Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SS)

Mangalore, Sep 19: The inaugural ceremony of the two-day UGC sponsored national-level workshop, ‘All Write’, conducted by English department of St Agnes College was held on September 19 at 9.30 am.

The workshop aimed at emphasizing the importance of writing in every sector of the society as well as delivered information about technical writing, media writing and creative writing.

The inaugural of the workshop was done by writing a message and autographing on the wall which symbolized, that written words should be gratified.

The workshop started with a devotional hymn by Sr Jennifer and group. The welcome speech was delivered by Dr Geralyn Pinto, head of the department of English, St Agnes College. She also introduced the chief guest of the workshop, Dr Rajeswari Sunder Rajan.

Dr Rajeswari Sunder Rajan, professorial fellow at Wolfson College and reader in the English faculty at the University of Oxford at New York delivered the keynote address in terms of Indian literacy studies and feminism studies.

She said, “On one hand a large part of the nation has an imperative need of literacy in terms of reading and writing on the other hand there is a whole gamut of literacy used towards creative purposes.”

“All forms and mediums of communication are extremely essential in a human society, as it defines the society. English literacy studies and British literacy studies are a part of colonial period but moreover it is a global language. Literacy was institutionalized in India and Africa before Britain”, she added.

She also said, “There is a connection between feminism and literacy. The role of liberated women is subjective as it came into existence due to the portrayal of women done in the literacy, in addition to it the subject English literacy was prejudiced to be a women oriented subject.”

She highlighted topics such as portrayal of women in English literacy, feminist literacy criticism, and literacy in colonial period. She also mentioned the relationship between gender, post - colonialism and culture in the context of post-Independence Indian nationalism.

The launch of the multidisciplinary journal named Echo Research was done during the workshop. The institutional journal would be a multi – lingual. Malini Hebbar professor of English at St Agnes College is the chief editor of the journal. The first issue of the journal was presented to Dr Ravishankar Rao and all the dignitaries on and off the dais.

Dr Sr M Prem D'Souza AC, principal of St Agnes College said, “Pen is mightier than sword, thus written words are eternal. Only talent cannot produce a good writer but a teacher and a role model who can be an aspiration, can uplift the talent."

She concluded with a quote from the book of Hebrews, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Dr Charles Furtado, president of association of women education at Mangalore University was present on the occasion.

Malini Hebbar professor of English, St Agnes College, proposed vote of thanks.