Gopalkrishna Gandhi addresses the audience during the seminar. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

He may have been expelled from the rolls of Hindu College — now Presidency College — for his unorthodox views on society, culture and religion, but his teachings remain immortal among the students even after 200 years. To mark the bi-centenary of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, Presidency College organised a seminar on the poet and teacher on December 22 and 23 at the college auditorium — aptly called the Derozio Hall.

Titled, “The Legacy of Henry Louis Vivian Derozio: A Reappraisal,” the event was inaugurated by governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

On the first day, professor Swapan Chakraborty of Jadavpur University and Rosinka Chaudhuri, fellow of the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, read out papers.

Students of The Heritage School stage a fusion dance during their annual concert held at the school auditorium recently. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray

While Chakraborty stressed on Derozio and English studies in Calcutta, Chaudhuri dealt on the letters the poet wrote to protest an editorial in a newspaper. The editorial had mocked East Indians. “He wrote under the pseudonym Garib Das. It was the most sarcastic of all the letters that were written protesting the article,” said Chaudhuri. The Indian name Derozio assumed is a pointer to his patriotism, though he was of Portuguese-English descent.

Six students of the college also presented papers. However it was the governor’s speech that attracted most attention. “We should not idolise or romanticise Derozio. We should be aware of why, when and what he said,” he said.

“Defiance should be preceded by intellectual engagement. There should be a readiness to accept that the other person may be right,” was the governor’s advice to the students. He was also critical of the audience who kept whispering while the papers were read.

On the second day, Makarand Paranjape of Jawaharlal Nehru University, read out a paper on Fakeer of Jungeera, a poem by Derozio. “He mentioned various stereotype notions surrounding Derozio that was interesting,” said Anuparna Mukherjee, a post-graduate student of English in the college. Swapan Basu, a former professor at Burdwan University, also presented a paper titled, “Derozio-r Sambadikata.”