Srinagar, Oct 18: Kashmir University’s Directorate of Distance Education (DDE) organized several extension lectures in Urdu, an official handout Sunday said.
 The vice-chancellor, Prof Riyaz Punjabi presided over the function, urging teachers to inculcate healthy reading habits among students.
 “Seminars, workshops, extension lectures result in cross-fertilization of new ideas and help in achieving inter-generational knowledge mobility,” he said.
 The former KU professor, Prof. Rehman Rahi said the university is undergoing academic oscillation and has become a hub/nucleus of academic activities.
 The DDE director, Prof Shafiqa Parveen reiterated the DDE was committed to provide quality education to students.
 During the function, noted poetess Taranum Riyaz delivered a practical lesson on grammatical syntax in Urdu.
  Altaf Anjum, Assistant Professor, Urdu, conducted the proceedings of the Extension Lecture. The key speaker for the first session was Prof Tariq Chatteri of Department of Urdu, Aligarh Muslim University.
 He delivered a lecture on “1980 ke baad Urdu Afsana”. He said that after 1980, most of the fiction writers are trying to focus on the circumstances which make the character, rather than the character in isolated canvas.
 He dwelt at length into the creative substance which gets reflected in the Prem Chand’s fiction and its relevance in the contemporary Urdu world.
 He said that many budding scholars have the creative spark to write good fiction but they need encouragement and serene environment to sprout their talent.
 The key speaker for the Second session was Prof Wahijuddin Alvi of Dept. of Urdu, Jamia Millia Islamia. He delivered a lecture on “Urdu mein Sawani Adab”. He made conceptual differentiation between autobiography and biography for the benefit of the students, and added that there is no space for “hero-worship” while writing an autobiography and biography. “The person should be objective, impartial, free from bias and prejudice while writing the autobiography. While writing, he should mirror events as they are, and not what he likes them to be. The primary and secondary sources used to write a biography should be subjected to rigorous internal and external criticism before placing it in the Urdu world,” he said.
 The KU’s EMMRC prepared electronic CD’s of the lecture series which is available in the audio-visual lab of the directorate for the benefit students.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 IST