A Press meet was held jointly by the Ravenshaw University English Department and its Alumni Association on Tuesday 30 in view of the department's centenary celebration on September 3.
The journey of the premier and oldest department in India has been really epoch making and eventful that began imparting Under Graduate programme in 1916 and Post Graduate programme in 1922 on receiving generous endowment sum from her Highness Queen of Sonepur, it was informed.
Alumni Association president Pradosh Mohanty said former Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra would inaugurate the event as chief guest while noted litterateur Yasodhara Mishra would attend as guest of honour. Both are the products of the department.
Alumni Association advisor Prof Jatin Nayak said the department has a glorious tradition of excellence producing eminent poets and writers like Gopinath Mohanty, Ramakanta Rath.
"This department was established in 1922 at a time when TS Eliot was writing his trendsetting poem ‘The Waste Land’ and when the Delhi University had its inception," he added.
HOD Prof Sambit Panigrahi hoped the event would be an occasion of honest introspection in realising the promises made to the life of this department over a century of glorious performance. Over 2,000 alumni are expected to join the event, informed Dr Panigrahi.
Among others present on behalf of the Alumni Association were former bureaucrat Kishore Kumar Mohanty, Dr Satyabrata Das, Dr Hadibandhu Satpathy and Dr Mrutyunjay Mohanty.