঙ্গীত (ফাহিম হাসান শাহেদ-এর সঙ্গে দ্বৈতকন্ঠে)

Kathleen M. O'Connell Kathleen M. O'Connell teaches courses on South Asia at New College, University of Toronto, Canada. Her research interests include Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray; and Bengali cultural and literary history. Her publications include: Bravo Professor Shonku. Translation (Bengali to English) of three stories by Satyajit Ray. New Delhi: Rupa & Co., 1985; Rabindranath Tagore: The Poet as Educator. Calcutta:Visva-Bharati, 2002; Rabindranth Tagore: Claiming a Cultural Icon. Jointly edited with Joseph T. O’Connell. Kolkata:Visva-Bharati, 2009.

Articles in Parabaas:
Red Oleanders (Raktakarabi) by Rabindranath Tagore: A New Translation and Adaptation: Two Reviews (Book Review)
Utsav-Celebration: Tagore’s Approach to Cultivating the Human Spirit and the Study of Religion (Essay)

Ketaki Kushari Dyson is the author of several titles in Bengali and English in a diversity of genres: poetry, fiction, drama, essays, literary translation, and research-based books. She has many books relating directly to Rabindranath Tagore: Rabindranath o Victoria Ocampor Sandhane (Navana, Calcutta, 1985, a novel interwoven with her preliminary researches on Tagore and Victoria Ocampo, which received an Ananda Puraskar in 1986); In Your Blossoming Flower-Garden: Rabindranath Tagore and Victoria Ocampo (Sahitya Akademi, 1988, based on her researches in India, Britain, France, and Argentina); I Won't Let You Go: Selected Poems of Rabindranath Tagore (Bloodaxe Books, 1991, a Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation); Ronger Rabindranath (a study of Tagore's colour vision and his use of colours in his writings and visual art, written jointly with other scholars, Ananda, Calcutta, 1997, for which she shared an Ananda Puraskar with co-author Sushobhan Adhikary in the same year. The Ophthalmological Society of West Bengal, at their annual conference in Calcutta in November 2011, formally acknowledged the importance of the research work embodied in the book Ronger Rabindranath. ). More about her work can be found here.

Articles in Parabaas:
Biographical Sketch of Buddhadeva Bose
Two Poems from Bandir Bandana by Buddhadeva Bose (translated into English by Ketaki Kushari Dyson)
On the Trail of Rabindranath Tagore and Victoria Ocampo(Essay)
Rabindranath Tagore and His World of Colours(Essay)
The Year 1400 - by Rabindranath Tagore(translated from Bengali)
On the Wings of Hummingbirds, Rabindranath Tagore’s Little Poems: An Invitation to a Review-cum-Workshop (Book review-cum-workshop)
Dialogue between Karna and Kunti (poem)
How hard should we try? – Questions of detail in literary translation (Book review)
A Tremendous Comet: Michael Madhusudan Dutt (Book review)
Anandamath, or The Sacred Brotherhood: A Book Review (Book review)
Making Connections: Hungry Hungarians meet Bengal Tigers (Book review)
Rumbling Empires and Men Speaking to Storms (Book review)
Talking Between Disciplines: Could We Please Have A Better Conversation? (Book review)

Since her birth in 1948, Liesbeth (Elisabeth Catharina) Meyer has been living in the Hague, the Netherlands. She works at the administration office of the Advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy and has been a member of the Theosofical Society Point Loma-Covina, the Hague, since 1995. Mother of three grown-up children, she hopes to visit Shantiniketan one day in the near future!

Articles in Parabaas:
Tagore in the Netherlands (Includes many letters exchanged between Tagore and Frederik van Eeden)

Laisa Ahmed Lisa is a noted exponent of Tagore Songs. Based in Bangladesh, she is a sought after artist at home and abroad.

Songs in Parabaas:
Three songs

Born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dr. Mashiul Chowdhury is a self-taught artist who chose medicine as a profession (now on the faculty of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia), but continued to explore his artistic vision and ideals. In medical school, he participated in creating an exhibit of posters on contemporary issues that drew wide acclaim in Bangladesh. In Philadelphia, he became an alumnus of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and still attends figure-drawing sessions there, as well as at the Philadelphia Sketch Club and the Fleisher Art Memorial. His work has appeared in group shows at PAFA, and his first solo exhibit took place in September, 2008 at the Gould Gallery in Ardmore, PA. More on Mashiul can be found here.

Art in Parabaas:
Portrait of Tagore

Dr. Martin Kämpchen is a writer on India and a translator of Tagore from Bengali to German. He lives at Santiniketan, India. For more information visit his website.