Peconic Landing, the East End’s only life plan community, is pleased to host “Daughters on Mothers: A View from India through Poetry”, a conversation with award-winning poet and actor Nandana Dev Sen and noted art scholar and author Vishakha Desai on Sunday, October 1 at 3 p.m. The engaging conversation will be moderated by demographer and humanitarian Carolyn Makinson.
This special program, free and open to the public, is inspired by the poetry of Nandana Dev Sen’s mother, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, one of Bengal’s most beloved writers of all time. It will feature bilingual poetry readings and a wide-ranging conversation touching on love, marriage, motherhood, womanhood and aging, as well as the creative process of writing poetry and the challenges of translation.
Born in Kolkata and raised on three continents, Nandana Dev Sen has written six children’s books published in over 15 languages globally and has translated two books of poetry. An award-winning international actor, she has starred in 20 feature films across the world and worked with numerous global organizations to end human trafficking and child abuse. She is also the Artist Ambassador for Save the Children India, Actor Advocate for Room to Read, and a Director of the Women’s Refugee Commission, New York.
Desai, a Peconic Landing member, is a noted scholar of South Asian art and history, well-known for her groundbreaking exhibitions of pre-modern and contemporary art and related publications. Until recently, she served as Senior Advisor for Global Affairs to the President of Columbia University, and Chair of the presidential initiative, Committee on Global Thought. Prior to joining Columbia, she served as President of the Asia Society, a global education organization.
Makinson, also a member at Peconic Landing, has held leadership positions at the Mellon Foundation, MIT’s Center for International Studies, the Women’s Refugee Commission, and the International Rescue Committee. In addition, she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Nandana Dev Sen and Vishakha Desai have recently published highly acclaimed books:
- Nabaneeta Dev Sen’s “Acrobat,” translated by Nandana Dev Sen, is a radiant collection of poetry about womanhood, intimacy, and the body politic that together evokes the arc of an ordinary life.
- “World as Family” is Desai’s award-winning memoir. Through her personal story of growing up in a Gandhian household and making a subsequent career as a dancer, curator and an institution leader in America, she reframes the idea of locally rooted global belonging.
Both books will be available for sale and personalization at the event. Please bring your credit card to purchase a signed copy. For more information on Peconic Landing and other upcoming events, connect using the form on this page.