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NORTH AmERIcAN Newsline APRIL 30, 2021 | The Indian Eye 32

Indo-american arts council presents

abhijit Banerjee and Nandana Dev Sen talk

literary life and work of Nabaneeta Dev Sen

A daughter, writer, activist and actor releases her late mother’s poetry for the first time in English, lovingly translated by her

Our Bureau part of its increased support for scholar and feminist and was the at the Massachusetts Institute of

NEW YORK, NY female voices, IAAC is pleased Founder and President of the Technology. In 2003 he co-found-
to host this showstopper global West Bengal Women Writers’ ed the Abdul Latif Jameel Pov-
he Indo-American Arts book launch on Mother’s Day. It Association, Soi. erty Action Lab (J-PAL) with
Council (IAAC) in part- also represents a return engage- This radiant collection of po- Esther Duflo and Sendhil Mul-
Tnership with Archipelago ment for Nandana Dev Sen who etry explores themes of wom- lainathan, and he remains one of
Books will host an early preview IAAC has featured previously as anhood, intimacy, and the body the Lab’s Directors. Banerjee is a
of Acrobat Poems by Nabanee- part of its Film Festival.” politic that together evokes the past president of the Bureau for
ta Dev Sen (Penguin Random Nili Lakhani, Literary Fes- arc of an ordinary life. Nabanee- Research and Economic Analy-
House, 2021) – a luminous com- tival Curator stated, “IAAC ta Dev Sen’s rhythmic lines ex- sis of Development, a Research
pilation of the late author’s po- commitment to poetry could plore the joys and agonies of first Associate of the NBER, a CEPR
ems, translated from Bengali not have found a better talent love, childbirth, and decay with a research fellow, International
to English by her accomplished than Nabaneeta Dev Sen whose restless, tactile imagination, both Research Fellow of the Kiel In-
daughter, Nandana Dev Sen. works are in the league of Emily picking apart and celebrating stitute, a fellow of the American
This exclusive event will Dickinson.” the rituals that make us human. Academy of Arts and Sciences
feature an intimate conversa- Nabaneeta Dev Sen (1938- When she warns, “know that and the Econometric Society.
tion between Nobel laureate, 2019) remains one of the most blood can be easily drawn by lips,” He has been a Guggenheim Fel-
Dr. Abhijit Banerjee, and the beloved and versatile Bengali her words tune to the fierce and low, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow
multi-talented writer, activist writers of all time. Equally ex- biting depths of language, to the and a winner of the Infosys Prize.
and actor, Nandana Dev Sen. pressive in poetry and prose, fic- “treachery that lingers on tongue Nandana Dev Sen is a writ-
In addition to unveiling these tion and nonfiction, she has over tips.” At once compassionate er, actor, and child-rights activ-
exquisite poems, now available one hundred books to her credit, and unsparing, conversational ist. She has written six children’s
in English for the very first time, including compilations of poems, and symphonic, these poems books (translated into more
Nandana will read a daughter’s novels, plays, stories, memoirs, tell of a rope shivering beneath than 15 languages globally) and
letter to her beloved mother, a academic essays, children’s liter- an acrobat’s nimble feet or of a starred in 20 feature films (from
moving tribute to all mothers on ature, political columns, literary twisted, blood-soaked umbilical four continents, in numerous
Mother’s Day. And she will offer translations, and multiple vol- cord – they pluck the invisible languages). She has represented
her own perspective on trans- umes of her collected works. Her threads that bind us together. UNICEF, RAHI and the Nation-
lating between cultures, and the many honors include the Padma The event can be watched al Commission for Protection of
importance of preserving literary Shri, Bangla Academy Lifetime LIVE on Saturday, May 8, 2021 Child Rights to fight against child
work by women transcending Achievement Award, Sahitya at 8:00 p.m. ET at www.face- abuse, and to end human traf-
ethnicity and generations. There Akademi Award, and Lifetime book.com/iaac.us and on www. ficking. Winner of the Last Girl
will also be a Q&A portion Achievement Award of the Pub- youtube.com/user/IAACEvent. Champion Award (and multiple
during the live broadcast. lishers’ and Booksellers’ Guild. Dr. Abhijit Vinayak Baner- Best Actress Awards), Nandana
Suman Gollamudi, IAAC Dev Sen lived a parallel life as jee is the Ford Foundation Inter- is Child Protection Ambassador
Executive Director, said, “As a distinguished international national Professor of Economics for Save the Children India.

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