Promode Kumar Sen

Promode Kumar Sen (1899-1952) was a patriot, journalist and a self-realised personality. He had immersed himself in the confluence of these three streams of internal inspirations. His outstanding journalistic talent manifested through the columns of well-known newspapers of the day. Forty Rupees and Patriotism – this was the mantra of his devotion. His rich and lively writings on literature, original analysis on political affairs, and patriotic articles published in the Liberty, the Advance, the Hindustan Standard and the Amrita Bazaar Patrika of Calcutta and Allahabad editions, had attracted the attention of the intellectual readership and won their appreciation. At the peak of his journalistic life he wrote Sri Aurobindo: Jeebon O Jog (Sri Aurobindo: Life and Yoga) in Bengali. The fulfillment of the spiritual aspects of his life took place in total submission at the lotus feet of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

Vilas Gitay

Dr. Vilas Gitay, poet teacher and translator, was born in Pune, Maharashtra. He took his MA in English and ‘Rashtrabhasha Pandit’ in Hindi. Fluent in Bengali, Marathi, Hindi and English, Dr Gitay started writing poetry in 1971 and has a book of poems Sandhnyechya Sandhiprakashat to his credit. Keenly interested in Rabindra Sangeet and photography, he has published 11 translations from Bengali into Marathi. Rabindranathachya Sahawasat, Vilas Gitay’s painstaking rendition of Maitreyi Devi’s famous work Mangpute Rabindranath is a highly acclaimed achievement in many ways – for its substance, its innovations and its fine alloys. The work which has earlier been honored with ‘Sangati Sahitya Puraskar’ presents the complex persona of Tagore and embeds the whole range of his poetry in its life-setting. It eminently succeeds in capturing the rich play of the original author’s homely prose, Tagore’s extended poetic quotes and lively conversations, and is therefore a celebrated addition to Indian literature in Marathi translation.