CUK, Fiction Writers guild hold seminar on ‘Short story in J&K’

Ganderbal, June 01: The Arts Campus, Central University of Kashmir (CUK) in collaboration with the Fiction Writers Guild, Srinagar, organized a one-day multilingual seminar on “Short story in J&K: Directions and the Way Ahead”.
Speaking on the occasion, former Dean and Head, University of Kashmir and CUK, Prof. Nazir Ahmad Malik gave an overview of the literature and its functionalities and discussed various aspects of criticism in relation to fiction, delving into the various concepts and theories of criticism presented by ancient Greek critics and philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. Prof Malik reflected on the concept of Plato’s “cave men- an allegory” and Plato’s idea of reality vs appearance. He emphasised the peculiarity of language in literature, how usage of literary terms and figures make literature a different discourse and differentiates it from other discourses including Science. Addressing the gathering, Registrar, Prof. M Afzal Zargar, congratulated the department for organising the seminar and said that such events give an opportunity to the scholars and students to undergo real time and experiential learning, which is an essential component and hallmark of NEP-2020. “The scholars and students should interact with the guest experts and gain knowledge from their experience,” he said. About short stories, Prof. Zargar, said the short stories reflect the current happenings around the society and try to convey a message regarding the same.
Dean and Head Department of Urdu, Prof. Muhammad Gayasuddin, said, the seminar was organised to identify and develop the creative abilities of the students and generate interest in the genre of short stories.
Earlier, Coordinator Deptt of Urdu, Dr. Irfan Alam, introduced the keynote speaker and said the objective of the event is to encourage a useful debate about fiction between the experts and the participants. He said the short story occupies a position of prominence among the creative and prose genres of literature and asked the scholars and students to interact with the participating writers to understand the intricacies involved in writing it.
Assistant Prof. Deptt of English, Dr. Ishrat Bashir conducted the proceedings of the inaugural session and also proposed the vote of thanks.
Later, in the technical session, conducted by Asst Prof. Dr. Rashd Azeez, Dr. Rafia Wali, Mr Mushtaq A Baraq, Mr Sohan Lal spoke about the theme. During the second session, Mr. Mohi-ud-Din Reshi, Mr. Nasir Zameer, Er Shafi Ahmad presented their short stories. Dr. Nazir Mushtaq, special invitee for the session also provided his feedback to the three short story writers.
The second technical Session was conducted by Asst Prof. Dr. Nusrat Jabeen. An interactive dialogue ensued after each of the speakers concluded their presentations, wherein the participants asked questions and offered critical observations pertaining to the stories.