A National Seminar on the theme 'Tribes in Transition in India: Highlighting India's North East', was organized by the School of Social Sciences of the Assam Kaziranga University on 12th-13th October 2018. The event was held in association with, and sponsored by the Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India.
The inaugural session of the Seminar was held on 12th October 2018, in which the Inaugural Address was delivered by Professor of Eminence, Tezpur University, Prof. Virginius Xaxa. Other distinguished guests and dignitaries present were Prof. Sekh Rahim Mondal, Prof. of Anthropology and Sociology, North Bengal University, Prof. Jyoti Prasad Saikia, Prof. and Head of Sociology, Dibrugarh University, Prof. B.N Borthakur, Dean School of Social Sciences, Kaziranga University, and Maj. General Sukesh Rakshit, Dean of Outreach and Projects, Kaziranga Universities. The Inaugural programme came to an end with a colourful cultural programme put forward by the students of Kaziranga University.
The two-day programme had three Technical Sessions, in which more than 15 papers were presented by students, research scholars, academicians and faculty from all over the country. The Keynote Address on the second day was delivered by Prof. Sekh Rahim Mondal, Prof. of Anthropology and Sociology, North Bengal University. The seminar saw a lot of enlightening discussion and presentations on tribes in India, focusing on their identities, transformations, transitions and policies, among many other aspects.
Attended by more than 100 students, delegates and guests, the Seminar was the second of such a pan-Indian event to be organized by the School of Social Sciences, Kaziranga University. The Valedictory session of the seminar saw the presentation of the Rapporteurs for each technical session, in which the papers presented by participants were summarized and highlighted. This was followed by the Valedictory Address by Prof. Jyoti Prasad Saikia of Dibrugarh University.
Kaziranga University's commitment to promoting engaging academic research is vastly reflected in the organization of this National-level seminar by the School of Social Sciences. The theme of the seminar, focusing on the North East, also emphasizes on the University's dedicated work towards the upliftment and development of North East as a region, promoting research, discussion and discourses.