Gangtok remembers Gabo TSHERING EDEN

GANGTOK, 25 Apr: ‘Remembering Gabo’, a mini symposium on Gabriel Garcia Marquez, was held today at Barad Sadan, Department of Political Science, Sikkim University, 6th Mile Tadong. The programme was organized by Rachna Books in association with the Department of English, Sikkim University. Attended by guest speakers, students and some others, the symposium discussed the life and works of the celebrated author.
Speaking on Marquez and his works, Prof. Basudeb Chakrobarty [HoD Dept of English, S.U] said, “He broke the Western tradition of mimetic realism. He was the first to use magic realism as a tool to explain the reality of the colonized and the downtrodden”. Marquez was an activist writer like Edward Said and Noam Chomsky, he added.
Sikkimese author, Chetan Raj Shrestha, spoke on Gabo’s influence on his writing in which regard he said, “He taught me how to read and I am still learning how to write from him”.
Reading out excerpts from some of Marquez’s works, he shared that he also learned the art of showing action through the passive voice. “I learnt from him that living is more important than knowledge”, added Shrestha.
Prof. V. Krishna Ananth [HoD, Dept of History, SU] talked about Marquez’s work as a journalist highlighting “The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor”, first published as a fourteen consecutive day series of installments in El Espectador newspaper in 1955.
“Marquez reflected the society of Latin America, a society that was plundered. He is not only but also about magic realism,” said Prof Ananth.
Prof. Satyadeep Chettri [Dept of Chemistry, SGC] shared his introduction to Marquez’s work ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ and also read out an open letter written by the author to former United States President, George Bush on the September 11 attack on the Twin Towers. The Columbian author had criticized the US government’s interference in Latin American politics and the resulting violence.
The guests of honour, Prof. Anisur Rehman [HoD English, Jamia Milia Islamia], Prof. Gulshan Kataria [Punjab University], Dr. Irshad Gulam Ahmed [HoD, Darjeeling Govt. College] and Vice Chancellor Prof TB Subba also addressed the gathering. Later, an open discussion was also held where those present discussed the works of Late Marquez.