GUWAHATI, Jan 31 - At the initiative of the British Council, an interactive meet of Council officials with a cross-section of practitioners in the fields of arts, culture, literature and education was organised here today.
Welcoming the participants, Radhika Singh, Assistant Director Programmes, East & North East India, British Council Division, said, �We are looking forward to engaging more closely with the North East in the coming months. Indeed, we at the British Council are quite determined to build more �living bridges� between North East and the UK. To this end, we look to all of you for help and support in doing so.�
Elaborating on the specifics, Joydeep Bordoloi, Head, Schools, English & Skills, East & North East India, British Council stated that the Council is keen to showcase the rich heritage and talents of the region to the rest of the world in general and to the United Kingdom in particular. This meeting, he said, could be the beginning of reciprocal programmes for exchange of students and teachers, skill development programmes, and promotion of tourism between this region and the United Kingdom.
Dhruba Hazarika and Swapnil Bharali, president and secretary respectively of the North East Writers Forum (NEWF), expressed their desire to host writers from the UK for holding interactive sessions with budding writers of the North East.
Possibilities of support from the Council to the writers of the region who write books that are connected to the UK in some way or the other were also discussed.
Upcoming poets and writers of English language Shalim M Hussain, Reshma NC Shah, Zerine Wahid, Arunav Barua and Merry Baruah took part in the discussion.
Members of Stars of North East, a talent hunt platform of the region, offered their services to carry the message of the Council to the far-flung and interior areas of the North East.
Sabah Al Ahmed, poet, and Indranee Phukan, PR head, Vivanta by Taj, contributed towards the success of the interactive meet.
