Intellectual forum for NE India will organise a discourse questioning some of the westernized notions

GUWAHATI: Intellectual forum for NE India (IFNE) will organise a discourse questioning some of the westernized notions.

The national symposium ( Gyan Sangam) on “Traditions and Socio-cultural Ethos of Northeast India is being organised on February 10 and 11 at Gauhati University.

The two day conclave will be attended by Governor of Assam, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, Education Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Archana Chitnis , Chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal, Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Vice-Chancellors of Gauhati University, Dibrugarh University, Sankerdeva University, Bodoland University, Kumar Bhaskar Verma Sanskrit University , Sankerdeva Health University, Manipur University, Cotton University and other intellectuals from the Northeast region.


According to organisers the basic purpose of the symposium is to contest some of the westernized notions imposed on us. "Marx, Weber, Durkheim tried to universalize the Westernized notion of modernity, which they believe that with time non-Western countries will also get used to this version of Westernized Modernity. However, people in the non western world are vouching against it and want to espouse cultural heritages of their own".

IFNE added, “There is a similar effort to marginalize the people’s history of Northeast India or to brand the region as the ‘alienated geo-space’ from the idea of ‘Bharat’. The inherent democratic, inclusive society of the region was never highlighted. Our traditions and heritage have been ridiculed as ‘non-modern’, ‘non-secular’ and so on. There is an attempt to contest the inherent cultural tradition of the region with ‘Bhratbarsha’. The philosophical foundation on the basis of which Sankerdev developed his ideals is drawn from Vedas, Purans and Tantras. “Bharatbarsha” was the most revered name for Sankerdev and seldom has he referred to the word ‘Assam’ in his writings.”

Sankardev propagated Vashnaism in Assam in 15-16 Century

The organization stated, “ It will try to bring to focus the ‘Role of the Northeast region in India’s Freedom Struggle’.