The sixth annual national seminar was organized by Sanskriti-North Eastern institute of Culture and Religion, Guwahati from 16th to 18th November, 2012. Sanskriti is an anthropological research centre engaged in data based research on the people and cultures of north east India. It is administered by SVD society which has a number of social science research institutions world-wide. This year the theme selected by the organizing committee was Indigenous Resource Management in Tribal Cultures of North East India.
The inaugural session was presided over by well known anthropologist Prof. A. C. Bhagabati, former vice chancellor of Arunachal University and present Director, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, North Eastern Regional Centre, Guwahati; Prof. Stephen Mavely, SDB, Vice Chancellor, Assam Don Bosco University, Assam the upcoming university in North East India was the chief guest of the inaugural function. A well known sociologist, Prof. Samita Manna, Vice Chancellor, Sidhu Kanu Birsa University, Purulia, West Bengal delivered the Key Note address, Fr. Augustine P.A. SVD, Chairperson, Sanskriti in his message spoke on the need to recognize the abundant resources including the human resource available in plenty.
Earlier K. Jose SVD, the director of the institute delivered the welcome address and Dr. Gautam K. Bera, Anthropologist & Foundation Fellow, Sanskriti, introduced the seminar. In the inaugural session two books namely The Karbi of Assam by Dr. R. P. Athparia, and Understanding North East India by K. Jose SVD, were released. The institutional News Letter (Sanskriti News, Vol. IV) too was released.
Two institutional awards were given away to senior and well known professors of anthropology. They are:
5th Prof. Stephen Fuchs SVD Memorial Award &Lecture 2012:
By Prof. Vijoy S. Sahay, HOD, Dept. of Anthropology, University of Allahabad, Title: Enigma of Indigenous Population in India; and 3rd Sanskriti Emeritus Life Time Achievement Award & Lecture 2012:
By Prof. A. C. Sinha, Former Dean, Social Sciences, NEHU, on the theme Ethnography of State in North East India or Anthropology of State on the Margin, were the special events of this seminar.
At the end of the seminar Valedictory Address will be delivered by Prof. W. Nabakumar, HOD, Dept. Anthropology, University of Manipur, Manipur, Prof. Samita Manna, Vice Chancellor, Sidhu Kanu Birsa University, Purulia, West Bengal will give away the Certificates to the participants, and Manoj Antony SVD, the assistant director of sanskriti cum Organising Secretary of the seminar proposed vote of thanks.
In all 39 research papers were read and discussed during the three day national seminar by 50 participants representing all the universities of North East India, Kolkata, Allahabad, Delhi and Pune. About 20 selected and best quality papers will be published by a German publishing company shortly, and the other papers will be re-worked and edited to be published by a leading publisher in India.
K. Jose SVD
(Director, Sanskriti, Guwahati)
More trouble awaits the Asom Gana Parishad hardly a year before the Assembly polls. The tussle between Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Atul Bora seems to have posed a serious threat to the regional party’s poll prospect.The widening difference between the former chief minister and one time loyalist and working president Atul Bora takes the centrestage of a simmering conflict within the regional party.Senior party leaders told Assam Times that Mahanta’s loyalists what the founder president should be restored six months after he went on leave. They further claimed that the party’s general council allowed the former chief minister to go on leave only for six months. Then the council...
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