Vice-Consul, Australian Consulate-General, Andrew Collister, has said that deeper and engaging cultural understanding between the two countries will nurture and enhance the bilateral relationship.
“Literature has the potential to nurture the positive trust between India and Australia, two large democracies of the world. I congratulate Nagarjuna University for opening a centre for exploring Australian culture, literature and diversity,” said Mr. Collister after inaugurating the Centre for Australian Studies at Acharya Nagarjuna University on Wednesday.
Mr. Collister also shared his experiences of literary explorations into the works of literary giants of India such as Rabindranath Tagore, Kamala Markandaya, and Shashi Tharoor.
Vice-Chancellor (FAC) Raja Sekhar Patteti, Rector P. Vara Prasad, and Registrar B. Karuna were present.
In his address, Prof. Raja Sekhar said, “Australia is the only country in the world to observe a Sorry Day to apologise the past discriminations against the indigenous Australians.”
He further said that academic activity had been taking place in the Department of English for the past 25 years to study and critically analyse Australian and Australian Aboriginal literatures.
The Department of English so far produced nearly twenty five M.Phil /Ph. D degrees on Australian/Australian Aboriginal writers such as Alexis Wright, Anita Heiss, Bruce Pascoe, David Malouf, Jack Davis, Kim Scott, Peter Philip Carrey, and Sally Morgan, he said.
Three global seminars on Fourth World Literature were conducted in 2009, 2012 and 2015 and eminent academicians such as Emie Blackmore had been invited, he added.
