16 JUNE 2024 at Hotel Akbari, Cuttack

The Researchers' Association, Odisha organized a one-day National Seminar on "Twenty-first Century Sahitya Akademi Award Winning Writers in English" and a Workshop on "Key Concepts of Literature, Culture and Criticism" at Hotel Akbari, Cuttack on16 June 2024. After the registration of the delegates from  Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal, Professor Sailendra Kumar Mahapatra, former  Principal, Bhadrak Autonomous College, Bhadrak (Odisha) lighted the Lamp along with Professor Ashok Kumar Mohanty, (Retd. Prof. of English, SOA University, Bhubaneswar),  Dr. Satya Sindhu Ghosh, (Retd. Associate Prof. of English, Khandra College, Burdwan University, West Bengal), Dr. Jnan Ranjan Padhi, Associate Prof. of English, Govt College, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, and Professor Bijay Kumar Das, the President of the Researchers' Association, Odisha. This was followed by Goddess Saraswati Bandana and the presentation of Bouquets to the guests. Dr Dolon Roy introduced Prof. Sailendra Mahapatra. Braja Kishore Pall, Principal, Oupada College{ Balasore} read out the proceedings of the last national Seminar held on 14 January 2024 at Hotel Akbari, Cuttack.

Professor Sailendra Mahapatra delivered the inaugural address. Dr. Sonali Das, Associate Professor of English, F.M. University,  Balasore compered the programme. Prof. Ashok Kumar Mohanty proposed a Vote of Thanks.

Paper Reading Session 1

Dr. Ujjawal Dutta, West Bengal Education Service presented a paper on Meenakshi Mukherji's " The Perishable Empire" which won the Sahitya Akademi Award (New Delhi) for the year 2003. Dr. Satya Sindhu Ghosh spoke on twenty-first-century Indian English writers in general. Dr Jnan Ranjan Padhi, Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of English, Dera Natung Govt. College, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh Chaired the Session. Dr Manmohan Mishra, Retd. Reader in English, Begunia College, Odisha proposed a  Vote of Thanks.

Homage to Professor S.Viswanathan and Professor Amitava Roy:

Professor C.R.V.  Rao, former Vice Chancellor, of Vikram Shimapuri University, Andhra Pradesh sent his note on Professor Viswanathan and Prof. Roy by way of paying homage to both of them. who passed away on 27 February 2024 and 12  April 2024 respectively. Prof. Viswanathan contributed 9 articles to " The Critical Endeavour"   and Prof. Roy attended several Seminars and Conferences organized by the Researchers' Association, Odisha. Prof. Rao's Homege Note was read out by Dr Sonali Das, as he could not make it to the Seminar because of  Knee Surgery. Dr. Rima Ghosh, Dr Dolon Roy, Dr.Ujjwal Dutta and Dr Satya Sindhu Ghosh. Paid tributes to the memory of Prof.Roy. Professor Bijay Kumar Das recalled vividly the contribution of Prof. Viswanathan to the Critical Endeavour and particularly to the Festschrift " Revisiting William Shakespeare, W. B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot" in honor of Professor R. W. Desai.

Prof. Das recalled Gomothy's (Prof. Viswanathan's Daughter) words when he telephoned her to pay his condolences on the sad demise of Prof. Viswanathan. She said " Uncle, when my father passed away, the book which was lying by his bedside was not the "Bhagavad Gita" or any Purana but your book Festschrift in honor of  Prof. R.W. Desai'. Then Professor Das recalled how intimate was his relationship with Prof. Amitava Roy.

Open Lecture

Professor Das delivered an open lecture titled, "How Perishable is Imperishable Empire; Critiquing Meenakshi Mukherjee's'The Perishable Empire".His lecture was distributed among the delegates in the form of a Booklet. Bata Krushna Das proposed a vote of thanks.

Photo Session

As customary, a group photo of the Resource Persons and delegates was taken.

Paper Reading Session 2

Roy and Dr. Rima Ghosh presented their papers. Dr Susmita Mohanty, Principal, Shivananda Institute, Cuttack proposed a vote of thanks.  "Workshop on Key Concepts of Literature, Culture, and Criticism"  was conducted by Prof. Bijay Kumar Das. It was a lively session in which the delegates happily participated.

Research in Progress

This session was chaired by Dr Krushna Chandra Mishra, Professor of  English, at Rajeeva Gandhi University,  Arunachal Pradesh. Dr. Sonali Das spoke about her area of Research and publications in UGC Approved Journals, Book chapters, and Co-edited book, " Revisiting Wiliam Shakespeare, W.B. Yeats, and T.S.Eliot "(NewDelhi: Authors Press, 2023), Festschrift in honor of the Seniormost Professor of English in India, Prof. Rupin W. Desai. Her present Research is on Gandhian Literature, Cinema, and Literature and Translation Studies: Theory and Practice. Dr Rima Ghosh spoke about her research on Sri Aurobindo. Dr Premalata Rout spoke about her forthcoming translation of Odia Short Stories in English Translation. Dr Jnan Ranjan Padhi spoke about his missed opportunities in Research Publications. Dr. Natabar Jena proposed a vote of thanks.

Valedictory Session

The Valedictory Session was Chaired by Prof. Ashok Kumar Mohanty in which Dr. Satyasindhu Ghosh, Prof. Krushna Chandra Mishra, and Dr Manamohan Mishra spoke about their response to today's Seminar. Professor Sailendra Mahapatra gave away the Participation certificates to the delegates and Resource Persons. Professor Bijay Kumar Das announced the Launching of the Special Nissim Ezekiel Number of the Critical Endeavour at the forthcoming Seminar in Aug/Sept. 2024.

Dr. Pravat Kumar Mishra, the Treasurer of the Researchers' Association proposed a vote of thanks.

Images from Seminar