GUWAHATI, March 22 - A national seminar on the theme �Converging Spectrum of Anthropology with special emphasis on Assam and adjoining areas� was held in the Department of Anthropology, Gauhati University recently as part of UGC�s special assistance programme which was granted to the department for the period 2016-21, said a delayed press release issued here.
Altogether fifty-two papers on different sub-themes of the seminar were presented in seven different academic sessions.
Inaugurating the event, GU Vice Chancellor Dr Mridul Hazarika highlighted the significance of anthropological understanding in contemporary situation for betterment of humanity citing the context of Assam. The inaugural session was attended by the Rector of Gauhati University Prof Hari Prasad Sarma as guest of honour and chaired by Prof Dwipen Bezbaruah who is also serving as Coordinator of UGC-SAP-DRS I of the Department of Anthropology.
The keynote address was delivered by Prof G Paddaiah, a retired professor of anthropology at Andhra University. He spoke in detail on human genetics and its emerging dimensions which can lead to the understanding of scientific basis of human variation and evolution through ages.
The seven academic sessions were chaired by Prof Arup Ratan Bandhopadhyay, head, Department of Anthropology, Calcutta University; Dr SB Ota, retired joint director general of Archaeological Survey of India; Prof Jutika Ojah from the Department of Community Medicine, Gauhati Medical College; Dr Sushil Sinha, retired professor of anthropology; Prof Mini Bhattacharyya Thakur of the Dept of Anthropology, GU; Dr Anil Kumar Boro, head, Department of Folklore Research, GU and Dr Chandana Sarma of the Department of Anthropology, GU.
Nine scholars from Calcutta University, North Bengal University, North East Hill University and Assam University working in different areas of anthropology and allied fields were invited to deliver special lectures on selected sub-themes.
The valedictory session was addressed by Prof Vinay Kumar Srivastava, a retired professor of the Department of Anthropology, Delhi University and now serving as Director of Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata. Prof Srivastava highlighted the problems and constraints faced by the discipline of anthropology in the contemporary scenario of higher education and the future roadmap.
The academic sessions were coordinated by Dr Gulrukh Begum of the Department of Anthropology. The organisers propose to publish two volumes of the seminar proceedings with the submitted papers after a thorough review of the same, the release said.
