HYDERABAD, Nov 7: Professor Dr Chandra Mohan of India has said that bilingual and multilingual situations prevailing in different parts of the world provide an inclination for undertaking comparative studies in literature of languages.

He was delivering keynote lecture on “Comparative Literature in Multilingual Societies: A Tool to Promote Unity in Diversity and Global Understanding” at the first session of the four-day second Shaikh Ayaz International Conference on Language and Literature at the University of Sindh on Friday. The conference has been organized by the university’s Faculty of Arts in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission in connection with the International Year (2008) of Language and Literature declared by the United Nations.

DR Mohan said that comparative literature was considered by literary historians as an offspring and an intimate expression of composite socio-cultural units, reflecting the impact of diverse ages, races, religions and influences and simultaneously maintaining, sometimes in harmony and sometimes in disharmony, different levels of cultural consciousness and intellectual development.

As such, he said, recent linguistic scene in most of the countries had witnessed a spurt in comparative linguistics due to polyglot character of an average literate person.

He said that it was reasonably claimed by the scholars that in most cases, the very structure and framework of language and literature was comparative and their texts and contexts operated the same way, adding that everywhere there was a connection.

Keeping in view undeniable socio-historical and literary facts substantially realized by the academics, it may look desirable to examine and comment on the significance of the paradigms of comparative study of literature which contributed to the promotion of unity in diversity and global understanding, he said.

The scholar also highlighted the cultural and poetic importance of literatures of ethnic, tribal and marginalized communities in multilingual societies.

Earlier, inaugurating the conference, Federal Minister for Environment Hameedullah Jan Afridi said that education and research played a vital role in development of nations

He said that it was encouraging to know that the University of Sindh was catering to the needs of members of different communities without any discrimination. It was a proof of broad mindedness of people of Sindh who were known for their tolerance and hospitality, he added.

He said that the university had a glorious tradition of holding conferences, lectures, and seminars but this conference was the first of its kind in which 170 scholars from different parts of the world were contributing papers.

SU Vice-Chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, who presided over the conference, said that many languages faced threat of extinction under the invasive rampage of globalisation. He said that it was a wakeup call to the languages to gird up their loins and be active not only to make their voice heard at different intellectual and scholarly forums but also to display their creativity by publication of their literature.

Family members of Shaikh Ayaz, including Monis Ayaz and Saleem Shaikh, were also present.