The Bengali department of Binod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University (BBMKU) on Wednesday inaugurated a wall magazine at its regional centre as part of its belated International Mother Language Day celebrations.

The wall magazine showcases 18 literary and artistic compositions, including poems, short stories, drawings and paintings of the post-graduate students of the Bengali department.

Retired mathematic professor of SSLNT Women’s College Sandhya Bose and dean of BBMKU’s social science department Debjani Biswas were the chief guests on the occasion.

Sharing the details, head of BBMKU’s Bengali department Sharmila Banerjee said: “We have put up the compositions of 18 students of our department on the wall magazine. The magazine will be updated with new poems, stories and paintings on a regular basis. Selected pieces will also be published in departmental magazine.”

Banerjee said the ultimate aim of education was the development of creativity among students.

“The launch of the wall magazine will encourage students to write essays, poetry, short stories and articles on contemporary issues,” Banerjee said.

She said the International Mother Language Day celebrations could not take place on February 21 due to the holiday on account of Mahashivratri.

Chaitali Sarkar, a first semester PG student in the Bengali department and the designer of the wall magazine’s logo, said: “Besides designing the logo of the wall magazine, I have also written a poem called Yatri that highlights a traveller’s experiences.”

Sarkar’s batchmate Subhashree Dutta said the wall magazine would encourage students to delve into their knowledge, experience and imagination and unleash their creativity. “My Bengali poem called Swapanraj, which highlights the dichotomy between dream and stark reality of life, has also found place in the wall magazine,” she said.