Students from 13 universities all over the country will participate in the contest. English department head P C Kar said, ``This is for the first time that the department is organising such a contest.'' Kar said the students would have to write a paper of about 2,000-3,000 words which could be written either individually or jointly by two post-graduate students from the English department of the respective universities.

The paper has to be presented in 20 minutes. Kar said the paper could be on individual authors, works on general topics on post-independence Indian English literature.

Kar said the department had suggested nine topicsnation and narration, gender and family as topos, Indianisation of English, place of Indian English literature in English studies, use of history and mythology and cultural plurality and heterogeneity.

He said the contest was also being organised as a part of the golden jubilee celebrations of the university. ``While the students from other universities will get an exposure by taking part in this contest it would be a novel experience for those in this university also,'' said Kar.