GUWAHATI: Borgeet, the devotional songs composed by 15th-century Assamese saint and social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, have been translated into Sinhala and performed at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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This marks the first time that Sankardeva's Borgeet has been rendered in a foreign language apart from English. The translation and performance were part of the celebrations marking the 576th birth anniversary of Srimanta Sankardeva, organised by the Indian High Commission's cultural wing in Colombo.
A Borgeet titled "Narayan Kahe Bhakati Karoon Tera" was translated into Sinhala by Professor Upul Ranjith Hewawitanagamage of the University of Kelaniya. The Sinhala rendition was performed at the event, showcasing the timeless message of Sankardeva's devotional compositions.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to X to celebrate the achievement. “Popularising Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev's timeless Borgeet far and wide is our sacred duty,” he shared on the platform.
India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Satyanjal Pandey, officiated the launch of an audio CD of the performance. The recorded performance has also been made available on the YouTube channel of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Sri Lanka.
The original Brajawali version of the Borgeet was performed by Professor Dutta, who sang while playing the traditional Assamese percussion instrument, the ‘khol’. The Sinhala version was delivered by Asith Athapatthu, accompanied by Pamalka Manujith Karunanayake on the Esraj and Dinanjana Madusanka on the flute.