GUWAHATI, March 7 - The Department of Modern Indian Languages and Literary Studies, Gauhati University, in association with North East India Network for Academic Discourse (NEINAD), organised a two-day international conference and seminar on �Asom Vidya� from February 26 to 27. The event also marked the beginning of the celebration of the golden jubilee year (2016-17) of the MIL & LS department, GU. This was stated in a press release.
The inaugural programme was held in the New Hall of the MBA Department, Gauhati University. The programme began with the singing of the university anthem Jilikabo Luitore Paar followed by the lighting of the lamp by Prof HP Sarma, Rector, Gauhati University.
The keynote address was delivered by Prof Nagen Saikia, retd Professor, Dibrugarh University and ex-MP of Rajya Sabha. Prof Anil-us-Zaman, president, Bangla Academy, Dhaka was the chief guest of the occasion.
In his address, he stressed upon the necessity to set up �Assam Studies� as a subject for serious academic study and research. The resource persons were Prof Bishwanath Roy from Calcutta University, Prof Imtiyaz Yusuf from Mahidol University, Thailand, Prof (Retd) Biplab Chakraborty from Burdwan University, Prof (retd) TS Satyanath from Delhi University, Prof Gobinda Bhattarai from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, Prof Madhav P Pokarel from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, Prof Himadri Lahiri from Burdwan University, Prof Madan M Sarma from Tezpur University, Prof Kailash Pattanaik from Visva Bharati University, Prof Prakash Pattanaik from Delhi University, Prof Dipendu Das from Assam University, Dr Rajni Singh from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad and Md Abdul Sabur from Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Thailand. Prof Jyoti Prakash Tamuli, Dean, Faculty of Arts, Gauhati University was also present on the inaugural programme of the event.
The focus of this international event was to bring forth and highlight various aspects associated with Assam upon a common platform for intense academic engagement and deliberation. There were 14 special lectures delivered by the above-mentioned scholars from both India and abroad on topics based on comparative Indian literature, translation studies, literary criticism as well as Assamese language and literature.
Apart from these lectures, altogether 350 papers spanning over 37 parallel academic sessions were presented on a wide-ranging sub-themes like folk literature, education, Sankardeva studies, cultural studies, women�s studies, tourism, history and folk medicine. A colourful event was also organised during the evening on February 26 to showcase the glorious cultural heritage of Assam.
An important decision taken in the seminar was to form a national association entitled Comparative Indian Literature Association (CILA), with Prof Kailash Pattanaik as the president and prof Dilip Borah from the Dept of MIL & LS, GU as the general secretary, for the growth and dissemination of theories and ideas pertaining to the discipline of Comparative Indian Literature. It is a matter of great pride for Assam that the head office of the association is located in the Gauhati University campus, the release added.
