National Colloquium held at DBC Maram
Source: The Sangai Express
Senapati, October 20 2021:
Department of English, Don Bosco College (Autonomous), Maram on Wednesday organised a "National Colloquium on Literary Cultures of India's Northeast: Naga Writings in English and Waiting for the Dust to Settle" at the college premises in Maram, Senapati.
During the event, the moderator, Dr Monica Kanga introduced the author and speaker of the day, Dr Veio Pou, Associate Professor, Department of English, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi.
Dr Veio Pou is also a well published author in the area of literature from Northeast India through national and international journals.
Though his areas of interest lie in Victorian Literature, Modernist Literature, Popular Fiction, Oral Literature, Cultural Studies and Indigenous Studies, it is the literature from Northeast India that he widely engages at seminars and conferences.
He also writes at the popular level through The Hindu, Huffington Post, Scroll, Morung Express and Eastern Mirror, among others.
Dr Veio Pou in his address stressed on the importance of 'written oral literature' and stated that one of the efforts of the book (Literary Cultures of India's Northeast: Naga Writings in English) is to uncover and understand the influence oral tradition has on contemporary written literature.
These oral literatures help the reader to peep into the beliefs and the cultural nuances of the people and captures the entire epistemology, their history which is handed down from generation to generation, and also the social implications.
Speaking on his debut novel "Waiting for the Dust to Settle", he took the audience through a journey of writing and on how he laboured over it.
Set in the eighties and nineties of the last century, the author spoke on how the two decades saw ample changes in the socio-political life of the Nagas in particular and that it was a period of difficult transition.
He also highlighted the need and importance of literary community memories which are marked by various aspects of community life and tradition, coupled with historical happenings such as the two world wars.
Later, an interactive and lively 'Question and Answer' session was also conducted wherein Dr Veio Pou answered the queries of the mesmerised audience.
The Vice Principal, Fr Shilanand lauded Dr Veio Pou and wished him success in his future.
The Vote of thanks was proposed by Dr Joshiya Khwairakpam.