Bargarh : The much awaited 3rd volume of Kavyanjali was released on 22nd November 2019 in Bargarh. It may be of interest to note that Kavyanjali is a series of poetry volumes by Padma Shri Haldhar Nag translated into English by Surendra Nath. The first volume, titled Kavyanjali Vol. 1, was released on 02 October 2016. The second in the series titled Kavyanjali Vol. 2 was launched on 10th October 2018.
During the ongoing Bargarh Book Fair (20th – 28th Nov. 2019) Kavyanjali Vol. 3 was released with much fanfare on 22nd November 2019. The poet, Shri Haldhar Nag and the translator, Surendra Nath were present on the occasion. Along with them the well-known figure in Sambalpuri-Kosali poetry, Shri Manoranjan Sahu, popularly recognized as Mana-Mastrey, was also present.
Speaking on the occasion, Mana-Mastrey praised the efforts of all writers, poets and authors in enriching the literature of the region. He was hopeful that more books would be written in Sambalpuri-Kosali and translated into different languages so that the culture of western Odisha would be known far and wide.
Unlike the previous two volumes, the third one is not a collection of poems but a single poetic work, and an epic one at that – 1340 stanzas in 21 cantos. The title of the poem (also the sub-title of the book) is ‘Prem Paechan’, which translates to read ‘Manifestation of Love’. The theme of this book is ‘Divine Love’ and narrates the story of Shri Krishna from his birth to death, but in a new light. The volume is illustrated by the well-known artist Rhiti Chatterjee Bose from Kolkata.
Haldhar Nag recited one of his poems to the applause of the crowd. He then explained that love had many splendours, and Shri Krishna revealed his love in different hues to different persons in his life. While for Radha, it was romance, it took different shades for his friends, for his parents, for his devotees. Even for his enemies, he had reserved a special kind of sympathy. Shri Nag thanked Surendra Nath for taking up the mammoth task of translating all his works into English.
Surendra Nath spoke about ‘Project Kavyanjali’. He brought to the notice of all literature enthusiasts present that this was an ongoing project taken up by Zenith Star Publishers with the aim of translating the complete works of Padma Shri Haldhar Nag into English. He sought the support of the people for Project Kavyanjali in order to spread the rich literary heritage of western Odisha to the world.
The event was a part of selected cultural items staged on the third day of the book fair that was thronging with crowds comprising several thousands who had come from all over the district.
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