Bertie Alexander, a travel expert who has been a resident of Yangon, Myanmar, for the past decade narrated the captivating history of Burmese-Bengali interconnectedness at the Glenburn Penthouse on September 11. As part of ‘Burma to Bengal: Neighbours and Neighbourhoods’ organised by Glenburn Culture Club, with My Kolkata as digital partner, Alexander made use of several illustrated stories to unravel the history and culture of Myanmar
Photos: Soumyajit DeyAfter a welcome address by Husna-Tara Prakash, the owner and managing director of Glenburn, Alexander, a literature graduate of Liverpool University who is currently the managing director of Sampan Travel, took over. Alexander narrated how the name ‘Burma’ was bestowed by a prince, a descendant of Gautama Buddha, who had travelled to Burma via the Silk Route
A panel from Alexander’s presentation containing an eloquent articulation of the gaze of a man from Bengal, looking at the “more progressive” Burmese women, put forward with compelling candour by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Accompanying portraits of Indian revolutionaries from the Independence movement, Alexander chose a characteristic quote about Kolkata from ‘A Rising Man’, a work of crime fiction by Abir Mukherjee, a contemporary British novelist
“Myanmar has not been the same since the military coup in 2021,” revealed Alexander, while emphasising the role of tourism as an “educational experience”. The illustrated stories were followed by a showcase of traditional Burmese cuisine, curated by chef Shaun Kenworthy, which included Mohinga, a rice noodle soup that is the national dish of Myanmar