SEOUL: Shyam Kumar Anand, a research scholar from the Academy of Korean Studies. South Korea, represented India in the prestigious 6th International Congress of Writers Writing in Korean (세계한글작가대회) held in Seoul on October 20-22.
The theme of the international congress was based on the 70th Anniversary of the Korean war. Various topic presentations and heated discussions took place during these three days.
Organized in the upmarket Seoul President Hotel, the 3-day gala event was hosted by International PEN Korea Headquarters, and sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Tourism, Republic of Korea (ROK).
Pursuing Ph. D. on the subject Korean Culture & Society and a post-graduate in Korean Culture & History from the same Academy of Korean Studies, South Korea, Anand delivered his brief address in the Korean language and mesmerized the audience with a Hindi song “Naam Tera Rahe Lab pe Mere …” during the event.
Other participating scholars recited Korean poems wearing their own traditional dress.
The 6th International Congress of Writers Writing in Korea invited more than 35 renowned novelists and poets from over a dozen countries. This year because of Corona, there was Special Forum on Non-face-to-face Online video conferencing by Writers from International PEN Centers in Many Countries, who recommend Nobel Prize in Literature.
Lee Kwang-bok, Chairman of the convention organizing committee said that he is sure Hangeul would stand out more in the world through this congress.
There was also a special lecture on the theme of “Korean Literature and International Exchange” and “History and the possibility of Development of Hangeul”.
Anand has been a Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Korean Studies (The Academy of Korean Studies) between 2013 to 2014 ). He completed his M.A. (Korean), from Centre for Japanese Korean and North-East Asian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi between 2011 and 2013, and B.A. (Korean), Centre for Japanese Korean and North-East Asian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi between 2008 and 2011. He completed his Higher Secondary Education at Mahabodhi College. Gaya, Bihar in the year 2008.
Some of the awards and scholarships to the credit of Anand include the 2nd Prize for “User Created Contents Contest” organized by The Academy of Korean Studies in 2018, 3rd Prize in Poster Presentation Competition by The Academy of Korean Studies in 2018, Government Grant Scholarship for the period 2016-2019, POSCO Asia Fellowship for the period 2014 to 2016, AKS Research Grant Scholarship 2013 by The Academy of Korean Studies to do research on modern Korean Literature for six months, and third prize in collage making competition by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 2011.