RONO HILLS, 7 Mar: The English department of Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) here is organising a two-day national seminar on the topic ‘Emerging paradigms and evolving practices: Literature, language, and cultural studies in Northeast India’, sponsored by the ICSSR-NERC, Shillong (Meghalaya), from Thursday.
“The seminar is aimed at recognising the multiplicity of the emerging literatures, languages and cultural practices of the Northeast region of India,” the university informed in a release.
During the two days, deliberations will be held on “the changing spatio-political, cultural, linguistic and demographic aspects that are reflected in writings from the Northeast,” it said, adding that “several academicians and researchers from across the country are taking part in this academic exercise.”
Addressing the inaugural session, RGU Registrar Dr NT Rikam emphasised the need to preserve indigenous folklores and literary traditions of Arunachal Pradesh. He stressed also on “the need for developing a common script for documentation of the existing resources.”
Assam-based Tezpur University’s English Professor Sravani Biswas in her talk on the theme ‘In search of a niche: Northeast India, tribal literature, and the nation’ focused on the uniqueness of the literature from Arunachal.
She pointed out how the presence of a rich oral culture and the absence of scripts have led to the adaptation of hegemonic languages for going into print.
“It also necessitates the need for translation. Therefore, there is the need for a separate and distinct category of literature that may be termed as ‘tribal literature in India’,” she said.
RGU Vice Chancellor Prof Saket Kushwaha, who chaired the inaugural session, applauded the English department for “organising a seminar of high contemporary relevance, and also referred to the colonial influence in the Northeast,” the release stated.
The VC stressed also on “focusing on writings in Indian languages for the inculcation of Indian values in life.”
A book titled Perspectives on Northeast India: Way Forward was also released on the occasion.
The book, an initiative of the Rajiv Gandhi University Research Scholars’ Forum, covers issues ranging from languages to gender perspectives in the context of Northeast India, it said.
Padma Shri awardee and Arunachal Pradesh Literary Society president YD Thongchi delivered the plenary talk on the topic ‘Creative writer’s perspective on writings from Northeast India’.
He spoke about how his experiences in life have gone into his writings, “and expressed displeasure over how some of his writings have lost much of their originality in their film adaptations,” the release said.
In his stories, he said, “the cultural moorings of the tribal communities of Arunachal find their reflection.”
Among others, RGU English HoD Prof KC Mishra, English Assistant Professor Dr Bompi Riba, Languages Faculty Dean Prof SS Singh, RGU Project Cell Joint Registrar Dr David Pertin, research scholars, and students attended the programme, the release said.
