Calcutta will soon have a second Bangla Akademi Bhavan, this time in Salt Lake, with a twin building. One of them will house the Bharat-Japan Sanskriti Kendra.

Kazuo Azuma, president of the Japan Tagore Foundation in Japan, and noted for his translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s works, has promised to offer Rs 40 lakh for the Kendra.

“Azuma has already given us Rs 20 lakh, and the rest is expected by March this year, when the writer will be in Calcutta with a group of scholars for the foundation stone-laying programme. A portion of the funds includes his personal contribution,” said Sanat Chattopadhyay, secretary of the Bangla Akademi.

The Bharat-Japan Sanskriti Kendra will have Japanese language-teaching courses. A number of Indian languages, including Bengali, will be taught to Japanese students here. There will be books and research material on India-Japan relations, a library and an archive, besides a permanent gallery to reflect Indo-Japanese ties.

The twin buildings, on a one-bigha plot in Salt Lake, will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 1.25 crore. “The land was given to us by the state government. The rest of the funds are being mobilised by Bangla Akademi,” said Chattopadhyay.

“Azuma, during a seminar here, had said that it would be wonderful if a centre reflecting India-Japan relations could be opened. Then we proposed that a twin building could be opened on the plot where the new building of the Akademi was coming up,” he added.

The Bharat-Japan Sanskriti Kendra will be the first of its kind in Calcutta. It will highlight how the relations between the two countries is not just about diplomacy. “It is a deep cultural and intellectual bond,” said Chattopadhyay.

According to the Akademi official, inquiries about a number of Japanese translations of Tagore’s works and other research material were already coming in. “Other preparations, like getting computers and compact discs ready, are also on in full swing,” concluded the Akademi secretary.