Assam: Kajir Ronghangpi 3-day International Conference Ends In Diphu

No Comments
Posted in Assam, Featured, Northeast
NET Web Desk

A 3-day international conference on ‘Oral Tradition of the Karbis: Memorizing Kajir Ronghangpi- The ‘Rhinoceros Lady’ concluded on 29th July. The conference, organised as a part of the annual commemoration of Kajir Ronghangpi on 5th December was held at Arboretum cum Craft Centre, Diphu from 27th to 29th July. Inaugurated by the Hon’ble Chief Executive Member ( CEM) of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council ( KAAC) Dr Tuliram Ronghang in the presence of Sri Surjya Rongphar, Executive Member of Art and Culture, KAAC also the Chairman of the Reception Committee of the Conference and other dignitaries, the conference, a first-of-its-kind in Diphu was organised under the aegis of Art and Culture Department, KAAC in association with Assam University( Diphu campus) and Diphu Government College, Assam.

Spearheaded by the living Karbi luminaries Dr Dharamsing Teron and Elwin Teron along with Dr Vulli Dhanaraju and Dr Manos Jyoti Bordoloi , the conference was a testament to the rich oral narratives of the Karbi people and their impact on their history, heritage, tradition and culture. With young research scholars presenting their papers discussing various perspectives on the legend of Kajir Ronghangpi associated with Kaziranga National Park and the significance of oral narratives of the indigenous people, the conference saw the bringing together of young scholars and veteran researchers both as conference speakers as well as attendees discussing, sharing and learning myths, legends, indigenous practices and traditions with a diverse outlook. Mention must be made that the conference saw the presence of women participants and attendees in large numbers than men.

With panel discussions chaired by Dr Dharamsing Teron and Maggie Katharpi from the Centre for Karbi Studies, Diphu, the conference also had various technical sessions moderated by various scholars and experts from Assam University (Diphu Campus) and Diphu Government College. All the sessions were followed by Q&A rounds, comments and discussions. The opening day of the conference on the 27th of July was joined online by Dr Michael T. Heneise from UiT The Arctic University of Norway who presented his paper on “Inhabiting Dreamscapes: Shaping New Ethnographic Horizons through Karbi Ways of Knowing “ and Dr Margaret Lyngdoh from the University of Tartu who spoke about “Re-framing Stigmatised Karbi Practices through Heritageization”. The other speakers for the panel discussion included Dr Reep Pandi Lepcha of Northeast India Audio Visual Archive Nodal Centre, Sikkim and Dr Manos Jyoti Bordoloi from the Centre for Tiwa Studies, Guwahati.

The various technical sessions held during the 3-day conference saw discussions on Karbi folk literature, folk tales, the legends and oral narratives of Kaziranga National Park, Gender Empowerment, Geographical Understanding of Karbi Ronghangpi myths, Tattooing, traditional Karbi Textiles, Karbis and Ahom kingdom, ecofeminism perspective of Kajir Ronghangpi, etc. The myth history of Kajir Ronghangpi by Dr DS Teron, Kajir Ronghangpi: The Legends in Ronghang by Elwin Teron, Karbi Keplang Alun by Kareng Ronghangpi, the feminine in Karbi Folklore by Klir Tissopi, are some of the papers worth a mention.

The conference ended on 29th July with a vote of thanks and an agenda to organise more such conferences in Karbi Anglong to boost the academic potential of the youth and foster an enabling environment for systematic research and development. The organisers while expressing their gratitude to the efforts taken by the Hon’ble CEM, KAAC in encouraging a positive research environment in the region while building strong academic excellence added that such conferences contribute towards enriching young minds while guiding and influencing them towards in-depth research. Publication of a few reviewed conference papers into a book form to be released at the 50th Karbi Youth Festival scheduled to be in January 2024 was also announced.

Tags: , , , , , ,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

More Articles