U.S. Consul General Melinda Pavek paid a visit to the centenary old Oxford Bookstore on Park Street in Kolkata to commemorate National Poetry Month and the 100th anniversary of Oxford Bookstore.

She spoke with 25 student leaders from city high schools (Birla High School, Sushila Birla Girls’ School, Army Public School, South City International School, Modern High School for Girls) who took part in the American Center Kolkata team’s poetry workshop. Mrs. Maina Bhagat, Director of Oxford Bookstore, greeted Consul General Pavek and gave her a tour of the venerable bookstore.

C.G. Pavek then spoke to the students as part of the National Poetry Month program, before they gave their original poetry presentations in groups.

“As Oxford Bookstore celebrates its centenary year, the United States and India are also celebrating 75 years of the bilateral relations. We all have the ability to make a difference, whether we are students, diplomats, artists, writers, politicians, journalists, or leaders from civil society, religious institutions, or charitable organizations. Poetry serves as a vital link between people. A poem can be thought of as a vessel that holds our emotions, from those we have felt and lost to those we are yet to discover. A poet’s voice allows us to hear and combine the experiences of others and meld it in our own feelings” said Consul General Melinda Pavek.

Consul General Pavek, Mrs. Bhagat, and James Moore, Deputy Director of the American Center, judged the presentations, and assigned scores, and provided feedback for each one.

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