People's Democracy

Vidyasagar Mela Calls For Further Spread

Of Literacy Among Women

THE Vidyasagar mela (fair), a perennial feature of the Kolkata scenario come winter, has entered its eleventh year in 2004.  To be held at the Kolkata maidan between December 22 and January 5, the mela got off to a lively start with a very well attended opening ceremony over which veteran Communist leader Jyoti Basu, who heads the Bangiya Saksharata Prasar Samity (BSPS), presided. 

The Japanese Indologist and Tagore scholar, Kazuo Azuma, formally inaugurated the mela.  Among others, state secretary of the CPI(M), Anil Biswas was present on the occasion.

The central theme of the fair this year is the further spread of education amongst women of Bengal. The Vidyasagar mela has given a call for making at least one woman literate in each family yet remaining devoid of literacy in Bengal.

The BSPS organised the fair as before with the Vidyasagar Foundation as chief patron of the mela.

Azuma thanked the organisers of the mela and expressed the hope that the occasion should help lit up the light of knowledge and humanism.  Azuma who spoke in Bengali recalled how he had been introduced to Pandit Iswarchandra Vidyasagar’s Bengali language primaries back in Japan and how he had revelled going through the primary called the Varnaparichaya.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Azuma’s wife, Keuko Azuma spoke on the literacy campaign in Japan.  She also dwelt on the heritage that Japan possessed in waging a struggle against racial discrimination.  She had been very impressed when told by Biman Basu, working president of the BSPS, while the latter was in Japan, about the Vidyasagar residential school for girls.  She presented a Japanese doll for the school and handed the doll over to the president of the Vidyasagar Foundation, Pratap Chandra Chunder.

In his important address, Jyoti Basu said that the continuing spread of education among women was always a very important and relevant task.  It is a shame that significant section of women remain devoid of literacy. This must be appropriately rectified soon.

Jyoti Basu declared that in order to create and sustain a massive flow of literacy in the state it was always important to be consistent, and not to work in fits and starts.  There are instances when a task is begun with fervour only to have the enthusiasm and drive fall off and flag as time passes. Basu insisted that Vidyasagar melas must be held at the district level all over the state in the days to come. Basu formally released a book written by Kazuo Azuma at the mela.

Pratap Chandra Chunder said that whilst women could become prime ministers, chief ministers, members of parliament, and legislators, the disgusting practice of identifying women as ‘witches’ before killing them in a gruesome manner, continued to haunt the society in some parts of the country.  The incidents prove that there was dire need for the spread of education, especially among women.

Biman Basu read out the message sent in by noted social worker, Phularenu Guha on the occasion who fell ill and could not attend the opening ceremony.  Guha was the chief guest designate of the mela this year. Guha in her message praised the goals fixed by the mela for its future work schedule.

Moving the vote of thanks, secretary of the BSPS, Subir Bandyopadhyay said that to mobilise funds for sustaining the drive towards literacy amongst illiterate women, the BSPS would conduct house-to-house collection.  During the mela, symposia on contemporary topics, cultural competitions, and exhibitions would be organised.