Director’s Message

‘Convergence of thoughts’ is an organisational outcome of a journey – the journey of my intellectual explorations and my philanthropic inclinations – spanning over forty years, which has not only enriched me with unforgettable experiences but also emboldened me into conceptualising and giving shape to this platform. I was fortunate enough to share a large part of this journey with my husband and companion, Sri Sudipta Chattopadhyay, who is no longer among us in person, but whose support and enthusiasm for my endeavours are still, the biggest sources of inspiration for me. It’s rather difficult, if not impossible, to begin to describe an emotional journey that has raversed terrains of literature and culture, over time and space, but as creator of this space, I will try – and hope that my humble attempt speaks much more than words can express.

The word ‘Convergence’ has been derived from the verb ‘Converge’ which literally means to come together. In a more metaphorical sense, the organisation ‘Convergence of thoughts’ stands for union or confluence or meeting together of several intentions and activities. Very broadly speaking, it is an academic, cultural and philanthropic organisation. Within each of its ‘wings’ again, we can see several convergences. For example, in the academic wing, we provide lectures/courses related to social practices in different communities such as Hindu, Muslim, Brahmo, Baishnaba, etc. In cultural wing, we organise music courses etc. And last but not the least, the philanthropic wing organises several programs like sit-and-draw events for children, felicitation of senior citizens, yoga classes, doctors’ consultations, etc. (Details of all these activities are listed below.) We also aim to provide employment especially to the educated unemployed. So in a sense, Convergence epitomises the coming together of all religions, caste and creed, haves and have-nots, young and old and so on.

From a much larger perspective though, all the activities are philanthropic in character, given philanthropy means ‘concerned with human welfare’. In fact, welfare of mankind has been a core tenet in all of Indian heritage and culture. As Mahabharata says, “Na manusha sreshtha taram hi kinchit’ that is there is no nobler deed than serving mankind. The same idea, “shobar opore manush shotyo tahar opore nai” has been reflected in the sayings of Chandidas, Ramakrishna Paramahansa and Swami Vivekananda, for example. Swamiji says, “jeebe prem korey jei jon shei jon shebichhe ishwar”. Since all our academic and cultural endeavours are also aimed at welfare of the mankind, all our activities are best understood when perceived through a philanthropic lens.

Coming to think of it, Convergence, the motivation of doing something for people, has probably been the most natural outcome of my academic engagement for the last forty years or more. Much of my research has ocussed on monographs on scholars that have somehow been away from limelight but whose indomitable spirit and monumental scholarship, calls for much greater adulation. For example, I have books on Haridas Siddhanta Vagisa, whose commentary and Bengali translation of Mahabharata is a classic and took him 21 years to compose. I also have books on Siddheswar Chattopadhyay (who propounded an entirely new trend in the field of Sanskrit Dramas with Brecht’s alienation effect), Gangadhar Kabiraj (who was a medical practitioner by profession but an unparalleled litterateur by passion), G.B. Palsule (a great oriental scholar from Maharashtra), Anundoram Borooah (a great indologist from Assam), among others (I have twelve monographs in all). Last but not the least, I have a book on Roma Chaudhuri, who was the first Indian woman researcher to visit Oxford and also the first woman Vice Chancellor of West Bengal. So, in a way, there has been a great convergence of geography and scholarship in my research over the years too. And the more I have delved deeper into the lives and dedication of these scholars and practitioners, the more I have felt inspired and strengthened to visualise and implement means of spreading scholarship and recognition to others.

Here I would especially like to talk about Pracyavani, that was jointly founded by Roma Chaudhuri and her husband, Jatindra Bimal Chaudhuri, both of whom were outstanding scholars. Pracyavani, which no longer exists, had several wings dealing with publications etc. My idea of Convergence having different was, to some extent, inspired by that of Pracyavani.

Working on such academic stalwarts have also helped me realise how important the role of those who support such stalwarts, is. Hence Convergence aims to honour and felicitate senior citizens, whose contributions to society may not be measurable in terms of standard methods of evaluation, but without whose unflinching support and encouragement, society would not have had some of its brightest stars. For example, we have felicitated the mother of an army doctor, grandmother of a university professor, and so on, besides other senior citizens.

I invite you now to read on to know more about the aims, objectives and various activities of our organisation and to whole-heartedly support its causes. Please visit its website www.convergenceofthoughts.org to know about the details of its activities. I would like to conclude with words of Tagore, “shobare kori ahoban, esho utsukochitto, esho anandito pran, shobare kori ahoban”.

With best wishes,

Rita Chattopadhyay
UGC Emeritus Fellow (2017-2019),
Retired Professor, Department of Sanskrit,
Jadavpur University, Kolkata