Symposium held on ‘Assamese Children’s Literature: Prospects and Challenges’

GUWAHATI: The Department of Assamese of Dispur College hosted a symposium on ‘Assamese Children’s Literature: Prospects and Challenges’ in collaboration with the Sahitya Academy, followed by their Yuva Sahiti programme at the college auditorium on Saturday.

The inaugural programme, chaired by Dr. Navajyoti Borah, Principal, Dispur College, was graced by the presence of many eminent litterateurs of the region and other prominent figures related to the literary world. Addressing the gathering, Principal Dr. Borah expressed his gratitude to the Academy for having collaborated with the college and said that children’s literature plays a foundational role in the literature of any community.

In his welcome speech, Devendra Kumar Devesh, Regional Secretary, Sahitya Academy, Kolkata, reiterated the efforts of Sahitya Academy to promote and popularize not just the known literatures of the country but also those languages and literary creations that have not yet received their due recognition.

Diganta Biswa Sharma, Convener, Assamese Advisory Board, Sahitya Academy, introducing the theme of the symposium, stressed the tremendous responsibility and the many challenges in the face of writers of children’s literature, through whose eyes today’s children, the creators of our future, would learn to see the world and shape their worldviews.

Hrishikesh Goswami, Secretary, Children Literary Trust, Assam, pointed out that while adults live in nostalgia, children dwell in a world filled with curiosity and inquisitiveness. He urged upon the obligation of children’s literature to help quench that quest of young inquisitive minds. In the two scholarly sessions that followed, chaired by eminent litterateurs Bandita Phukan and Mrinal Kalita, respectively, such noted Assamese authors as Bishaldeep Kakaty, Diganta Oza, Juri Dutta, Binita Baishya, and Jugal Loshan Das shared their highly thought-provoking ideas.

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