Burdwan, July 7: A two-day International Seminar on literature and national consciousness began on Tuesday at Maharajadhiraj Uday Chand Women’s College, Burdwan. The seminar, titled “Narrating the Nation: Literature and National Consciousness in Colonial India: Celebrating 150 Years of ‘Vande Mataram'”, has been organised by the Department of History and the Internal Quality Assurance Cell of the college in collaboration with Hindi University, Howrah. The event is sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, Eastern Regional Centre, Kolkata, under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The seminar is being held at the APJ Abdul Kalam Auditorium of the college.

The inaugural session was attended by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Burdwan, Professor (Dr.) Sankar Kumar Nath, Principal Dr. Asrafi Khatun, eminent historian Professor Projit Kumar Palit, Professor Aparajita Dhar, Dr. Geerjanandsingh Bissessur from Mauritius, Dr. Nisha Thakur, Dr. Hemanta Saha and many distinguished academicians and researchers from India and abroad. The programme began with the rendition of Vande Mataram, ceremonial lamp lighting, felicitation of the guests and the release of the Book of Abstracts.

Seminar Convener Dr. Indrajeet Yadav said that the main objective of the programme is to examine the role of literature in shaping national consciousness during colonial India and to mark the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. He said that literary works in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, English and several other Indian languages played a significant role in inspiring the spirit of nationalism and the freedom movement. To discuss these themes, the seminar includes plenary sessions, technical sessions and research paper presentations.

According to the organisers, professors, researchers and students from universities and research institutions in India, Nepal and Mauritius are participating in the seminar through both offline and online modes. More than eighty research papers are being presented during the two-day academic event, making it an important platform for scholarly discussion and exchange of ideas.

Dr. Indrajeet Yadav expressed confidence that the seminar will encourage meaningful academic dialogue and open new avenues of research on literature, history, culture and national consciousness. He added that such international academic initiatives strengthen research collaboration and contribute to a deeper understanding of India’s intellectual and cultural heritage.