Concept Note
When we discuss 'Pravasi Odia Sahitya' (i.e., literature produced by Odias displaced from their homeland), the personal bonding of the people, who live abroad for different reasons, with both their native country and their adopted country, and its expression in literature, comes naturally to one’s mind. Here, Pravasi should refer to Odia people who live outside Odisha or India for a long time, rather than those who live temporarily away from native Odisha. People leave their native country and live abroad because of necessity and certain circumstances. Very often, life abroad makes a person either very attracted or indifferent to literature. Also, very often, it brings about a transformation in the consciousness of the writers. Life abroad thus can be seen as constructive. A writer, who has left his native land, feels nostalgic to it which is reflected in his works. In this context, Pravasi Sahitya has been able to create a special attraction in the literature of the entire world. Diverse experiences and feelings like the conflict within self-felt towards both the native land and the adopted land and the attraction for the native land and the revulsion against the adopted land have made literature rich and beautiful.
Considering from the sociological and anthropological viewpoints, we can see that, from the early periods of civilization, people have migrated for social, cultural, and economic reasons. The foremost reason is search for food, i.e., the economic necessity of man has forced him to migrate. This is the early history of Pravasi. When man started to leave the forests and created villages and started agriculture to live a settled life, the concept of the native place or homeland emerged. Even the concept of Pravasi emerged after the establishment of a settled life. In course of time, Pravasi has become a part of man’s life for economic, social, and cultural reasons. Man has embraced a life abroad looking for a life of comfort or to fulfil his necessities. This is the early history of the Pravasi and the diasporic community.
Literature is created not only by the diaspora people but also by people living in areas now separated from the native land. Pravasi Sahitya is created out of love for the language and literature of the native land by the people living in areas now belonging to other states as a result of the political partition of states. This literature can also be included in the discussion as a branch of diaspora literature. Their experience is also like the experience of the pravasi people and their literature also reflects the diverse experiences of their life.
Thus, when we discuss Pravasi Sahitya, many such above-mentioned related contexts come to one’s mind. Living in different parts of the world, a creative writer expresses his creative thoughts and imagination in his works. The language and culture of a people are involved in their works like a poem, short story, novel, drama, travelogue, essay, criticism, belles-lettres, biography, autobiography etc. Thus, their literature opens up the understanding of their language, history, and culture in its own way. It collects and treasures the folk culture and oral literature of the land. As a result, many new vistas of study and research of folk culture and literature have been opened, besides creating new dimensions for their discussion. Their language and literature have been shaped in a way by the literature of the adopted land. Their literature seeks similarities and dissimilarities with the literature of the adopted land in the socio-cultural context. This literature can be seen from a new viewpoint as two languages, literatures, and cultures come together. Comparative study and research have sought different aspects of parallels and influences. Similarly, translation of Pravasi Sahitya into Odia and of Odia literature into the language of the adopted land has enriched translation studies as well as widened the mutual socio-cultural literary horizon. Similarly, many new dimensions in the study and analysis of language have been opened. The struggles and successes of life abroad can be studied in the life writings of the Pravasi community. In this multi-dimensional way, the language, literature, society, folk culture, history, nation, economic and political environment can be experienced in the Pravasi Sahitya.
The Pravasi writers have gathered together at different times in different institutions, functions, and meetings to discuss their creative works. They have also been very successful through these organisations and meetings to affirm and establish their unique identities as writers. In the past, through the publication of journals from different institutions, many new spheres have been created for discussion not only of Pravasi Sahitya but of literature itself in general. Many new organisations and institutions like them, created inside and outside India, have left their deep footprints. Similarly, many papers and journals have created their own identities in the national and international spheres today. The Pravasi writers have expressed excellently their love and respect for their native land by holding different literary meets and creating different organisations. But, formally, a new direction has been shown by the Indian government since 2003 by declaring January 9 as the Indian Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. This was the day on which Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India from South Africa in 1915. This day was chosen as a memorial for Gandhi’s fight against discrimination against the Indian Pravasi in South Africa. This can be stated to have shown a new promise for the Pravasi people and literature.
The Department of Odia Language And Literature, Central University of Odisha, Koraput, has decided to hold a three-day International Conference on “Pravasi Odia Sahitya” from the 23rd to the 25th of March, 2023. The central aim of this Conference is to look into the Odia Pravasi Sahitya from inside and outside India from a new perspective. So, in order to make the sphere of the discussion wide rather than narrow, the following related topics may be included as sub-themes for the Conference:
Topics
Guidelines for Submission
Important Dates
| Last date for Abstract Submission | : 10 March2023 |
| Acceptance Intimation | : 10 March 2023 |
| Payment of Conference Fee | : 20 March 2023 (on or before) |
| Full Paper Submission | : 20 March 2023 |
| Fee for | Students | Research Scholars | Faculty Members | Foreign Delegates |
| Participation | 200 | 500 | 1000 | USD 70 |
| Participation and Presentation | 200 | 500 | 1000 | USD 70 |
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Odisha, India
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