Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 6: Two-day international conference on `Multiple Selves in Multiple Texts: Life narratives in South Asia’ began today at the Central University of Jammu.
Prof Manoj Dhar, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu, was chief guest in the inaugural session while Prof R K Sinha, Vice Chancellor of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University was the guest of honor whereas Prof Ganesh Devy delivered the keynote address.
In his inaugural address, Prof Dhar highlighted the significance of deliberations on Life Narratives which serve as an inspiring documentation of lives worth reflecting for self realization. Prof R K Sinha appreciated theme of the conference and said that knowledge is like a globe which multiples knowledge and emphasized the interdisciplinary scope of multiplying knowledge through such academic ventures.
The keynote speaker, Prof Ganesh Devy, a writer and cultural activist, best known for the People’s Linguistic Survey of India and pioneer of the Adivasi Academy, dwelt at length over the problematics of self and emphasized that the self articulation will survive. Further, Prof Devy predicted that expression is immortal and there are innumerable possibilities of articulating the self and the way texts are mutlpying in various dimensions, makes the theme of the conference very much relevant .
Prof Govind Singh, Dean, School of Languages, while speaking on the occasion highlighted the life narratives which hitherto have been less talked about topic.
Earlier, Dr Vandana Sharma, Conference Convener and Head, Department of English, gave an overview of the conceptualization of the conference which is to unfold the labyrinths of self and how it is constructed through life narratives. He informed that the two-day conference will have deliberations on varied aspects of life narratives in South Asia as 95 speakers are going to present their papers in the conference on Autobiography as a narrative of personalized memory, socio biography, buildsroman, and how the self is navigated in biographies, memoirs and diaries.
Moreover, a plenary panel session on Interplay of Self, Society and History: Life Narratives in South Asia has been planned to provide a platform to eminent academics and thinkers from across the South Asia. Moreover, a session on Dogri life narratives will also be there to impart global approach and holistic understanding to the theme.
Nancy Sharma conducted proceedings and Dr Neena Gupta proposed the vote of thanks.
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