Sahitya Academy New Delhi, in collaboration with the P.G. Department of Dogri, organised a two-day seminar on History of Dogri Language and Literature” on September 21, 2023, in the Seminar Hall of the Department of Computer Sciences, University of Jammu, Jammu.

The inaugural session was presided over by Prof. Anju Bhasin, Dean Academic Affairs and Dean Research Studies, University of Jammu. In her address, she emphasised that language and literature are inextricably linked with the socio-cultural ethos of the region. In the rapidly transforming digital age, the preservation and promotion of regional languages like Dogri become imperative. Academics can contribute a lot to retaining and promoting the Dogri language and literature. She also announced that the University of Jammu is committed to the promotion of Dogri by all means.

The welcome address was given by Dr. N. Suresh Babu, deputy secretary of Sahitya Akademi, and the key note address was delivered by Dr. OM Goswami, an eminent writer of Dogri. The introductory remarks were given by Mohan Singh, convener of the Dogri Sahitya Akademi advisory board, and the welcome address was delivered by Prof. Sucheta Pathania, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. Prof. Sushma Sharma, former head of the Department of Dogri, presented the formal vote of thanks.

While delivering the introduction remarks, Mohan Singh, convenor of the Dogri Advisory Board and Padmashri Awardee, said that this seminar will create awareness about Dogri language and literature among scholars and common people. The history of language is very important, and everyone should know the history of their language and literature. Literature and language are reflections of the social, economic, and political values of their time. Everyone should feel proud of their language and literature while studying its positive aspects faithfully.

Dr. Om Goswami, in his Key Note address, declared that Dogri literature can trace its history right back to the 12th century, like other modern Indian languages. Dr. Suresh Babu told the gathering that SahityaAkademi is committed to the development and promotion of 24 Indian languages enlisted in SahityaAkademi’s enrolment. Dogri is one of them, and Sahitya Akademi treats every language equally.

In addition to the inaugural session, the seminar will have four sessions with three papers in each. The scholars of excellence at Dogri will present their papers on the most unexplored subjects. The first two sessions will deal with the history of language, and the other two sessions will deal with the history of literature. Stalwarts of Dogri literature will chair these sessions, like Narsingh Dev Jamwal Padmashri, Shiv Nirmohi Padmshri, Prof. Veena Gupta, and Prof. Archana Kesar. The paper readers are Sh. Prakash Premi, Shiv Doblia, Tarseem Raina, Vijay Verma, Sushma Rani, Swarn Singh Kohstani, Neelam Sarin, Chanchal Bhasin, Radha Rani, Radha Sharma, Sandeep Sufi, and Padam Dev Singh.