River Talks: Sabdakalpa 3rd Edition held at Royal Global University
GUWAHATI, September 29, 2026: The Assam Royal Global University held the 3rd
edition of River Talks: Sabdakalpa on 25th September in the university premises.
The 3rd edition of Sabda Kalpa, the monthly literary meet organised under the aegis of the Office of Author
in Residence Prof. Dhrubajyoti Borah was structured as a panel discussion on short fiction and was themed
“In Search of the Elusive Truth.” All the students and PhD scholars as well as faculty members from the
different departments of the university attended the meet.
The literary meet featured a distinguished panel—Sri Apu Bharadwaj, award winning writer and editor, Dr
Nomita Baishya, well known short story writer and medical practitioner and Assistant Professor at Government
Ayurvedic College, Guwahati, and Sri Jintu Githart, Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar awardee writer,
translator, and editor and Assistant Professor, Handique Girls’ College, Guwahati as speakers and Dr
Dhurjjati Sarma, academic and critic and Assistant Professor, Dept of MIL and Literary Studies, Gauhati
University as discussant.
Prof. (Dr.) Dhruba Jyoti Borah, Author in Residence and Chief Advisor to the Chancellor, gave the welcome
address highlighting the importance of telling stories and how short fiction as a medium often grew out of
the everyday experiences of human life. He drew instances from his rich life experiences as he delighted the
gathering with his profound words.
Dr. Dhurjjati Sarma, who served as discussant, opened the session by framing the theme. He spoke on the
importance of discussing short fiction as a genre and also threw light on the rich legacy of short fiction
in the Assamese language. The three writers shared their deliberations.
Each speaker spoke briefly on their respective journeys as creative individuals and writers of short fiction
illuminating their creative choices they made along their journeys and their growth as writers along the
years. The deliberations were both anecdotal and insightful.
The event gave students and faculty a chance to engage directly with practising writers, and it continued
the River Talks Sabdakalpa series’ aim of cultivating intellectual and creative life, and the rich literary
and cultural legacy of Assam and Northeast India and to “honour the enduring power of the spoken and written
word” in the words of Prof. Dhrubajyoti Borah, Sahitya Akademi awardee and one of the greatest writers of
fiction in India.
The series River Talks—Sabda Kalpa continues as a monthly event at RGU, with each edition exploring a new
literary theme and inviting voices from across the region and beyond.
