'Kalachand is a rare personality'
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, June 22 2016: Sahitya Akademi in collaboration with Naharol Sahitya Premee Samiti, Imphal organized a one- day seminar on Kalachand Singh Shastri's works today at Dave Literature Centre here on the occasion of the birth centenary of Chingangbam Kalachand Singh Shastri yesterday.

In his welcome address, Goutam Paul, assistant editor of Sahitya Akademi, Kolkata described Kalachand Singh Shastri as a rare personality having different qualities in the field of education and literature.

He said that he was a Sanskrit scholar, an educationist, a dramatist, a historian of Manipuri literature, a stage actor and a teacher in school and college.

He did a commendable works in Manipuri literature by translating 37 volumes of epic Mahabharata, for which he was conferred Sahitya Akademi award for translation.

Gautam Paul also recalled the series of activities taken up by the Sahitya Akademi in the few days towards the promotion of Manipuri literature.

He said that a literary forum on cinema and literature was conducted by the Sahitya Akademi with Ashangba Communication, Imphal on June 19 and a symposium on the role of newspapers on the development of Manipuri literature by Sahitya Akademi with Hueiyen Lanpao on June 20 .

In his inaugural address, Huirem Behari Singh, convenor of Manipuri Language Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi dwelt upon the life and works of Chingangbam Kalachand Shastri.

He expressed his desire that the family members of the renowned writer Kalachand Shastri attend the programme so that they would also take part in the deliberations of the seminar papers presented by the resource persons.

Huirem Behari announced the series of literary activities to be taken up by the Sahitya Akademi during July 2016.Sahitya Akademi also picked up some lesser known eminent writers of Manipuri literature.

He stated that literary events on Surchand Sharma and H Dwijamani Dev Sharma would be held on July 23 and 24 in Imphal.

A symposium on the place of women in contemporary Manipuri literature would be held on July 25 and a seminar on the life and works of Kumari Thoibi Devi would be held the next day, he added.

Polem Nabachandra, president of Naharol Sahitya Premee Samiti, Imphal thanked the Sahitya Akademi for financing the event and expressed the importance of such seminar on eminent literary figure in Manipuri literature.

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