Tezpur: A one-day symposium on “Contemporary Assamese Poetry,” jointly organised by Sahitya Akademi and the Department of Assamese, Tezpur University, was held at the Council Hall, bringing together eminent scholars, poets, and academics to discuss the evolution, philosophy, and future of Assamese poetry in both national and global contexts.
Diganta Biswa Sarma, Convener of the Assamese Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi, delivered a critical address, challenging what he described as neo-American literary criticism. He argued that Assamese literary tradition, rooted in 16th-century Neo-Vaishnavism and humanist thought reflected in Hemkosh, does not require external frameworks. Taking a dig at postmodernism, he remarked that the discourse has already moved into post-postmodernism and warned that colonial mindsets continue to constrain indigenous knowledge systems.
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Prof. Amarendra Kumar Das, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University, emphasised the importance of practical and social usage of language for its survival. He stressed that literature cannot be taught mechanically but must be experienced and lived, while cautioning against imposing one language over others.
The keynote address was delivered by Prof. M. Kamaluddin Ahmed, Department of Assamese, Gauhati University, who traced parallels between European and Indian modernism, highlighting the emergence of Assamese modernism. He discussed mysticism, symbolism, and the socio-political reflections in contemporary Assamese poetry, noting a shift in poetic expression and a decline in symbolic usage.
The inaugural session was chaired by Prof. Chandan Kumar Sharma, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tezpur University. Two technical sessions featured paper presentations by Arnab Jan Deka, Mridul Haloi, Pallabika Sharma, Arindam Sarma, Dilip Phookan, and Pranjit Das, fostering lively discussions on poetic form, themes, and contemporary literary trends.
