Lady Brabourne College Kolkata Hosts Spanish Delegation Embarking on a Linguistic Odyssey

Remember the eloquent words of Pablo Neruda from Passions and Impressions, "Then I speak to her in a language she has never heard, I speak to her in Spanish… My discourse is profound; Magnificent language!"? These immortal lines found resonance on a tranquil November morning as Lady Brabourne College warmly welcomed a distinguished Spanish delegation. Led by Carmen Noguero, Secretary General, Instituto Cervantes, Madrid; the delegation embarked on a journey to unveil the richness of Spanish culture and language within the vibrant halls of one of Kolkata's premier academic institutions.

The other members of the delegation comprised Guillermo Escribano, Director General of the Spanish Language, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Madrid; Javier Torres, Head of International Department, Ministry of Culture, Madrid; Elena Perez-Villanueva, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Spain in India; Maria Eugenia Gonzalez, Education Attache, Embassy of Spain in India; Oscar Pujol, Director of Instituto Cervantes; and Luis Marina, Head of International Relations, Instituto Cervantes, Madrid. They were accompanied by Manish Jain, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Higher Education, govt of West Bengal, and Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, IAS, Sr Spl Secretary, Department of Higher Education, govt of West Bengal.

The objective of the delegation echoed Neruda's sentiment: a quest to foster cultural ties through exploring the profound impact of a cross-cultural exchange between the two countries.

Dr Parna Ghose, Associate Professor (English) and Officer-in-Charge standing in for the absent Principal Siuli Sarkar, welcomed the delegation with the utmost warmth. In her welcome address, she traced the college's commitment to promoting linguistic and cultural bonds through their Spanish language certificate course since 2007. She informed the august audience that this particular language course always receives an overwhelming response from the students. The ensuing cultural showcase featured students singing a soulful Rabindrasangeet in Spanish translation and a heartfelt recitation of Pablo Neruda's verses.

In a captivating video presentation, a student of English literature, elaborated on the transformative power of learning Spanish; delving into the original beauty of literary masterpieces like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude.

The cultural programme was followed by a crisp, yet impactful talk delivered by Carmen Noguero, Secretary General of Instituto Cervantes, Madrid. She unequivocally emphasised the delegation's purpose: bridging cultures and languages. She added that their initiative had both a cultural, as well as, a professional dimension given that Spanish is the fourth most widely spoken language in the world and is the official language of 21 countries. “We think learning Spanish opens a lot of doors, both culturally and professionally. And our goal is to build bridges between the two countries—it is a two-way exchange process. We, both Spain and India, need to learn from each other and build on our strengths.”

When The Telegraph Online Edugraph asked about what efforts were being made in that direction, she replied, “We are collaborating with the ministry of education and other institutions for training teachers in Spanish alongside teaching students. We, also, have plans of launching specific programmes very soon to facilitate the same.”

In order to reinforce the Indo-Spain partnership in this respect, Dr Parna Ghose, Associate Professor (English) and Officer-in-Charge (in the absence of Principal Professor Siuli Sarkar), told us that Lady Brabourne College has been offering the Communicative Spanish certificate course since 2007 as the institution espouses providing a holistic education to its students. They had introduced it as an add-on course. It was primarily conceived of as a career enhancing course which would be taught over a span of 50 hours (estimated 6-month period).

Dr Ghose, further, drew attention to the fact, “There is a rising demand for foreign language knowing professionals across various industries in today’s globalised world. In fact, there is a very specific demand for Spanish in several sectors owing to its wide usage – at MNCs, in the IT sector and of course, at embassies as an interpreter and/ or translator etc.”

“Apart from optimising career opportunities, knowing Spanish can also come in handy even if one were simply travelling on the continent,” Dr Ghose quipped.

Dr Srimati Mukherjee, Associate Professor (Philosophy), and faculty associated with the institution’s Career Counselling Cell, corroborated the same while sharing that they often get specialised requirements from recruiters for certain roles, such as that of a content writer, where knowledge of the Spanish language is considered to be of great hiring value.

She summed up the discussion saying, “Learning a foreign language, especially one which is in demand like Spanish, helps in skill development, professional development and practical survival in today’s world.”

In short, our readers might be interested to know that adding the knowledge of Spanish to their linguistic kitty, will provide them both a cultural as well as a practical advantage in today's competitive world!

Thus, as the delegation departed, the echoes of their visit lingered on; leaving Lady Brabourne College, Kolkata, enriched with a deeper appreciation for the magnificence of the Spanish language and the cultural tapestry it weaves across continents.