Jindal Global University hosted the 3rd International Literary Conference this year in its Sonipat campus from 21st-22nd December, 2016. This yearly conference was an initiative from English Literary Society of O.P. Jindal Global University; the theme this year was on, “Emerging Issues in English Literature”
The International Literary Conference was inaugurated by Ms Marcy Shuck, renowned educationist and former Director of Development East West Institute, New York; also present in the august gathering were Vice Chancellor Jindal Global University Professor (Dr) C Raj Kumar, Registrar, JGU, Professor Y S R Murthy and Professor Dr Gopa Nayak and Dr Jagdish Batra of English Language Centre of JGU.
Marcy Shuck making her opening remarks, spoke about her personal transition to Indopihile and how literature became her guide in understanding the varied nuances of this great cultural confluence called “India”. She spoke about the special promise of literature, “which has a remarkable ability to open our minds to other cultures, to other ways of living, to other people’s hopes and their despair”. Literature and reading instils in us a sense of awe at the beauty and power of words, Ms Shuck said, “An awe at the complexity of life: and that so particularly true about India”.
Mr Shuck was vocal about sublime qualities possessed by the authors whom she regarded as her passport to India. She spoke about Vikram Seth and his “Suitable Boy” and compared Arundhati Roy’s language in “God of Small Things” to the like of Toni Morrison’s; “multi- layered and conveys such powers, again power of words to describe places, situations and emotional experience”. She spoke about Rohinton Mistry and his “A Fine Balance”, which made her “laugh through tears, story was filled with so many emotion”.
Professor(Dr) C Raj Kumar resonated university’s commitment to provide sharper focus on the study of literature in all its manifestation and also to develop a strong writing programme on creative and general writing in their approach to learning.
He said, ”our university is now well positioned to have stronger focus on issues relating to literature more broadly in the way we have structured our liberal arts curriculum across difference schools including the newly launched Jindal School of Journalism & Communication(JSJC)
The two-day long conference saw interesting sessions on poetry, writing discourses, reading sessions as well authors discussion. Host of literary dignitaries like of Professor Violetta Trofimova, Chairperson, Dept. of Foreign Languages, St. Petersburg University, Russian Federation, Keki N. Daruwalla, President, The Poetry Society (India) and Dr Novy Kapadia, author, were also present in the conference.
Speaking at the valedictory session, Prof. C.R. Visweswara Rao, former Vice Chancellor, VS University, Nellore, observed that any conference ends formally with the valedictory, but “it opens the mind up to a variety of possible quests and lines of inquiry to be pursued with diligence, and therefore my message to all participants is work out your academic salvation with diligence”.
The International Literary Conference tried to delve into the narrative in the backdrop rampant globalization and “post-truth” scenario which have further impacted the outlook and methodology of literature. The present scenario identified multiple concerns in literature, produced in a mélange of styles, and the diversity is only growing with each passing day. The aim of this international conference was to encourage academics, scholars and practitioners representing an exciting diversity of countries, cultures and languages to meet and exchange views and gain from one another’s experience.