Albuquerque literary scholars have been invited to submit research papers to a world conference in India on the Internet age impact on literature. The conference will weigh the value and strength of the writings of the last century and make an assessment of future challenges and directions. Discussions will take place in an old-world, new-world setting -- the main building at the university is a former palace.
Internationalist poet Stephen Gill will be the guest of honor at this unique literary International Conference Feb. 26-28, according to the host institution, Khairgarh University in Chattisgarh, a state in central India. The institution is Asia's only university dedicated to visual and performing arts.
Among the scholarly targets of the conference will be an attempt to define the future of literature in the age of Internet and nanotechnology. It was Gill who described the beauty of poetry as “a harmonious marriage between art and knowledge.” Scholars note that words have many meanings in Sanskrit; for example, “bhakti” – love, devotion, one of the most common forms of yoga.
Participants have been invited from a worldwide selection to assist in providing “an in-depth analysis of the oddities of new art forms and their end aim along with future directions,” according to the organizing members, Dr. Manoj Kumar, Dept. of English, and Dr. Purnima Kelkar, Dept. of Sanskrit.
The conference is formally titled “International Conference on Indian Art Forms.” Abstracts of research papers are scheduled to be received by Jan. 31, 2012 (University).
The conference is sponsored by the prestigious University Grants Commission of New Delhi.
The organizers point out that Sanskrit is the oldest while English is the youngest language of the Indian subcontinent. “One is the language of our cultural heritage while the other defines India’s commerce and connectivity,” the organizers note. Contemporary Sanskrit literature and Indian English literature touch upon larger issues of world culture. The organizers note that today there are more Sanskirt scholars than there were in ancient times and that India publishes a greater number of books in English than are published in countries where English is the mother tongue.
Stephen Gill is Poet Laureate of Ansted University, Cornwall, Ont. and also an expressive voice of Canada, India and Pakistan, writes usually from the point of global peace and social concerns. He has authored more than 20 books, including novels, literary criticism, and collections of poems (Gill). His poetry and prose have appeared in more than five hundred publications, mostly in Canada, the United States and India. He has also written and published book reviews, research papers on writers and on world peace.
Stephen Gill has received awards and recognitions, including four honorary doctorates; and Laureate Man of Letters from United Poets Laureate International; Sahir Award of Honor from Sahir Cultural Society, Panjab, India; Plaque from the World Council of Asian Churches (Canada); Pegasus International Poetry for Peace Award (Poetry in the Arts, Inc., Texas); The Best Poet of Peace Award for the year 1993 from Roger Cable 11 (Canada); and The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
Stephen Gill was born in Sialkot, Pakistan, where he passed his early childhood and grew in India. After teaching in Ethiopia for three years, he migrated to England before settling in Canada. He studied at Meerut College (Agra University), University of Ottawa (Canada), and Oxford University (England). He is an Adjunct Professor of EAU (Europe/American University).
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