GU English Dept Holds First Homen Borgohain Memorial Lecture

The department of English, Gauhati University hosted first Homen Borgohain Memorial Lecture on Thursday at the university.

The lecture was sponsored by the eminent journalist’s son Prof. Pradipta Borgohain.

The lecture was held at the Panidhar Datta Seminar Hall of GU and was attended by many noted intellectuals of Assam, faculty members of universities and colleges, research scholars and post-graduate students.

Prof Gobinda Prasad Sarma delivered the keynote lecture titled “Homen Borgohain’s Fiction as a vehicle of his ideas”.

On this occasion, a stalwart of the Assamese literary scene, Devabrata Das was specifically felicitated for his literary contributions.

The event was chaired by Prof. Bibash Choudhary, Dean Faculty of Arts & Head, Department of English, who noted that it had been a year since Homen Borgohain’s left for his heavenly abode and this lecture has been organised to honour his legacy.

The Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University, Prof. Pratap Jyoti Handique inaugurated the event and delivered the inaugural address where he reminisced about his relationship with Homen Borgohain during the 70s and 80s. The inaugural address was followed by the presentation of the Literary Felicitation to Sri Devabrata Das, recipient of the Tagore Literature Prize, who is famous for his enormous coterie of Assamese fictional prose.

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Das in his speech elucidated the foundational influence of Borgohain in his own writing and remembered how the legend gave him his first break as a young aspiring writer.

Prof Gobinda Prasad Sarma, former Head, Department of English and former dean, Faculty of Arts, Gauhati University delivered the keynote lecture where he explained how Homen Borgohain was “a writer of ideas”.

Tracing his literary career, Prof Sarma showcased how Borgohain’s unique literary style combined with his radical ideas created ripples in the Assamese literary tradition which can still be felt today. Prof Sarma said, Homen Borgohain has become the intellectual property of all Assam and has left an indelible impression on the collective Assamese mind.

Prof Pradipta Borgohain made the concluding remarks where he thanked all those present and remembered his father as a man for whom his words were his identity. His said that his father’s legacy belonged to the people of Assam and he hoped that this tradition which had been initiated by the lecture would be continued in the years to come.

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