|
Kyrgyzstan
Today
Her Excellency
Madam Irina Orolbaeva, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Kyrgyz Republic to India, delivered a lecture on ’Kyrgyzstan Today’, at the
Centre for South, Central, Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific Studies in the
School of International Studies on 20 November, 2007.
The lecture
covered a wide canvas from the county’s spatial location to aspects of its
foreign policy, from its multi-lingual society to its rich hydro power
resources, and its topography- 96 percent of Kyrgyzstan is mountainous. The
Ambassador emphasized the growing popularity of India in Kyrgyzstan especially
because of the close links through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO),
which had assigned Observer’s status to India. She also stated that currently
there were around 33 Indian enterprises working in Kyrgyzstan.
With more than
60 percent of the population being Kyrgyz, there was a large presence of
Russians as well (16%) among the ethnic groups in the economy. Stating that the
Silk Route strategy is still operative and the heritage of Silk Road is
maintained, the Ambassador hailed the President of Kyrgyzstan for developing
such initiatives.
The lecture was
extremely interactive with a large presence of teachers and students and was
amply supported by a presentation of photographs offering different glimpses of
Kyrgyzstan. While accepting the presence of US-led coalition at the Manas base
in Kyrgyzstan, the Ambassador stated that there was also the presence of a
Russian base at Kant. An important initiative by the government was the creation
of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon Free Zone (CANWFZ) with the undertaking to
conclude with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). She emphasized the
latest doctrine of foreign policy of Kyrgyzstan, which is revised every two to
three years.
Answering to
the question on the major challenges faced by Kyrgyzstan during the post- Soviet
period, she highlighted that it was difficult to maintain close ties with the
large-scale industries of the region. Loans were available from the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) but the bulk of debt was extremely difficult
to pay off. The country of Kyrgyzstan went through a very hard process of
privatization during the years 1991-1993. It was only now that the trade
agreements with China, Kazakhstan, Russia and other countries have taken shape.
The major changes in the society that has come about over the years is the
development of a skilled and literate population with 99 percent literacy among
the 14-25 age group. Besides there also exist free medical services.
Bringing out
the distinct differences that existed among the women from the south as compared
to the women from the north of Kyrgyzstan, she stated that the women from the
south were close to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and were more traditional as
compared to the women from the north of Kyrgyzstan. The latter experienced free
movements like nomads with fewer restrictions. Comparing different eras, she
emphasized that both domestic and international laws always existed for women.
These were well documented and protective as well.
However talking
about the women representatives within the political arena, she expressed that
not a single women was presented in the last parliament. This was despite the
fact that there was a quota for the women in the parliament. She believed that
gender biases existed in the society mainly in terms of salary discrimination.
Moreover the current statistics show that there is more unemployment among the
women. This is contrary to the fact that all women are busy working and are
engaged with some work activity or the other but they are usually engaged in
marginalized work activities and are not occupied in the major employment
sectors. Thus their work remains invisible and unaccounted. They usually end up
getting registered as unemployed even though their contribution towards the
production of goods and services in the region is enormous.
To the question
how Kyrgyzstan sees India, the Ambassador reacted that there was a 24-hour
Indian channel to hear and watch Indian movies, which were extremely popular in
Kyrgyzstan. With programmes such as ’India as a Partner’ and ’Incredible India’,
it would be better to ask what is it that interests India in Kyrgyzstan. This
was the big question. While suggesting that Indian support would be welcome
especially keeping in mind the ancient ties, she was apprehensive as to how
India would look towards Kyrgyzstan with no resources such as oil, gas, etc.
Will India accept their education degrees? She was hopeful that some bi-lateral
linkages would emerge probably in terms of ’Tourism’ or other trade linkages.
(Mondira
Dutta,
Centre for South,
Central,
Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific Studies, SIS)
Status of
Parliamentary Democracy in India
More than
anything else, Jawaharlal Nehru was a builder of institutions. He believed that
democracy was best suited for a country of India’s diversities and pluralities
and to address the myriad challenges facing the nascent republic, with the
active participation of the people…. He held the view that the full potential of
the individual would be realized under conditions facilitated by the flowering
of democracy. As he said once: “We have definitely accepted the democratic
process. Why have we accepted it?... Because we think that, in the final
analysis, it promotes the growth of human beings and of society; because, as we
have said in our Constitution, we attach great value to the individual spirit of
man to grow…. We do want high standards of living, but not at the
cost of man’s creative spirit, his creative energy, his spirit of adventure… of
all those fine things of life which have ennobled man throughout the ages.
Democracy is not merely a question of elections.”
Over the last
six decades, our people have shown to the world their commitment to work a
democratic system in the country and have proven, time and again, that their
political judgment cannot be taken for granted. They have been doing so by
demonstrating exceptional prudence and uncanny wisdom in the exercise of their
franchise. These qualities were reflected when they brought about changes in the
central government six out of the fourteen general elections in most cases,
proving the political pundits and the astrologers wrong. In fact, every
succeeding election has reflected a deeper commitment of our people to
parliamentary democracy.
Sustenance of a
vibrant parliamentary democracy all these years has, no doubt, been one of our
significant achievements since the attainment of freedom, earning us world-wide
recognition. Parliament has also rendered great service by charting the path of
social engineering with a great sense of responsibility.
It is through
the legislatures that the people in a representative democracy hold the
executive or the government accountable to the people, which constitutes the
most distinctive feature of a parliamentary system of government. In fact, the
very status of Parliament in our constitutional set-up, its extensive powers,
the various parliamentary devices, like the question hour, the zero hour,
half-an-hour discussion, short duration discussion, the calling attention
notices, adjournment motions, the no-confidence motion, the system of committees
and even the special mentions, are all meant to facilitate Parliament in
discharging the crucial function of ensuring executive accountability to the
people through their duly-chosen representatives.
To discharge
its constitutional duties, it is essential that Parliament functions smoothly
and by the rules of procedure that are devised to facilitate its orderly
functioning. To raise appropriately the issues of people’s concern, their
expectations, demands, their fears, frustrations and anxieties before the House,
to draw the government’s attention and, thereby, to obtain assurances from the
ministers on the floor of the Houses, it is essential for members to follow
strictly the rules of procedure and conduct themselves with the utmost sense of
responsibility, and with dignity and decorum.
The question
hour has a special significance in ensuring executive accountability to
Parliament. It is during the question hour that the members can elicit
information about different aspects of administration and governmental activity
that has a bearing on the day-to-day lives of the people. This is the most
effective device to enforce executive accountability to Parliament.
The
parliamentary committees play a vital role in ensuring accountability in
governance. A good deal of parliamentary work is transacted by the parliamentary
committees, which are treated as mini-Parliament. They play an important role in
scrutinizing governmental expenditure and in overseeing policy formulation. In
my humble experience, the committee system functions with efficiency,
professionalism, unity of purpose and commitment to larger national causes, as
the members usually rise above partisan considerations in dealing with the
matters before the committees.
Today,
unfortunately, after six decades of our Independence, we have come to a stage
when questions are being asked about the utility and relevance of Parliament in
our polity and, indeed, about, the workability of our democratic set-up based on
the parliamentary system. Because of the competitive and confrontational
politics that has overtaken the country today, Parliament cannot appropriately
discharge its essential functions. While the public perceives a general decline
in all our institutions of governance, it is Parliament and the state assemblies
that have come in, it seems justifiably for strong criticism….
Some sections
within Parliament and the state legislatures are viewing many of our
well-conceived parliamentary procedures as dispensable luxuries. Of late,
devices like the question hour are being seen as totally avoidable democratic
extravaganzas. Forced adjournments of the House amount to the denial of
opportunities to raise and discuss important issues in Parliament, thereby
undermining the greatness and vitality of the most important constitutional
institution, to the detriment of the people.
It is a matter
of agony for the presiding officers that several legislations of far-reaching
importance are passed by Parliament without any serious discussions. The most
glaring instance where the concept of executive accountability to Parliament is
compromised is with regard to the management of the financial business of the
government, including the presentation, discussion and passage of budgetary
proposals, the demand for grants and others. There is a growing feeling of
resentment and concern in the country, and justifiably so, when the budget of a
billion-plus people is passed without any discussion, due to wholly unmerited
disruption of the proceedings.
A recent study
has indicated that in the first three years of the 14th Lok Sabha,
already 26 percent of parliamentary time has been lost due to disruptions.
During the Budget session this year, the Lok Sabha lost a total of 73 hours (34
per cent of its scheduled time) due to frequent disorders. Only 11 of the
slotted 25 Bills were passed in the recent monsoon session of Parliament. In
that session, the Lok Sabha lost 40 per cent of its time due to adjournments and
the Rajya Sabha lost 49 per cent. As many as four Bills were passed without any
discussion in the Lok Sabha. If the Lok Sabha worked 124 hours in the monsoon
session of 2006, it worked only 65 hours in the monsoon session of 2007. With
each minute of parliamentary time costing the public exchequer to the tune of
about Rs. 26,000, such disruptions result in wastage of taxpayers’ money and
amount to a great disservice to the country and to its democratic order.
Nobody talks of
an alternative to, or substitute for, parliamentary democracy today. Therefore,
with the realization that it is out of our Parliament that the leadership that
runs the affairs of our country emerges, we have to ensure that political
workers, specially young men and women with commitment and dedication to the
cause of the people, come into Parliament and actively participate in working
the system. We must always remind ourselves that the country has a vested
interest in having a robust and functional Parliament, so that it remains
strong, with a pro-people and progressive governance structure.
(Somnath
Chatterjee, Speaker, Lok Sabha)
This is an
edited extract of the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture delivered
on November
14, 2007 at JNU.
International
Workshop on “The Spirit of Hellas : History, Language, Literature and Culture of
the Greeks”
12-17 November, 2007
Interest in
study of and research in classical studies was manifested in the successful
workshop “The Spirit of Hellas: History, Language, Literature and Cultures of
the Greeks” organized by the Greek Chair, School of Language, Literature &
Culture Studies, JNU. The event was co-sponsored by the Embassy of Greece in
India and the Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.
The aim and
tone of the workshop was mooted by His Excellency Mr. Petros Doukas, Deputy
Foreign Minister of Greece in his inaugural address. The Minister drew attention
towards the urgent need to establish common areas of interest and research
between modern Greece and India which, he said, would be but a continuation of
the traditional relationship between the two countries. Introducing the theme
and purpose of the workshop, Professor U.P. Arora (Greek Chair, JNU) impressed
upon the audience that he sought to encourage expansive and intensive research
in all aspects of Greek civilization history, language, literature and culture,
which was indeed a research area of immense possibility. The key note address
was delivered on the topic ’Graeco-Indian Heritage’ by Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan,
Chairperson, IIC-Asia Project, who recounted her personal experiences to
evaluate and expose the emotive response that Greek civilization evoked in her
and generally in all Indians. H E Mr. John Economides, Ambassador of Greece,
Prof. R. Kumar, Rector, JNU, Prof. Varyam Singh, Dean, School of Languages,
Literature & Cultural Studies were the other dignitaries who addressed the well
attended session which became a congress of scholars and teachers from India,
Greece, Cyprus and France.
The first
presentation of the workshop was given by Prof. Ioannis Kazazis, from the
University of Thessalonike in Greece, who spoke about the comparison and
contrasts between the ancient Greek and modern (European) lyricism. The session
was chaired by Prof. Rukmini Bhaya Nair who pronounced that lyrical poetry had
the power to cut across national boundaries and ages and recalled the Greek
poetess Sapho, often called the 10th Muse, whose powerful poetry of
resistance became a vehicle for bringing the hidden out of the closet. In the
next two sessions, in his presentations on Greeks in Afghanistan and Africa,
Prof. Jean Marie Lefont, visiting French Professor, gave a visual presentation
establishing the presence and remarkable impact of Greek civilization through
Persia and India which laid the foundation for cultural, trade, and human ties.
Prof. D.N.
Tripathi, former Chairman, ICHR gave a presentation on pre and proto historic
connection between India and Greece and established that apart from religion,
philosophy and cultural commonality that India and Greece shared, fusion of
Greece culture with older cultures of Asia Minor, Syria, Mesopotamia and Egypt
can be traced in various language and dialects. Prof. G.C. Tripathi, IGNCA,
established that the sharing of philosophical ideas between Greece and India
goes beyond the superficial and was rooted in the deeper understanding of each
other’s ideas. Dr. Suchandra Ghosh (University of Calcutta) presented a case
study of sculptures found in excavation sites in India, such as Sanghol and
Paharpur, and concluded that cultural interaction between Greece and India
pre-dated Alexander and can be traced in the anecdotes, myths, and in motifs
found in great numbers on stones and in coins. Dr. Abhay Kumar Singh (MJP
Rohilkhand University), spoke about the economy of the Indo-Greeks by tracing
the prevalence of currency and evidence of trade routes. A film of Alexander was
also shown after these presentations which threw light on the life of Alexander
and his conquest which led up to India.
14 November,
2007 began with a very intense session with Prof. Prem Singh (Delhi University),
who examined Vedic Sanskrit and Homeric Greek in his presentation on
Indo-European heritage of Greek and Sanskrit. Thereafter, Dr. Bharat Gupta
(University of Delhi) quoted examples from Natya Shastra and Aristotle’s
Poetics to explain the dramatic concepts of these two traditions. Dr. R.P.
Singh (Centre of Philosophy JNU) spoke on dialogue, dialectic and
deconstruction: Socrates, Kant, Hegel and Derrida. The day ended with a film on
The Spartans which threw further light on the great kings and queens of
the bygone era and traced the archeological finding and linked them with
prevalent myths to build a spellbinding document.
On 15 November,
2007, Prof. R.N. Mishra (former Fellow, IIAS, Shimla) established the vital
connection between Mathura and Gandhara schools of arts which was followed by a
visual presentation by Dr. Naman P. Ahuja (School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU)
on ’Mathura and Hellenistic interaction in Gandhara Terracottas’. In the
afternoon session Prof. U.P. Arora elaborated on the ancient Greek democracy of
city-state systems (polis) system. He compared it with the janpadas
prevalent during the time of Buddha. Discussing the contribution of Ionia in
Asia Minor in the making of Greek civilization, he pointed out that the Greek
civilization was as much Asian as it is European.
16 November,
2007 commenced with a lecture by Prof. A.K. Pasha, (CWAAS, JNU) on Byzantine
trade and India, followed by Prof. S.C. Bhattacharya (IIAS, Shimla) who
enthralled the audience with ’Historiography: Greece and India’. In the
afternoon a panel discussion revealed the response, reaction and suggestions
from the participants.
The last day of
the workshop, 17 November began with a lucid presentation by Prof. Kapil Kapoor,
(JNU) who gave an exhaustive and intensive analysis on literature and language
in Greek thought. Thereafter, Dr. Isharat Alam, (AMU, Aligarh) gave a visual
presentation drawing comparisons from all walks of lives in his paper on Greek
sciences and India. The Valedictory address was delivered by the noted historian
Prof. Irfan Habeeb (Aligarh Muslim University). He spoke of the physical,
literary and historical evidence of Greek influence in Indian Civilization in
his lecture bearing the same title.
A total of 200
scholars from disciplines of History, English, Sanskrit, Russian, French &
Francophone, Philosophy, Persian & Arabic and Spanish Languages participated in
the workshop which will serve as a potential resource and orientation for
further research in Indo-Greek studies.
(U.P. Arora,
Greek Chair Professor,
School of
Languages, Literature and Culture Studies)
International
Seminar on “Mongolia in the Twenty First Century”
23-24 November,
2007
The Central
Asian Studies Programme of the Centre for South, Central, Southeast Asian and
Southwest Pacific Studies, School of International Studies, organized a two-day
International Seminar on ’Mongolia in the Twenty First Century’ from 23 to 24
November 2007. In his welcome address Prof. K. Warikoo, Director of Central
Asian Studies Programme, highlighted the fact that Mongolia has been trying to
overcome its geographical disadvantage of being a landlocked state and is
striving to open itself to the outside world despite being surrounded by two
giant powers Russia and China. He underlined the need for such a seminar in
the post-Cold War security environment of Mongolia, when bilateral and
multilateral cooperation has become the key factor of regional dynamism in the
Asia-Pacific. In his Presidential Remarks, Prof Pushpesh Pant, Dean SIS, pointed
out Mongolia’s growing role in international politics and the increasing
interest in Mongolian studies.
The Seminar was
formally inaugurated by the Rector, Prof R. Kumar, who highlighted Mongolia’s
importance in the international geo-political settings. He said that although
the true potential and role of Mongolia in international politics is yet to be
fully comprehended, certain developments in the twentieth century have
reinforced Mongolia’s geo-strategic significance. Moreover globalisation,
establishment of market economy and democratisation has made Mongolia
economically lucrative for external players in the region. He said that both
India and Mongolia had ancient cultural contacts. Though geographically apart,
Buddhism has been the connecting bridge between the two sides since time
immemorial. This link even today plays an important role to even strengthen
economic cooperation.
Prof. P.
Sahadevan, Chairperson, Centre for South, Central, South East Asian and South
West Pacific Studies, pointed out that the growing interest on subaltern economy
and culture was reflected in the seminar on Mongolia. He stated that Mongolia’s
importance in today’s world cannot be denied and it will continue to be an
important theme of international discourse.
Highlighting
India-Mongolia relations, Dr. O. Nyamdawaa, President, Centre for Indian
Studies, Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) pointed to the age old civilizational linkages
between the two sides. He also spoke of existing and potential cooperation. He
said that Mongolia’s interest in India is indicated in the establishment of such
institutes in Mongolia like the Rajiv Gandhi School of Arts, Vajpayee
Information Technology School, and Centre for Indian Studies in Mongolia; this
is also evident in a street named after Mahatma Gandhi, and the observation of
Gandhiji’s birthday as International Peace and Non Violence Day.
At the backdrop
of the seminar two books were released- Struggle for Spheres of Interest in
Trans-Caucasia-Central
Asia and India’s Stakes
by Prof Sheel K. Asopa and Mongolia-India Relations by Dr. O. Nyamdawaa.
The “Buriyatia” Special Issue of the quarterly journal Himalayan and Central
Asian Studies was also released on this occasion. The first ever two-day
International Seminar on Mongolia discussed the following issues/themes:
-
Society,
Economy and Politics in Mongolia; Buryat/Kalmykia Republics of Russian
Federation; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.
-
Tradition and
Culture
-
Nationalism and
Mongol Identity
-
Mongolia and
India: Security, Economic and Diplomatic Cooperation
-
Mongolia
and its Immediate Neighbours (Russia, China)
-
Mongolia and
Northeast Asia (Japan and others)
-
Mongolia and the
USA
-
Mongolia
in the 21st Century: Security Perspectives
-
Land-locked States
and Regional Transportation/ Cooperation: Problems and Prospects
During the
deliberations, the participants dealt with a wide range of issues confronting
Mongolia today particularly in the economic field as well as prospects of
Mongolia-India cooperation in economic, trade and investment areas. They
discussed the tradition and culture of Mongolia apart from Mongolia’s
traditional links with the outside world. The Seminar also discussed the role of
geographical conditions, nomadic lifestyle, dependence on natural resources and
other environmental factors in the development of various rituals, traditions
and culture of not only the people of Mongolia but also the Buryats, Kalmyks and
Inner Mongols. Whereas globalisation is a threat to traditional culture,
Mongolian state policy combines old and new traditions and forms its own
globalised culture with unique Mongolness.
The threat
posed by nuclear weapons to Mongolia despite its being a Nuclear Weapons Free
Zone but due to the fact that Mongolia is sandwiched between the two nuclear
weapon States was also highlighted. While discussing Mongolia’s national
security issues and its diplomatic cooperation with the outside world, the
seminar participants pointed to the growing importance of Mongolia in
international politics. Buddhism was identified as one of the key potential
areas of enhancing cooperation between India and Mongolia. Mongolia needs
experts to teach Pali and Sanskrit languages, an area where India can be of
significant help. Highlighting cultural relations Dr. Nyamdawaa proposed to
collaborate with JNU to further the Indo-Mongolian studies. The seminar also
focussed on the problems and prospects of regional transportation and overland
trade of the landlocked states. Prof. Warikoo rounded up the discussion by
pointing to the problems and prospects that are attached to the study of
landlocked countries.
(Sharad K.
Soni, Central Asian Studies Programme/SIS)
International Seminar on “India-Sudan: Lessons from Nation Building and
Development Cooperation”
Both India and
Sudan suffered British colonial rule which had a policy of divide and rule. The
historical and civilizational the colonized assimilation that had emerged over a
long period were subjected to this divisive policy. The long and intrusive
colonial rules created several lasting divisions among the colonised people
based on religion, ethnicity, region, language and resources. Soon after
independence colonial territories started the arduous task of nation building.
It needed concentrated effort to overcome the centrifugal forces
unleashed during the colonial
regime. But the cold war period saw subtle as well as overt interference by
international powers in countries like India and Sudan to keep them weak and
submissive. Countries like India and Sudan found nation-building to be a
protracted and difficult problem. India succeeded in some area where as Sudan
moved more effectively in some other areas. There is a need to share and learn
from each other. Within the context of nation building issues like democratic
governance- both at federal as well as local level, regional and gender
disparity, religious, ethnic and linguistic tensions are common concerns for
both countries. The divisive and secessionist forces are still posing challenges
to these states to the extent that they are used as alibi by major powers to
pressurize them to serve their interests.
While striving for nation
building there is an urgent need for economic development. Under globalization
the ruthless market mechanism and the overwhelming dominance of developed
countries under such mechanism, leads to an eschewed and externally prioritized
growth process. Even if there is growth, there is little development. And
development remains one of the major antidotes to the challenges of nation
building. The ideals of collective self reliance and benign horizontal
South-South cooperation are getting pushed to the back burner. Countries like
India and Sudan have been strong advocates of South-South cooperation. They have
taken initiatives to effect South-South cooperation in several sectors setting
examples of horizontal cooperation. There are now non-traditional sectors like
energy, which used to operate exclusively under North-South framework. Sudan has
gone out of its way thwarting pressures of established major oil lobbies, to
facilitate India’s involvement in oil production and transportation. Similarly,
India has gone for its largest ever investment overseas in a single sector.
Besides this there are several sectors in which India and Sudan have
complementarities for development cooperation. Given India’s experience in
nation building and emergence as soft power based on knowledge economy and
Sudan’s strength in strategic resources and its will to command its resources in
its own best interest, the potential for development cooperation is immense.
With this perspective the
seminar was jointly organized by Centre for West Asian and African Studies, SIS,
JNU & African Studies Association of India (ASA) on 29 & 30 November
2007.
The inaugural session was
chaired by Mr. Shashank, Former Foreign Secretary Government of India &
Chairman, African Studies Association of India (ASA). The Dean, SIS, Prof.
Pushpesh Pant drew attention towards having a new and fresh look at Sudan. He
said that we tend to fall prisoners to the Darfur crisis while talking of Sudan
while in reality Sudan is much more than conflicts. While making the initial
remarks Prof Ajay Dubey, Chairperson, CWAAS, called the seminar as part of the
process that had started way back in 2003. He gave importance to the big
partnerships taking place between Sudan and India in different areas of economic
and global cooperation. The Rector Prof R. Kumar’s brief introduction to Sudan
as a country its main languages, towns, tribes, ethnicity, politics etc. was
quite enriching. Shri Virendra Gupta’s (Joint Secretary, MEA, GoI) special
observation on Cooperation in the energy sector between India and Sudan focused
on how India is looking for partnership with Sudan not only in Gas and Oil
sector but also in Community Development projects. Ambassador, Embassy of the
Republic of Sudan, His Excellency Abdel Rahman Mohammad Bekhiet had been
extremely generous in throwing light on the various projects to promote
cooperation between India and Sudan. He also gave huge importance to the Abuja
agreement and former President of India A P J Abdul Kalam’s visit to Sudan which
has been a major landmark in the relations between the two countries.
(S.N. Malakar, Professor,
Centre for West Asian and African Studies/SIS)
2nd JNU
National Orientation Programme for Foreign Language School
Teachers under
Outreach Programme of UPOE
Building on the
success of the Ist such programme which was confined only to North
India, it was decided to open this year’s programme to School teachers from
across the country. There was overwhelming response from foreign language
school teachers from all over India. More than 68 participants took part in the
programme representing 9 foreign languages viz. French, German, Spanish,
Italian, Russian, Arabic, Persian, Japanese and Chinese. Out of these, 20 were
from outside Delhi. Apart from all the major Schools in Delhi, teachers also
came from Haryana, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West
Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Maharastra.
Inaugurated by
Prof. B.B. Bhattacharya, Vice-Chancellor, JNU the 3 day Orientation Programme
consisted 30 sessions that were conducted by 27 resource persons. The majority
of the resource persons were faculty members of the SLL&CS who, shared their
vast and rich experience in didactics and methodology of teaching foreign
languages. A special mention needs to be made of the Special Address by H.E. Ms.
Denièle Smadja, Ambassador Head of Delegation, Delegation of the European
Commission to India, Bhutan and Nepal. Dr. Oscar Pujol, Director, Instituto
Cervantes, Mr. Pierre Koest, Attaché for Cooperation in Education, Mr. Frederic
Wolska, Chargé de mission, Embassy of France, also enriched the quality of the
programme. Among others, NCERT was represented by Dr. Nasiruddin Khan who made a
very valuable contribution. This orientation programme set also a fine example
of interdisciplinary collaboration between SLL&CS and School of Arts &
Aesthetics. Dr. Bishnupriya Dutta and Dr. Soumyabrat Choudhury from SAA
conducted a very useful theatre workshop.
The round table
discussion before the valedictory programme added a special dimension to the
programme. During this session, the school teachers brought forward various
important aspects regarding foreign language teaching at the school level.
(Abhijit Karkun,
Coordinator,
School of Language, Literature and
Culture Studies)
|
|
