The three-day National Literary Conference and Festival on the theme “Celebrating Indian Literature and Culture”

The three-day National Literary Conference and Festival on the theme “Celebrating Indian Literature and Culture” organized by K.L.University in collaboration with the Indian Society for commonwealth Studies got off to a grand start. “I cannot heave/ my heart into my mouth,” Cordelia in King Learsaid. To describe the grandeur of the event is no easy task and hence a bare heart-felt account, no more, no less. Dr.Raja Ambethkar added to the glamour of the occasion as the master of the ceremony. The inaugural function began with the traditional lighting of the lamp by the guests on the dais and Dr.K.K.Sunalini, Convener, giving a brief account of the Conference. Dr.M.Latha, Head of the Dept of English, presented a profile of the activities of the Department which consists of as many as 32 teachers. In his inaugural address, Prof.C.R.Visweswara Rao, Former Vice-Chancellor, Vikrama Simhapuri University, Nellore, referred to literature as a barometer of civilization and replica of culture. Outlining these features, he touched uponthe various phases of Indian writing in English as they reflect the challenges offered to colonization and Eurocentrism, complicity with language, “linguistic nomadism”, and the neo-colonial as it continues through the postcolonial phase. He pointed out how hybridity and cultural amphibianism have given new dimensions to the interrogation of textuality in Indian literature. Prof.M.Ramamoorty, Hon’ble Chancellor of K L E F, spoke about the interrelationships among language, literature, and ethics and touched upon the perennial quality of literature. He employed the Arnoldian “touchstone” method in order to identify where the ring of eternity is to be discovered. SriP.V.Sunil Kumar, Inspector General of Police, Guntur range, was the Chief Guest on the occasion and he dwelt upon the relationship between culture and society in the production of literature. He was introduced by Dr.K.B.Glory. Prof.P.Rajasekhar, Professor of English, Acharya Nagarjuna University, who was the Guest of Honour, gave a brief talk on the idea of celebrating literature and culture from the fourth world perspective. He was introduced by Dr.P.V.Ravi Kumar. Prof.R.K.Dhawan,President, Indian Society for Commonwealth Studies, New Delhi, detailed the objectives of the ISCS and pointed out a unique feature of this Conference: papers submitted for presentation at the Conference were carefully selected, pre-judged by the publisher, painstakingly edited, brought out in book form under the titleIndian Literature and Culture, and released at the Conference itself by the Hon’ble Chancellor of the University.This is a first of its kind. Edited by Dr.K.K.Sunalini, Conference Convener,andbrought out elegantly by Prestige Books International, Indian Literature and Culture containing 50 essays in all is divided into ten sections and it places before us the heritage of Indian culture as manifested in diverse fields like literature, folklore, television, and the media. It gives us a glimpse into the cultural spectrum of the nation and its vistas as it were through multiple creative configurations and is thus expected to be a good resource for scholars. The customary Souvenir containing the abstracts of the Conference presentations was released by Sri P.V. Sunil Kumar, the Chief Guest. Prof. R.K. Dhawan, President, ISCS, in his address described Indian culture, in the manner of Rabindranath Tagore, as a vast expanding banyan treewith deep roots and shade, described by Milton as the “pilloried shade.” Dr.Roshwitha Joshi, Indo-German novelist, addressed the gathering on the penetrable layers of creative writing and said the writer is endowed with a unique vision of holding in balance a juxtaposed set of attitudes and values. She also said, “Circean Enchantress,” as Milton, in his puritan derision,described the woman as seductress metaphor becomes an object of ironic, humorous depictionat the hands of the contemporary artist. The inaugural session ended with a vote of thanks by Dr.Ch.V.Ramani.