Guwahati: The Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies of Girijananda Chowdhury University, Azara, Guwahati, organized a public oration by Professor Dr Anja- DésiréeSenz and Dr Dieter Reinhardt of the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies of Heidelberg University, Germany on 31 March 2023.
Professor Senz, in her discourse, dwelt upon her extensive research on the emergence of the development model in China and presented the historical perspectives from the seventies when China started to shift to a decentralized and deregulated economy. The consequences of this shift have been marked by urbanization and increasing emphasis on mechanization in mobility led to pollution, population congestion and the acute dichotomy between economics and ecology, as Professor Senz pointed out.
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Professor Senz analyzed the China model of development by highlighting the advantages and disadvantages in the context of globalization and the changing aspirations of the people.
Dr Reinhardt, who has been focused on his research on the rapid economic development in Bangladesh, analyzed the deepening environmental crisis arising out of the increasing utilization of coal-based energy generation that jeopardizes the fragile but important ecosystem of the Sundarbans, which is a world-renowned heritage habitat.
Dr Reinhardt critically reviewed the interlinked foreign corporate investments in the process of rapid economic development in Bangladesh.
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Both the orations evoked great interest amongst the audience, which included distinguished guests like His Excellency, Jigme Thinlye Namgyal, the Consul General of the Royal Bhutanese Consulate General, Guwahati; Lieutenant General Pranab Bharali (Retd.); and Robin Kalita, former Advisor of Transport, Govt. of Assam. Also, Bijoyananda Chowdhury, Secretary of Shrimanta Shankar Academy Society (SSA); Professor Alak Kumar Buragohain, Chancellor of GCU; and Professor Kandarpa Das, Vice Chancellor of GCU, were in attendance along with noted academicians and researchers of various universities.
Both the orations had great relevance to India and the Northeast in the context of the shared regionality with these two countries.