AGARTALA, August 22 (TIWN): The Tripura University is looking forward to develop the knowledge bank on NE region and its culture, languages, traditions, Vice Chancellor Professor Anjan Kumar Ghosh said here today. Addressing the inaugural session of a two day national seminar on northeastern literature, culture, creativity and criticism at the Department of English in Suryamaninagar campus of the varsity this morning, Vice chancellor professor Ghosh said that the University Grants Commission (UGC) recently approved introduction of academic curriculum on linguistic studies of tribal languages from the region.

"We shall be convening a meeting today to understand about the way we would have to go about it", the VC said. He added that the university would work on organizing periodic seminars, interactions, conferences and scholarly deliberations in the days ahead. Vice chancellor Professor Ghosh suggested other departments to start similar initiatives in understanding the region from the concerned capacities and asked organizers of the national seminar to elevate the national seminar to international standards and advocated inclusion of sub-regional experts from Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan etc.

"These are nations which have a direct connection and influence on the way people think in the northeast India and are thought of in the greater national arena", professor Ghosh said.  Famous author and northeast expert from Assam Mitra Phukan said that the NE region was looked as a conflict ridden region, both in its political and literary identity.

She criticised the approach and said that the region had much to offer beside conflict and tension. She laer spoke on a number of literary works from the region, many of them focusing on conflict and humanitarian perspectives revolving around it. Registrar of the university Professor Onkar Sadhan Adhikari said that the country is lacking in knowledge about the region.

He appreciated the initiative to organize deliberations on the subject and said that similar initiatives from other departments would substantially contribute to groe a working knowledge bank on the region. Convener of the seminar and Dean (students welfare) Dr. Ashesh Gupta said that the seminar was conceptualized as an effort to portray the NE region in multiple perspectives. "It would include scholarly deliberations and practical experiences from a wide range of professionals working in and on NE India", he said.