The 2-day UGC Sponsored National Seminar on ‘Narrativising Cultures of the North-East: Indigenous to Contemporary’, organised by Govt. T. Romana College in collaboration with Mizoram English Literary Society (MIELS), was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Minister of Art & Culture etc., Pu P.C. Zoram Sangliana at the I & PR Auditorium today.

The Seminar, to be held on September 3 & 4 will have deliberations on various expressions of the North East experience in literature and other art forms. Paper presenters include well-known writers from Mizoram and Nagaland, and academics and practitioners from both within the state and outside. Students of English from six colleges of Aizawl also attended a special ‘Meet the Author’ session with Sebastian Zumvu, a writer whose story is in the III Semester syllabus of English under MZU. In his inaugural address, the Hon’ble Minister said that India’s North East has been continually misunderstood and misrepresented in the rest of the country and outside. In order to address this gap, it is essential for the general population to understand and be aware of our own differences while appreciating our similarities. Multi-cultural negotiations within the region need to be addressed with care by academic circles and the intelligentsia with a view to promoting greater integrity and unrestricted expressions of experiences. The Minister also added that State Governments in their individual capacity as well as through combined efforts of the NEZCC have always endeavoured to this aim.

The Keynote Address for the Seminar was delivered by Prof. Margaret Ch. Zama, MZU while the Principal of Govt. T. Romana College Dr. F. Lalhmingsanga and the Seminar Co-ordinator Jenifer Lalbiakdiki also spoke at the event.