Creative brains from across the world came together to discuss various aspects of literature that cut across barriers of time and space at the day-long international seminar on ‘Stories Across Borders’ held at Shoolini University in Solan on February 24. Prominent among the delegates were, senior academicians from the USA, Poland, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Pro Vice Chancellor Mr. Atul Khosla along with Director and Trustee Mrs. Nishtha Shukla Anand, Shoolini University, felicitated the delegates with remembrance and gratitude of love.
Author and well-known educationist Prof Manju Jaidka, who recently joined Shoolini University as a Senior Professor, welcomed the guests while Prof Mukesh Williams delivered the keynote address.
Senior Professor in English, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, Senath Walter Perera spoke about exoticism and the Sri Lankan Novel of Expatriation. Providing suitable examples from three texts, the captivating and thought-provoking talk explored the strategic ways in which authors based in Canada, England and Australia employed exoticism for multifarious literary purposes.
Daniel Kalinowski from the Pomeranian University in Słupsk (Poland), spoke on the Nobel laureate, Olga Tokarczuk, a writer who constantly referred to the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of femininity.
Dr Adela Kuik-Kalinowski from Pomeranian University in Słupsk (Poland), talked about Cyprian Kamil Norwid (1821-1883), considered the last of the four most important Polish Romantic poets. Ahmed Ahsunuzzamun from Bangladesh elaborated on Hemanga Biswas's songs on Bengal Partition.
Hemraj Kafle, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Management Informatics and Communication, Kathmandu University, Nepal, talked about ‘Contemporary Nepali Writing in English’,
Khagendra Acharya, Assistant Professor, Kathmandu University, Nepal, and Tirtha Raj Ghimire, Head, Faculty of English, Fluorescent Higher Secondary School, Kathmandu, Nepal, discussed ‘Combatants’ Experience Across the Border’.
Eric Chinje spoke on ‘Chinua to Chimanda: Theoretical Signposts on the Road to Modern African Literature’. Eric Chinje is the Deputy Dean for Media Research at the Dortmund-based Africa Institute for Media, Migration, and Development (AIMMAD), a Board Director and former Chief Executive Officer of the African Media Initiative, and a Senior Director at the Washington-based Greystone Global Strategies.
The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Purnima Bali, Assistant Professor, Department of English Faculty of Liberal Arts.