First-ever Sinhala translation of Srimanta Sankardeva’s Borgeet performed in Sri Lanka
This initiative marks the first-ever translation of Borgeet into a foreign language, aside from English
AT Photo: Neo-Vaishnavite saint from Assam, Srimanta Sankardeva (Representational Image)
Guwahati, Oct. 16: Borgeet, the devotional songs of Assam composed by the 15th-century neo-Vaishnavite saint and social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, have been translated into Sinhala, the official language of Sri Lanka, and performed at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Colombo.
This initiative marks the first-ever translation of Sankardeva’s work into a foreign language, aside from English.
The 576th birth anniversary of the saint-reformer was recently celebrated at the Indian High Commission in Colombo, organised by its cultural wing.
As part of the festivities, one of Sankardeva's timeless Borgeets titled "Narayan Kahe Bhakati Karoon Tera" was translated into Sinhala by Prof. Upul Ranjith Hewawitanagamage from the University of Kelaniya and performed in the local language.
Professor Ankuran Dutta, director of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, highlighted the significance of this event, noting that it is the first time a Borgeet has been translated and performed in Sinhala.
He added that, aside from English and Hindi, Borgeets have not been translated into any other language.
During the birth anniversary celebrations at the centre, India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Satyanjal Pandey, officially launched an audio CD featuring the performance.
The Borgeet has also been uploaded to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Sri Lanka’s YouTube page.
The recorded performance was directed by Professor Dutta, who sang the Borgeet in its original Brajawali language and played the khol, a traditional percussion instrument.
Asith Athapatthu delivered the Sinhala version, accompanied by Pamalka Manujith Karunanayake on the Esraj and Dinanjana Madusanka on the flute, with music arrangement and recording managed by Milinda Tennakoon and Devin De Alwis.
In a heartfelt message on a popular micro-blogging site, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed his enthusiasm for the event.
“Popularising Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev’s timeless Borgeet far and wide is our sacred duty. I am happy to share that the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, @IndiainSL performed Borgeet in Sinhala language for the first time to mark the pious 576th Abirbhav tithi of Gurujona,” he wrote.
