CUPB Dept. of English organized Annual English Literary Festival on the theme ‘The Magical World of Harry Potter’

Bathinda, December 17, 2022: The English Literary Society, Dept. of English, Central University of Punjab, Bathinda (CUPB) organized the first edition of Annual Literary Festival on the theme of The Magical World of Harry Potter on Friday.
The Chief Guest and the Keynote Speaker of the Inaugural Ceremony were Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, the Vice-Chancellor, CUPB and Dr. Girish Pawar, University of Hyderabad, respectively.

Marking this momentous occasion, Vice-Chancellor Prof. R.P. Tiwari along with Prof. Monisha Dhiman, Director IQAC, Dr. Shahila Zafar, HoD, Dept. of English and faculty of the English Department released the inaugural issue of The Ornate Circle, a creative magazine in English started as a platform for the imaginative expressions of scholars and students of the university.

During the inaugural session, Dr. Girish Pawar, the keynote speaker, stated that Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling for which more than 500 million copies have been sold worldwide. This novel series features the struggle of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends against Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who intends to become immortal. The cinematic version of this novel has been reproduced in a series of eight movies with a total duration of nearly 20 hours. This novel's creative text has captivated its niche audiences not only in cinema but also on transmedia platforms. This novel became fanfiction and impacted popular culture from 1997 to 2007.

Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, stated that such events provide a platform for students to showcase their creativity, develop their critical thinking to understand creative text and inspire them to express their views creatively for the upliftment of society.

During this programme, various competitive events, viz., Fancy Dress and Acting Competition; Meme and Book Cover Competition; Battle of Wits (Quiz); Word Search Competition (Crossword); and Quest for the Hollows (Treasure Hunt) were organized wherein students and research scholars from different departments showcased their talent.

Towards the end, Dr. Shahila Zafar, HOD, Dept. of English, thanked CUPB administration and participants for providing the needed support to make this programme a success.