Cultural Streams International

DR JHARNA CHATTERJEE

Jharna (Sengupta) Chatterjee grew up in the suburbs of West Bengal, India, with verdant rice fields beckoning the horizon.  Her Bachelor's degree with Honors in Philosophy followed by a Master's degree in Philosophy from Calcutta University kindled in her an interest in learning about the origin of the universe, humankind's search for the ultimate truth, and the various answers to that quest attained through various religions.  She must have inherited her love of teaching from her family, especially her father, sisters, and brother.  This objective of making a difference in young people's lives prompted her to teach on many occasions throughout her life.  She taught English and Philosophy in a High School for several years before immigrating to Canada. She earned a Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, the second coldest capital in the world (but one of the friendliest cities with a 'warm' heart nested in its people), and later, a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Ottawa, in the capital city of Canada—which also happens to be very, very cold yet a charming, ethnically diverse, and cozy place to raise a family.  She started working as a Psychologist with the Public Service Commission of the Canadian Federal Government—responsible for developing assessment tools, instructing Departmental Heads and Human Resource Managers about proper and fair (to all applicants including Women, Visible Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities) assessment methods as well as for developing a "Guide for [equitably] assessing persons with disabilities".  She was later invited to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian national police organization, as a senior researcher—where she still is, finding satisfaction in her own small role in helping to make society safer.  Naturally, the research topics are primarily related to police-work—but because the police serve our communities, they are also inextricably related to social issues.  She has also taught English and Mathematics to groups of Aboriginal and Black young men and women who wanted to join the RCMP, as a resource person for an enrichment program aimed at reaching out to disadvantaged groups.  The academic component was complemented by a motivational component. 

Jharna has had a profound love of literature since her childhood—for Bengali, her mother tongue, and English, the second language she learned in school.  From her family, she had developed a deep respect for Nature (translated directly into a fondness for gardening), and a passion for music, reading and writing.  One of her hobbies is writing poems, for adults and for children, in both Bengali and English, and also translating Rabindranath's lyrics into English.  While in High School, she took some extra courses in Bengali, as a long-distance learner, under the auspices of Vishwa Bharati University founded by Rabindranath Tagore and located in Shantiniketan, West Bengal.  As a Heritage Language teacher, she volunteered to teach Bengali to the community children in Ottawa for a few years.  She had studied Sanskrit in her undergraduate years, which allows her to enjoy the meaning of many sacred (and mysterious to most people) verses (Mantras) used in Hindu religious ceremonies. She has utilized this advantage in co-presiding over a number of wedding ceremonies with her husband, who was a registered priest (and a Nuclear Physicist).  Unfortunately,

My days abandoned their golden cage; 

My days of many-colored splendor.

They couldn't bear the bond of tears and laughter.

Oh, my lost days of many-colored splendor.

- (Thematic translation from Rabindranath's lyric).

She loves to learn about a multitude of topics and cultures—and reads a wide variety of books and Internet publications to quench her thirst (from the Harry Potter series to "Ethical Imagination," "Fermat's Enigma," Hawking's "The Theory of Everything," Amartya Sen's "The Argumentative Indian," "Music, Brain and Ecstasy," practically every kind of article found in National Geographic Magazine and Discover, and of course, good English and Bengali novels and Rabindranath's poetry anytime). Jharna has a strong 'wander-lust'—that is to say, a genuine zest for travel, and has been fortunate enough to see many beautiful parts of the world often with a camera in her hand—in all continents except Antarctica and Africa.  She plans to share some of her experiences with Cultural Streams International readers in the future.