CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: As part of Vishwarang 2024, the statue of Rabindranath Tagore was unveiled at the Rabindranath Tagore Institute in Mauritius by His Excellency Prithviraj Singh Roopun, GCSK, the President of the Republic of Mauritius. Notably, the statue of Gurudev was gifted and installed in Mauritius by Santosh Choubey, Director of Vishwarang and Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University (Bhopal, India).
Expressing his sentiments, His Excellency Prithviraj Singh Roopun, GCSK, the President of the Republic of Mauritius, stated that the presence of Vishwarang in Mauritius and the installation of Gurudev’s statue is a historic event in itself. India and Mauritius share a common culture, and Vishwarang will further strengthen our shared cultural bonds. He extended heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Santosh Choubey of Rabindranath Tagore University for this unforgettable endeavor.
On this occasion, His Excellency Prithviraj Singh Roopun, GCSK, the President of the Republic of Mauritius, also inaugurated an exhibition of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s artwork. This exhibition, too, was gifted to the Rabindranath Tagore Institute in Mauritius by Rabindranath Tagore University.
Honorable Deputy Prime Minister Leela Devi Dookun stated that it is a matter of great pride that the ‘Vishwarang’ Tagore International Literature and Art Festival’s journey from Bhopal to Mauritius is a significant step towards promoting literary, cultural, and language education between the two countries.
On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Rabindranath Tagore University and Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Mauritius, in the distinguished presence of Mr. Prithviraj Singh Roopun, Ms. Leela Devi Dookun, and Mr. Santosh Choubey of Vishwarang. Dr. Vijay Singh, Registrar of Rabindranath Tagore University, and Dr. Rajkumar Ramparatab, Director-General of Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Mauritius, jointly signed the MoU.
During the event, Santosh Choubey elaborated on the concept of Vishwarang. Indradatt Ram, Chairman of Mahatma Gandhi Institute and Rabindranath Tagore Institute, Mauritius, also shared his thoughts. The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Karmalal Mantadin (Mauritius). The ceremony was hosted by Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Chancellor of Scope Global Skills University, and Mr. Vinay Upadhyay, Director of Tagore World Arts and Culture Center. The event saw creative participation from numerous Hindi and literature enthusiasts, along with several distinguished ministers and senior officials from the Mauritius government.
Jayati Chakraborty captivated the audience with Rabindra Sangeet. On the occasion of Vishwarang, Mauritius, the famous Bengali singer (from Kolkata, West Bengal) mesmerized the audience with melodious Bengali songs from Rabindra Sangeet and songs from Hindi films centered around them, creating a magical evening in Mauritius.
Highlights from the intellectual sessions held on the second day of Vishwarang, Mauritius 2024:
Premchand Auditorium
In the morning invocation, renowned artists from Kolkata, India, Subroto Sen, Nilankush Dutta, and Rituparna Banerjee, created a divine atmosphere with the melodious tunes of Rabindranath Tagore’s music on the Ektara.
Premchand Auditorium
The session on ‘Remembering Abhimanyu Anat – A Creator of Global Literary Consciousness’ was chaired by Vishwarang’s Co-Director and senior poet Leeladhar Mandloi. Senior poet Dr. Jitendra Srivastava (Delhi, India) introduced the subject. Dr. Vedprakash Singh (Japan), Dr. Samyukta Bhavan Ramsara (Mauritius), and young critic Achyutanand Mishra (Kerala, India) shared their thoughts.
Parallel Session
Premchand Auditorium
The International Poetry Reading session was chaired by senior poet Arun Kamal of India. Poets Santosh Choubey, Jitendra Srivastava, Balram Gumasta, Nilesh Raghuvanshi, and Savita Bhargava recited their poems. The session was moderated by Jitendra Srivastava.
Abhimanyu Anat Auditorium
A session on ‘Hindi in the World: Status and Possibilities (In the Context of the New Generation)’ was chaired by senior creator and thinker Manoj Srivastava. Dr. Aarti Lokesh (UAE), Dr. Krishna Kumar Jha (Mauritius), and Dr. Veer Bahadur Mahto (Nepal) shared their views. The session was moderated by Dr. Jawahar Karnawat.
Vanmali Auditorium
A session on ‘Science Writing in Hindi: Challenges and Opportunities’ was chaired by Vishwarang Director Santosh Choubey. The keynote address was delivered by senior science writer Devendra Mewari. Young scientist and creator Dr. Manish Mohan Gore from NISPR, co-editor of Electronics For You and young poet Mohan Sagoria, and senior science writer Dr. Krishna Kumar Mishra shared their thoughts.
Premchand Auditorium
A session on ‘Hindi’s Global Consciousness and Literature’ was chaired by senior poet and thinker Nandkishore Acharya. Senior creator Ramdev Dhurandhar from Mauritius, senior storyteller Alpana Mishra, young critic Achyutanand Mishra, and Dr. Naveen Lohani shared their thoughts. The session was moderated by senior poet and Vishwarang Co-Director Leeladhar Mandloi.
Abhimanyu Anat Auditorium
The session on ‘The Global Spread of Hindi and Mass Communication Media’ was chaired by senior editor and creator Om Thanvi. Senior journalist Priyadarshan, Rama Sharma (Japan), Shipra Shilpi (Germany), Dr. Shashi Dookun (Mauritius), Dr. Shalini Verma (Qatar), Aparna Vats (Australia), Indrajit Sharma (USA), and Dr. Jawahar Karnawat (India) shared their thoughts. The session was moderated by Abhijeet Gupta (Kenya).
Vanmali Auditorium
The session on ‘Various Dimensions of Bhojpuri Language and Literature’ was chaired by senior creator and president of the Hindi organization in Mauritius, Uday Narayan Gangu. Senior poet Ram Tiwari (Bahrain), Arvind Bisesar (Mauritius), Ashutosh (India), and Madarchal Ghishadube (Suriname) shared their thoughts on various aspects of Bhojpuri language and literature.
Premchand Auditorium
The ‘International Narrative Discourse’ session was chaired by senior storyteller Mukesh Verma, President of Vanmali Srijan Peeth Bhopal, and Chief Editor of Vanmali Katha. The session was moderated by young storyteller and editor of Vanmali Katha magazine, Kunal Singh. The narrative discussion included senior storyteller and editor Akhilesh (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India), young storyteller Ashutosh (Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, India), Kalpana Lalji (Mauritius), and Jamna Bini (Arunachal Pradesh, India).
Abhimanyu Anat Assembly Hall
A session on ‘Innovation in Hindi Teaching and Use of Technology in the Global Context’ was chaired by Dr. Kumud Sharma, Vice President of Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi, India. The session was moderated by Prof. Amitabh Saxena (Bhopal, India). This intellectual session included discussions by Dr. Vijay Malhotra (New Delhi, India), Himani Sharma (New Zealand), Balendu Dadhich (New Delhi, India), Dr. Vedprakash Singh (Japan), Gulshan Sukhlal (Mauritius), Attila Kotalawal (Sri Lanka), and Dr. Anjali Chintamani (Mauritius).
Vanmali Auditorium
Meet the Author – In this session, Dr. Ramdev Dhurandhar (a renowned novelist from Mauritius) and Mr. Prahlad Ramsharan (a distinguished literary figure from Mauritius) engaged in a creative conversation about various aspects of their literary creations with Dr. Alka Dhanpat (Mauritius).