The 47th International Kolkata Book Fair:A Celebration of Indo-American Arts at the US Pavilion

Five Semester I students of the Department of English, Loreto College, Kolkata participated in an invigorating event entitled “U.S.–India Arts to Fight Climate Change,” held at the U.S. Pavilion of the 47th International Kolkata Book Fair on January 31, 2024. The event united students from various institutions in the city, who recited nature-centric prose and poetry composed by the likes of Joy Harjo, Gary Snyder, and Rachel Carson from the U.S. and Mamang Dai and Amitav Ghosh from India. These readings were complemented by social discourse and soulful vocal and instrumental renditions of American favourites such as Blowin’ In the Wind and This Land is Your Land by Justin Kahn and powerful subcontinental folk songs such as Ma Reva and Amay Bhashaili Resung by Sukrit Sen. The entire soul-stirring combination of textual and vocal literature was conceptualised and organised by Loreto College alumna and Fulbright scholar, Dr. Somrita Urni Ganguly. “We wanted to collate all the observations we have gathered at the U.S. Pavilion over the course of the entire Book Fair, across science, news, dance, and language. Through this event, we wanted to tie all our learnings together through art,” said U.S. Consul General Melinda Pavek. The event was a valuable learning experience for the participating students, who had the opportunity to engage creatively with the ongoing climate crisis through their shared love for literature, music, and art.