The Department of English, South Campus organized a two-day national conference in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), New Delhi from 11-12 Dec. 2024 on the theme of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Kashmir: Preservation, Healing and Reconciliation. The conference was attended by academics, scholars and students from across India. During the two-day event more than thirty papers were presented on diverse aspects of the intangible heritage of Kashmir (ICH).
During the inaugural ceremony, that was attended by Mr. M. Saleem Beg, Head, INTACH, Prof. Farooq Fayaz, historian and critic, Prof. Himanshu Roy, Center for Political Studies, JNU, speakers threw light on the theme of the conference and underscored the need to create awareness about the intangible heritage of Kashmir. Mr. Saleem Beg spoke of the fluidity of boundary between the tangible and the intangible and extolled the fact that English dept. of all departments took the initiative to organize a conference on this theme. Prof. Farooq Fayaz in his keynote address highlighted the significance of the preservation of intangible heritage of Kashmir. He read a detailed paper dealing with the core concerns of ICH. In her Presidential address, Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Nilofer Khan appreciated the efforts of the Dept. of English, South Campus in underlining the importance of the heritage of Kashmir. She suggested creation of a cultural corner at South Campus. Director, South Campus, Prof. Raies Ahmed Qadri emphasized the need to revisit the area of heritage and urged creating awareness about the need to document and record heritage. Dr. Shabir Hussain Ganaie, faculty member Dept. of English, moderated the inaugural session.
On the second day of the conference, a number of speakers addressed the participants. Prof. M H Zaffar revisited some classic texts of Kashmir, and urged the participants to read and explore these texts. Dr. Reyaz A. Qureshi, Head, Dept. of Tourism, Management and Leisure Studies, emphasized the need to do rigorous research on themes chosen by the participants. Dr. Maroof Shah, looked into the conventions and culture of giving and caring in Kashmir. Most paper presentations were followed by lively discussions.
Convener and organizing secretary of the conference Dr. Javaid Iqbal Bhat delivered the concept note of the conference and gave a background of the theme of the conference. He proposed the creation of a museum for archiving the heritage of Kashmir which can create economic avenues for local communities and the source communities of ICH. He thanked the cooperation and collaboration extended by the authorities in the university and particularly the faculty members and students of the Dept. of English.
