On 29 April 2026, the very first event of the Book Discussion series, centered on the newly published anthology Text, Translation, Culture: South Asian Contexts (edited by Professor Maswood Akhter), was held at the Institute of English and Other Languages. Chaired by Rubaida Akhter (Associate Professor and Former Chairperson, Department of English, University of Rajshahi), the event featured discussants and participants from various universities. The chief discussant’s role was assumed by Professor Mohammad Raihan Sharif (Chair, Department of English, Jahangirnagar University), while Rawshan Yeazdani (Assistant Professor, Department of English, Pabna University of Science and Technology), S. M. Tamal (Lecturer, Department of English, Gopalganj Science and Technology University), and Shakib Ahmed (Lecturer, Institute of English and Other Languages, University of Rajshahi) filled out the discussant panel. The book is a product of collaborative effort among a number of academics and researchers from various universities within and outside the country, and contains essays and interviews from said contributors.

After a brief introduction of the book by Professor Maswood Akhter, the discussants took the stage one after the other, highlighting key aspects, details, and observations regarding the publication’s relevant ruminations on the examination and reception of South Asian literature by native and diasporic writers on the world stage, as well as the lingering effects of colonialism on this side of the continent. Afterwards, Professor Mohammad Raihan Sharif presented his lengthy analysis and review of the chapters in the collection, focusing on the strengths and shortcomings of each piece. He then concluded his piece with a summative observation on the book as a whole, what it represents, what it opines on the difficulties faced by South Asian literature both across the ocean and at home, and a hope for further academic and literary works dedicated to this particular problem of the Orient.