Kolkata Translators’ Forum presented Leela Sarkar with the Lifetime Achievement Samman, 2026.
This annual recognition was started by the Forum from 2025 when they felicitated the Spanish translator and educator, Tarun Kumar Ghatak with the first Lifetime Achievement Samman on the occasion of the Worlds Translation Day.
This time, members of the Forum travelled to Mumbai to felicitate the nonagenarian translator as it would have been difficult for her to travel to Kolkata.
This year, the honour was bestowed upon Leela Sarkar for her immense contribution in translating literary works from Bengali to Malayalam. She has translated more than 100 works from Bengali to Malayalam and some from Malayalam to Bengali, literally acting as the cultural ambassador between the two languages.
The Lifetime Achievement Samman was given to her in an evening of literary exchanges, organised by Kolkata translators’ Forum in collaboration with the Mumbai based e-zine, Bombay Duck. The Managing trustee of KTF, Shyamal Bhattacharya, Secretary Trishna Basak, Joint Secretary Jaya Choudhury and Executive Committee member Lipika Saha were present in the programme as joint organisers and representatives of the Forum. All four of the members are renowned translators and creative writers in their own rights.
The event, held on 19th September, 2026, at Navi Mumbai Bengali Association, was well attended by literary personalities such as poet Banibrata Chakrabarty, Bengali to Malayalam translator Gitanjali Krishnan, Sahitya Akademi Translation Award winner Sunil Naliyath, and N Sreejith, journalist of Mathrubhumi were the special guests. Leela Sarkar, on receiving this award, mentioned that this was the most special occasion of her life. KTF feels honoured by such a warm mention.
Jaya Choudhury of KTF had also accepted this year’s Sarat Sammanna, on behalf of Leela Sarkar on 17th Sepember at Kolkata, which was awarded to the latter for her translations of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s work in Malayalam. KTF members handed it over to the recipient during this event. Leela Sarkar could not travel to Kolkata to accept the award due to her advanced age.
The event saw other literary prizes being awarded by Bombay Duck and enriching panel discussions on various aspects of literature. The evening brought together Mumbai and Kolkata in a literary togetherness.
The event truly matched the spirit of the Kolkata Translators’ Forum, which seeks to build bridges across communities and languages through translations and translators. President of KTF Shri Rawel Pushp and President of Sarat Samity Dr. Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay expressed their gratitude to the members of Bombay Duck for the necessary arrangement.
