Ch-II Chapter 2 BHASHA-BHAVANA (Institute of Languages, Literature and Culture) Bhasha-Bhavana - Institute of Languages, Literature & Culture - has ten major language departments, one centre and three subsidiary language units functioning under its aegis. In 2014 Bhasha-Bhavana is going to move to a new independent building with a language laboratory and other state of the art facilities. Bhasha-Bhavana offers regular courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels as well as M.Phil. and Ph.D. programmes in its constituent departments of languages, literature and culture. Bhasha-Bhavana also offers part-time language courses comprising two-year Certificate, one-year Diploma and one-year Advance Diploma in 17 Indian and foreign languages. They are open mainly for regular students and staff members of Visva- Bharati and for residents of the locality. One-year integrated casual courses on Indian Classics and in certain languages and literatures are offered to foreign students. The Department of Sanskrit offers a 6-month course on Manuscriptology. Bhasha-Bhavana takes pride in its rich treasure of manuscripts in Sanskrit, Bengali, Odia, Tibetan, Arabic and Persian which are preserved in the departments concerned. Cheena Bhavana, the department of Chinese, and Hindi Bhavana, the department of Hindi, house prestigious sectional libraries, each containing around 45,000 and 35,000 books respectively. Visiting professors and scholars from all over the world regularly visit Bhasha- Bhavana where the exchange of ideas opens up new areas of research, to which significant contributions are made. Bhasha-Bhavana holds the promise of advancement towards national integration and world peace through continuous intellectual and cultural exchange. Bhasha-Bhavana takes pleasure in announcing the initiation of an ongoing Student Exchange Programme with Yunnan University of China in 2011 realized by the pioneering efforts of Dr. Avijit Banerjee, Associate Professor of Chinese, Visva-Bharati. The first batch comprising 15 students from various departments of Visva-Bharati visited Yunnan University, China, in the summer of 2012. The exchange programme has not only continued through 2013 and 2014 with batches of students from both universities visiting each others' institutions, it has also developed into a teachers' exchange programme. A cultural team from Visva-Bharati also visited Yunnan University in 2013. The present Principal, Professor Rameshwar Mishra, Professor of Hindi, took over the stewardship of Bhasha- Bhavana from Professor Arttatran Nayak in 2013. The Bhavana had introduced the study of Comparative Literature as a subsidiary / alternative subject in its undergraduate courses from the academic year of 2010-2011. Its proposal to establish a Department of Comparative Literature within the 12th plan period with the introduction of B.A. in Comparative Literature is resolutely on course and progressing steadily in the direction of its realization. A Centre for Modern European Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies (CMELLCS) under the Department of English and Other Modern European Languages (DEOMEL) has been established. As its inaugural venture, this fledgling Centre offers an undergraduate course in modern European languages, literatures and cultural histories with the scope of specializing in any one of the four modern European languages (French, German, Italian and Russian) being taught in DEOMEL since countless decades. In February 2014, Dr. Indrani Das, Associate Professor of Italian and Dr. Sanjib Kumar Das, Associate Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies handed over charge as Vice-Principals to their successors Shri Romit Roy, Associate Professor of German and Dr. Harekrushna Mishra, Assistant Professor of Sanskrit. The office of Bhasha-Bhavana is ably run by the office administrative staff. Shri Soumendra Sen is Deputy Registrar of Bhasha-Bhavana and Vidya-Bhavana. Shri Ganesh Ghosh is Senior Office Assistant, Sk. Mahiuddin 9 Annual Report 2013-14 Ch-II is Office Assistant, while Shri Amar Karmakar is Bhavana Record Keeper. Smt. Purnima Nag retired as Bhasha- Bhavana Peon after dedicating twenty-four years of service to Visva-Bharati. Shri Subir Goswami and Shri Ashok Das are providing service as temporary workers in the Bhasha-Bhavana office. An assemblage of foreign languages and traditional Indian languages under one umbrella, Bhasha-Bhavana is unique as a cultural centre where the best cultural aspects of East and West meet, fulfilling the ideals formulated by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Annual Report 2013-14 10 Ch-II DEPARTMENT OF BENGALI Name of the students qualified in UGC/CSIR/NET/SET/RET examinations: NET with JRF:(6) NET: (12) RET: (1) Departmental Seminars (Speakers, Title of Seminars, Date): A. 27 Nov. 2013, Sri Anathnath Das delivered 'NripendrachandraSmarakBaktrita'. B. 20-21 Jan.2014, TheDepartment of Bengali organized National Seminar titled 'Contemporary Trends of Indian Literature' in association with 'Bankimchandra Tulanamulak Bharatiya Sahityacharcha kendra', RBU. Prof. Pallab Sengupta, Prof. Karunasindhu Das, Prof. Sisir kumar Singha, Prof. Mukteswarnath Tiwari, Prof. Biplab Chakraborty, Prof. Soumitra Basu, Prof. KailashPattanaik, Dr. Gokul Sinha, Dr. Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay, Sri Rabisankar Bal, Dr. Ashis Khastugiretal illuminated the seminar with erudite speeches. Prof. Sushanta Dattagupta, The Hon'ble Vice- Chancellor of Visva-Bharati inaugurated the seminar. Prof. Rameshwarprasad Mishra, Principal, Bhasha-Bhavana, VB presided over the inaugural session. C. Jan. 2014, Father Detienna, the eminent French writer in Bengali interacted with the students and teachers of the Dept. D. 19-21 Oct 2013, A Students' Seminar was organized by MA-Sem-III students on 'Raktakarabi'. Extension activities/ NSS/Cultural and other activities organized by the Department and participated by the teachers and the students of the Department:Bengali Educational tour to Bhopal-Khajuraho-Panchmari : from 31 Dec.2013 to 06 Jan 2014 Designing New Course/ Curriculum or any other teaching innovations introduced by the Department A brief history on the development of the Bhavana/Sadana/Vibhaga concerned with an indication of the future plans for development: The Department is preparing for SAP in near future. The Department is planning to set up a Tagore Cell in the Department of Bengali with a view of exhaustive studies on Rabindranath Tagore. Any other relevant information Bengali Departmental library is not empowered to purchase books and periodicals directly. These all are monitored by the Central Library of the University. Departmental library should have a minimum provision of purchasing Books, Journals and Periodicals with their priority and urgency. Moreover, the Department would like to emphasise that a permanent librarian is essential for smooth running of the Departmental library system. Alibha Dakshi Publication : Book: Bangla BhashabijnanAbhidhan, Revised 2nd edition, 2013, May, Sanskrit PustakBhandar,Kolkata 6. Article in Journal "Old Bengali Language: Views of Suniti Kumar Chatterji", Our Heritage, vol XL1, Parts 1 & 2, Sanskrit College, Kolkata, 25th February, 2014, pp 11 Annual Report 2013-14 Ch-II Other Academic / Administrative activities: Selected as EC member, Visva-Bharati since 01 Nov 2013 Mrinal Kanti Mandal Conference/ Seminar/ Workshop etc. 20-21 January, 2014: National Seminar on Contemporary Trends in Indian Literature, organised by the Department of Bengali, Visva-Bharati,Santiniketan, from 20-21 January 2014; organised the seminar as convener. Publications : Articles in Journals Magic Realism: EktiOnusandhan,Samasamayik Bangla, 2nd year, Vol-9,April-2103, ed. Sayandeb Bandyopadhyay, Kolkata, 2013: ISSN - 2348-5655. Diner Seshe Santiniketane Shakti, Samasamayik Bangla, 3rd year, Vol-3, November-2103, ed. Sayandeb Bandyopadhyay, Kolkata, 2013:ISSN - 2348-5655. Other Academic / Administrative activities: Member of the Board of Post graduate Studies in Bengali of BurdwanUniversity. Member of the Board of Undergraduate Studies in Bengali of University of Kalyani. Member of the Board of Research Studies in Bengali Department of The University of Gourbanga . Amalkumar Pal Conference/ Seminar/ Workshop etc. 18 November 2013 National Seminar on Rathindranath Tagore, organized by Siksha-Satra,Visva-Bharati, from 18-19 November 2013, presented a paper on 'Sahityik Rathindranath Thakur'. 27 December 2013 National-level conference - 86th All India Bengali Literary Conference, organized by Nikhil Bharat Bangya SahityaSammelan, Allahabad,from 25-27 December 2013, chaired a session on Bengali Juvenile Literature. 5 March 2014 International Seminar on Bengali Drama, organized by the Department of Bengali, Rabindra Bharati University, from 4-5 March 2014, chaired a session on Bengali Drama. Publication : Book Prabandha Sanghraha: Asokbijay Raha, Ed by Amalkumar Pal, Kolkata: Visva-BharatiGranthanVibaga, 2013, ISBN: 978-81-7522-569-5 Articles in Journals SundarbaneSatbatsar: Rachana O Rachaiyta,AntarjatikPathsala,Ed by Amit Roy, Vol II : Issue IV July-September 2013, ISSN: 22309554 RabindrarachanayPrasanta Chandra Mahalanobis Tagore, Bose and Mahalanobis: Confluence of Minds, Ed ParulChakraborty, Indrani Bose, KabitaMondal, Kolkata, Sir J.C.Bose Trust, November 2013 Aparna Roy Conference/Seminar/Workshop etc. National : 26-27 November, 2013: UGC sponsored National Seminar as on 'Moukhik Parampara O Bangla Sahitya', organized by Dept. of Bengali, Serampore College & Gour Mahavidyalaya. Chaired a session. Publications