National Conference at PURC Examines Literature’s Shift from Manuscript to Digital Platform
Scholars Deliberate on Literary Traditions and Technology at Two-Day Meet in Sri Muktsar Sahib
City Air News
Feb 28, 2026 08:55
0
Chandigarh, February 27, 2026: A two-day National Conference on “Page to Platform: Literature Past and Present” concluded at the Panjab University Regional Centre, Sri Muktsar Sahib, after extensive deliberations on the evolution of literature from oral and manuscript traditions to digital and technological platforms.
The national level conference brought together academics and research scholars from universities across India. Discussions focused on the transformation of literary forms, the impact of technology on reading and writing practices, and the continued relevance of literary imagination in contemporary media spaces.
The inaugural session on day one was attended by PU Registrar Prof. Y. P. Verma, former PU Vice Chancellor Prof. R. C. Sobti, and Prof. Maya Shanker Pandey of Banaras Hindu University. On the occasion, Prof. Verma inaugurated a newly constructed hall at the Centre, which served as the venue for the conference.
In his inaugural address, Prof. R.C. Sobti spoke on the history of science through literature, stating that scientific inquiry and literary expression have historically intersected and shaped intellectual traditions.
Registrar Prof. Y. P. Verma commended the Centre for organising a nationally relevant academic event and urged faculty and students to remain engaged in research activities.
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Maya Shanker Pandey traced the movement of literature from the “page” to the “platform”, noting that literature has adapted to oral, print and now digital modes without losing its core human concerns.
On the concluding day, the conference resumed with a plenary session chaired by Prof. P. S. Dhingra. Prof. Kumar Sushil from Punjabi University Guru Kashi Campus addressed participants on emerging literary trends, regional poetics and literature’s engagement with contemporary platforms. A parallel online technical session continued alongside.
