Port Blair, Feb 17: An International seminar on ‘Partition Literature : Memory & Inheritance of self ’ organized by the school of Humanities & Social Sciences of the Netaji Subhas Open University, Kolkata and sponsored by the Distance Education Bureau, University Grants Commission, Govt. of India, recently has taken place at Rabindra- Okakura Bhawan , Salt Lake, Kolkata from 8th to 10th February, 2014 where Dr. Jyotirmoy RoyChowdhury, Associate Professor & H.O.D. of the Bengali Department of JNR Mahavidyalay orally presented a paper titled ‘ Preservation of traditions and culture in the present generation of the settler Bengali in Andamans’ which drew special attention of the audience.
His paper also has been published in the ISBN certified Seminar Proceedings In this connection. In his speech Dr. Roy Chowdhry described how the Bengali Folk- culture and traditions are being preserved generation by generation among the Bengali during last sixty four years in these Islands as well as erstwhile East Bengal from where they came to India after partition and were brought here by the Administration afterwards .
The Bengali still talk in their colloquial languages in everyday’s life as before, though they have to talk Hindi to converse with other communities in these Islands. They use proverbs, riddles, folk- rhymes etc during conversation within their own community , observe their folk-festivals, warship folk-gods and goddesses, sing folk-songs, kirtan and follow all their folk- rituals round the year. Few of them try to write folk-poems and stories and the cry of losing motherland has also been reflected in these folk-writings .
They remember the bad days of leaving their homeland by telling stories still now. He told that in the view of Cultural Anthropology these type of folk-traditions and culture are valuable treasures. Earlier veteran novelist
Mr. Atin Bandyopadhyay delivered the inaugural speech.
Novelist Mr.Debesh Roy, renowned writer of Bangladesh Smt. Selina Hossain, Representstive of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission of Kolkata Smt. Mousumi Oais , Dr. Shubha Shankar Sarkar, Vice Chancellor of Netaji Subhas Open University delivered speeches on the theme of the seminar in the inaugural function. As plenary speeker Dr. Nukhbah Taj Langah, Associate Professor of the Forman Christian College University of Lahore, Pakistan, delivered a lecture on comprehensive study of select literary representations thematically associated with 1947 and subsequently 1971 partition .
Prof. Anjali Gera Roy of the School of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT Kharagpur delivered a valuable lecture on the afterlife of partition of 1947. Prof. Basabi Fraser of the Edinburgh Napier University and Joint Director of the Scottish Centre of Tagore Studies spoke on the problems of refugees. Smt. Salma Bani , Professor of Bengali language & Literature of the University of Canada, Torento delivered a special lecture on ‘ Women in the Literature on Partition ‘ in the last day. There was a face to face interaction session in between writers and readers just before the valedictory session. Mr. Atin Bandyopadhyay, Mr. Debesh Roy, Mr. Amar Mitra,Smt. Selina Hossain and Dipankar Das took part in this interesting session and share their experience with the audience . The Seminar ended on 10th February 17, 2014 with vote of thanks given by Dr. Manan Kumar Mandal, Organising Secretary of the seminar.
