HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, March 21: The department of English of the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya (USTM) organized a function at the university premises on the occasion of ‘World Poetry Day’ on Thursday.
The English department organized the programme in association with the Literary Forum and Poetry Consortium. The theme of ‘World Poetry Day’ this year is ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’, which honours iconic writers of the past whose trailblazing works enlarged poetry’s footprint across cultures.
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Noted Assamese poet and translator Anis Uz-Zaman graced the occasion as the special guest. He was conferred the prestigious ‘Gangadhar National Award for Poetry’ in 2022 by the Sambalpur University. The poet was accompanied by his wife and distinguished academician, Shamim Akhtar on the occasion.
The event was also attended by G D Sharma, vice-chancellor of USTM and R K Sharma, advisor at the university.
Addressing the gathering Anis Uz-Zaman stressed on the importance of preserving our folk culture and unique expressions. He termed poetry as the music of the soul’. Evoking the spirits of poets from across the world, Zaman also recited sections from works of eminent poets like Nilmoni Phukon, Rainer Maria Rilke and Frederico Garcia Lorca and encouraged the students to explore their creativity.
The welcome address was delivered by Mitali Goswami, the head of the department of English of the university. GD Sharma in his speech spoke about the role of poetry in capturing the complexity ofhuman emotions and also emphasized the importance of translation and the role of technology in developing translation interfaces.
R K Sharma recalled his fond college memories with guest Anis Uz-Zaman, who was his college mate, and also recited a few lines from the famous Assamese poem Dhulikona Moi written by Chandradhar Baruah.
As part of the celebrations, an inter-university poetry writing competition was also organized on the theme nature and poetry, the winners of which were also awarded during the event. The winners also recited their poems on the occasion.
