Asam Sahitya Sabha to organise literary competitions for students across state
Schools & colleges have also been instructed to send in brief report of the events to Sahitya Sabha central office;
Lakhs of attendees were seen in the 77th biennial conference of the Asam Sahitya Sabha organised at Bhattadev Kshetra (AT Photo)
Tezpur, June 30: Asam Sahitya Sabha has decided to organise Statewide literary competitions such as storytelling, recitation, essay writing, etc., among school and college students through its district and branch-level units.
A letter signed by Debajit Bora, principal secretary of Asam Sahitya Sabha, and circulated by publicity convenor Sankusiddha Nath, has requested all the branch and district units to organise storytelling (class-wise), poetry recitation, essay writing, and other literary competitions among the students in schools and colleges and then honour the winners with certificates of merit. Additionally, all the branch and district units have been instructed to send photographs, videos, and a brief report of the events concerned to the Asam Sahitya Sabha central office after organising the competitions.
Symposium held: Meanwhile, Assam Prakashan Parishad, in collaboration with Prakash Sahitya Got, a literary forum of Darrang College, on Saturday organised a literary symposium on ‘Creative Literature’ featuring the themes ‘Searching for Stories and Interpretation through Travel Literature’, ‘Creating Modern Poetry and the Joy of Reading’, and ‘Textual Interpretation and Reconstruction’.
Eminent fiction writer Atanu Bhattacharyya delivered an illuminating talk on the theme ‘Searching for Stories and Interpretation through Travel Literature’. He remarked that this particular genre has not been adequately explored in Assamese literature. Although several travelogues have been published in Assamese, in-depth examination of travel literature remains limited. Drawing attention to global literary practices, he emphasised that travel literature in various languages has flourished significantly. Referring to Hem Barua’s works, he laid stress on the need for more focused efforts in developing travel literature in the Assamese language.
Noted writer, translator, and faculty member at Chaiduar College, Dr Arindam Sharma, delivering a lecture on ‘Creating Modern Poetry and the Joy of Reading’, highlighted how poetry encompasses all layers of human life, society, and Nature. Poetry reveals both the visible and invisible worlds, he said, and this dual vision is what brings true joy to the act of reading. The process of creating poetry becomes meaningful through this, he added.
Taking part in the concluding session on ‘Textual Interpretation and Reconstruction’, writer, translator and faculty member of the Department of English in Nagaon College, Dr Ananya Hiloidari, explained that reconstruction is a crucial literary process. A single literary work can have multiple dimensions and the same book can resonate differently with readers across different times. Reconstruction can open up new perspectives in literature, Dr Hiloidari noted.
The symposium was moderated by poet and writer Nabajyoti Pathak. Mihir Deuri, noted writer and editor of the literary journal Prakash published by Assam Prakashan Parishad, expressed gratitude to all on behalf of Assam Prakashan Parishad. Dr Palash Moni Saikia, principal of Darrang College, welcomed the guests at the outset while Dr Gokul Kumar Das, senior faculty member of the Department of Assamese in the college and coordinator of the Prakash Sahitya Got, offered the vote of thanks.