- Cultural Studies, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, International Relations, Languages and Linguistics, English Literature, and 14 moreIndian English Literature, English Language Teaching (ELT), English language and literature, Applied Linguistics, Indian Writing in English, Feminism and Gender Issues in Indian Writing in English, Indian studies, African Studies, African Literature, American Literature, World Literatures, Commonwealth and Postcolonial Literature, Feminism, and Comparative Literatureedit
- (ISSN: 2319-7889 P; 2395-2423 E)edit
Nigeria's playwright Femi Osofisan's dramaturgy challenges the inherent disequilibrium in class stratification. Through a Marxist prism, he seeks to awaken the masses out of lethargy by exposing the prevailing, dilapidating conditions in... more
Nigeria's playwright Femi Osofisan's dramaturgy challenges the inherent disequilibrium in class stratification. Through a Marxist prism, he seeks to awaken the masses out of lethargy by exposing the prevailing, dilapidating conditions in society. The widespread and continuous interpretations of his plays along Marxist ideological designation have stripped them of literariness especially their aesthetic immediacy. This has posed a problem in classifying his plays. Using the Formalist Theory, this study reveals that Osofisan's drama conveys sublime literary sensibilities in the same breath as the ideological outline which is the concern of many critics. Through a combination of style, content, technique, and other literary strategies, the playwright promotes his art to align with the 'art for art sake' school of thought. The study further demonstrates that the playwright's aesthetic commitment imbues spontaneity to his artistic current, thus, playing more vital roles in the appreciation of his plays. His plays, Morountodun and Once Upon Four Robbers are critically interpreted through the Formalist theoretical framework to convey artistic and theatrical flourishes which emblematize them as literary manuscripts rather than political or ideological tracts. By identifying the aesthetic unity in the texts, the playwright is seen more as an advocate of literary culture than a socio-political, Marxist crusader which diminishes his creative reputation.
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The question of positive direction for most African countries after independence has continued to elicit volumes of writings from authors based both in and outside the continent. This attention comes against the backdrop of obvious... more
The question of positive direction for most African countries after independence has continued to elicit volumes of writings from authors based both in and outside the continent. This attention comes against the backdrop of obvious failures of the new leaders to address albeit adequately the myriad of socioeconomic and political problems confronting these countries. This paper examines Festus Iyayi and Ngugi wa Thiong'o's attempt to confront headlong obvious present-day challenges of nationstates, and the inability of its "appointed" managers to rise to them. The concern of the paper is not only to identify these hydra-headed monsters but most importantly through these works proffer an enduring viable option to counteract the glaring and inadequate system that has left a sour taste in the mouths of the peoples of the African continent.
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Racism and its destructive effects on the lives of the black and coloured members of apartheid South Africa lead to a hike in crime and violence in the society. Many South African writers who have taken time to satirize the society by... more
Racism and its destructive effects on the lives of the black and coloured members of apartheid South Africa lead to a hike in crime and violence in the society. Many South African writers who have taken time to satirize the society by exposing the evil effects of apartheid in their works focus on only the blacks as the victims excluding the whites. Through textual analysis, this study exposes J. M. Coetzee's representation of post-apartheid violence in his Age of Iron (1990) with the aim of exposing how both the white and black South Africans are victims of apartheid and how to provide a lasting solution to their wounds and pains caused by the violence. The study also aims to buttress that going back to the traditional and cultural African values of accepting one another as brothers and harmonious coexistence of Africans, disparity and racism would be eradicated in the society. This will in turn reduce insecurity in the society.
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Raja Rao is a novelist of philosophical bent. The whole gamut of his writing manifests his unflinching quest for Truth, and his novel, The Cat and Shakespeare (1965) is not an exception to it. The present article covers the main issues of... more
Raja Rao is a novelist of philosophical bent. The whole gamut of his writing manifests his unflinching quest for Truth, and his novel, The Cat and Shakespeare (1965) is not an exception to it. The present article covers the main issues of a man's quest for self-knowledge or self-transcendence, and it is explored and enacted in the novel as the hero, Ramakrishna Pai, goes through his life. He is a seeker of Truth, and his august mission is to find the absolute. The various stages in his life are clearly marked out and his trials and tribulations, his spiritual doubts and uncertainties are also indicated in the novel. He is trapped in the midst of emotionally confused age, and feels some deep absence in him. Pai tries to come out of the void he has in his life, and for that he is initiated by Govindan Nair, a friend and Guru of him. Nair helps Pai to take the Visistadvaitic (qualified non-dualism) practices of Bhakti (devotion) and Prapatti (self-surrender) to lead him to his ultimate destination. He is involved in different kinds of human relationships. He is seen playing diverse roles as a civil servant, father, friend, husband and lover. But all his physical action gives rise to psychological action which takes place in the theatre of Pai's heart, mind and soul with the guidance of Govindan Nair. He helps Pai to surrender to God, to destroy 'ego' and to achieve the state of mystic illumination. The self-realization of Pai, his rise from the personal to the impersonal is the outcome of Bhakti and Prapatti.
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Daydreaming has been playing a crucial role in our lives. It is interwoven with life and has no way of omission from daily life. Daydreaming protects us from agony, disappointment and fear which are caused by the outside world. McGuire's... more
Daydreaming has been playing a crucial role in our lives. It is interwoven with life and has no way of omission from daily life. Daydreaming protects us from agony, disappointment and fear which are caused by the outside world. McGuire's Every Heart a Doorway (2016) reveals how daydreaming reflects in our lives. Via daydreaming, her protagonists take shelter from society's demands and brutality. Worth noting each society has to keep its integrity, in this regard it makes individuals sacrifice their true Self for society's integrity. McGuire illustrates how her protagonists hide in their daydreaming to keep their 'Self', however, their daydreaming sounds quite real to them as a result they stop at nothing to reach their worlds back. In this respect, this article seeks to explore and unpack the true identity of the second worlds, the meaning of doors, and the main ground of children's passion for returning to their worlds.
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The death of Queen Elizabeth II elicited diverse reactions from people across the world, especially in former British colonies in Africa and Asia where the monarchy, the symbol of British government, actively participated in slave trade... more
The death of Queen Elizabeth II elicited diverse reactions from people across the world, especially in former British colonies in Africa and Asia where the monarchy, the symbol of British government, actively participated in slave trade and colonialism. Before the passage of the Queen, Dr. Uju Anya, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, United States, had curiously wished the revered monarch "an excruciating death," probably because of Britain's role in Nigeria's genocidal civil war against Biafra. It is based on these criticisms that this study appraises the effects of colonialism on the Igbo society as portrayed in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus. Some of the basic principles of postcolonial theory are deployed to analyze the experiences of characters in the two novels, which adequately represent the two epochs of the colonial experience. The study also draws strength from Paul Gilroy's views on postcolonial discourse, especially his conviviality concept as well as the use of library and internet sources. The study, which will deepen postcolonial discourses, holds that colonialism succeeded due largely to internal contradictions in the Igbo society and the good aspects of colonialism, such as education, freedom and trade, which the Igbo could not resist. It concludes that Britain should find new mutual ways of relating more productively with members of its former colonies in a world of conviviality.
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From the Western Existential point of view, Arjuna's baffled state of mind in the Gita is an almost anachronistic precursor of the modern day intellectual trying to cope with the absurdities of the universe. Seen in a somewhat secular... more
From the Western Existential point of view, Arjuna's baffled state of mind in the Gita is an almost anachronistic precursor of the modern day intellectual trying to cope with the absurdities of the universe. Seen in a somewhat secular light, the opening chapters of the Gita are indeed an elaboration of the moral-philosophical debates regarding the question of choice; in this case, to be made by Arjuna, the 'agent'. He must recover from his death-drive and bring his stasis to an end. Is Krishna an outside agency here, or just a non-participating factor which makes the choice possible? Also the question of predestination further problematizes the whole affair. Arjuna must break the loop of time by playing his sva-dharma, and go beyond facticity. Killing, for Arjuna, seems as absurd as self-annihilation. But finally he does prepare his mind for Nishkam Karma. Thus he proves himself to be an existential hero, an authentic agent par excellence.
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This essay is a comparative study of John Keats and Tanure Ojaide's poetry. It is anchored on Literary Romanticism as well as critical textual interpretation of the primary texts. A close reading of The Selected Poems and Letters of Keats... more
This essay is a comparative study of John Keats and Tanure Ojaide's poetry. It is anchored on Literary Romanticism as well as critical textual interpretation of the primary texts. A close reading of The Selected Poems and Letters of Keats by Robert Gittings and Ojaide's Blood of Peace and Other Poems and In the House of Words elucidates comparative Romantic significance. In this connection, the essay attempts to demonstrate that both poets assume Romantic similarities and differences in their poems through the world of birds, the world of seasons and the world of artistic objects. Moreover, they deploy simple everyday conversation, coupled with rustic subjects and imagery drawn from rustic situations and environment. Besides, one cannot fail to notice their imaginative brilliance towards these subjects.
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Despite 1000-year Muslim rule, India was never declared a theocratic or Islamic state. Muslim rulers allowed non-Muslims to lead their daily lives as per their religions and cultures. Communal harmony and Hindu-Muslim amity was the order... more
Despite 1000-year Muslim rule, India was never declared a theocratic or Islamic state. Muslim rulers allowed non-Muslims to lead their daily lives as per their religions and cultures. Communal harmony and Hindu-Muslim amity was the order of the day. This paper explores answers to questions such as: Was the state during Muslim rule declared as theocratic? To what extent the freedom of religion or religious tolerance was practised in medieval India? Were Hindus discriminated and excluded from imperial services by Muslim rulers? Whether Hindus were forcibly converted to Islam? In what way the art, music, architecture, and legal system developed in India because of these socio-cultural interactions? What is the nature of Hindu-Muslim relations in modern India? How and why these relations have been communalized in recent decades? What needs to be done to stem the deteriorating Hindu-Muslim divide and hatred towards each other. How can we invalidate Samuel P. Huntington's thesis that there will be civilizational or cultural war in India and India will be Hinduised? This paper argues that secular traditions of Indian society will get strengthened and revived by political and social forces in crafting future India.
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Despite their mammoth infrastructure none of the modern Indian educational establishments could make a mark among the top 150 institutions of the world. Nor have they been successful in producing any landmark fundamental or applied... more
Despite their mammoth infrastructure none of the modern Indian educational establishments could make a mark among the top 150 institutions of the world. Nor have they been successful in producing any landmark fundamental or applied research. Even the graduates churned out by them are unemployable, unproductive, irresponsible, self-centred and greedy shirkers with a highly colonial attitude and mind-set. The contemporary Indian education unabashedly and unflinchingly disseminates the colonial conviction that the West is wiser, more just, and more humane and has the panacea for every ill. It being Indian only in its location shows scant respect for Indian culture and traditions. While the system was Anglo-centric earlier, it is Anglo-American-centric now, be it the issue of cultural-ethos, curriculum, medium of instruction, teaching materials and methods, testing methods, qualifications of teachers and learners or funding of education. The modern education creates a mind with the hallmark of imitation and mimicry and it successfully generates a feeling of inferiority, erases memory and cultures, introduces an alien conceptual vocabulary, and produces a shadow/shallow mind whose creativity is smothered with dullness. Through new types of funding/fellowships the Indian minds are being neo-colonised. How the National Education Policy 2020 seeks to transform the imitative mind to a thinking mind rooted in Indian culture and ethics is the theme of this paper. Pros and cons of all the above issues are discussed in the paper with proper reference points from ancient Indian educational history.
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Poetry is something that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. It promotes literacy, builds community, and... more
Poetry is something that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound, and rhythm. It promotes literacy, builds community, and fosters emotional resilience. It can cross boundaries that little else can, and that is why we read and enjoy William Wordsworth, John Keats, W. B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot, etc. whose poetry reached all over the world. Susheel Kumar Sharma's Unwinding Self also has all the characteristics that make him a global poet. This collection has forty four poems and most of them are short in terms of their length but filled with deep thoughts. By reading these poems anyone can feel the vast experiences of so many fields of life of the poet that he has gone through in his life. These poems range from the social problems of the society to the problems that the poet faces in his life.
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There have been a plethora of federal government programmes, Civil Rights movements, and education programs that have had a positive impact on the dire condition of African-American women, but they still fall victims to the trifold... more
There have been a plethora of federal government programmes, Civil Rights movements, and education programs that have had a positive impact on the dire condition of African-American women, but they still fall victims to the trifold oppressions of race, class, and gender. The Black feminist consciousness vehemently called for Black women's liberation from these subjugations. Black women today enjoy a more rewarding benefit than ever has been, engaging in permanent and established positions. This paper examines the application of the various concepts of Black feminism to the select fictional works of Tayari Jones viz., Silver Sparrow and An American Marriage. First published in 2011 and 2018 respectively, both are coming-of-age narratives that provide various forms and practices in relation to wider socioeconomic developments of African-Americans in America.
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Psychoanalysis is said to be one of the most controversial but fascinating and rewarding approaches in appreciating literature. This approach has become one of the mechanisms to find out the hidden meaning of a literary text. The focus is... more
Psychoanalysis is said to be one of the most controversial but fascinating and rewarding approaches in appreciating literature. This approach has become one of the mechanisms to find out the hidden meaning of a literary text. The focus is usually on the unconscious or subconscious rather than on the conscious mind. It is hinged on the foundational perspective that a person's behaviour is determined by experiences from the past that are placed in the unconscious mind as propounded by Freud. This study examines how three selected African texts portray the relationship that exists between parents and their children, which is usually conflictual as a result of their different ideologies to life. The study further looks at forms in which these conflicts occur and the psychological implications it has on both parties. The research will be descriptive and qualitative, exploring, analyzing and explaining certain behavioural traits and outbursts in characters in the purposefully selected literary texts, using the psychoanalytical theory.
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Although Maithili literature has been very rich yet there is huge crisis of English translation in this field. English Translation has potential to bring Maithili literature on the map of the world literatures since translation is the... more
Although Maithili literature has been very rich yet there is huge crisis of English translation in this field. English Translation has potential to bring Maithili literature on the map of the world literatures since translation is the conduit of cross cultural communication and dissemination of knowledge. We take the cognizance of the world through translation in this 21 st century and if we want to make our society a 'knowledge society' then we have to accept and embrace translation as a vehicle to achieve our goal. Translation has been emerged as a disseminating and democratizing force in the realm of all disciplines and discourses since the history of human civilization.
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The Bengali people are an ethno-linguistic group dwelling in the Bengal region of South Asia. Speaking Bengali mostly, its native population is divided between the independent country, Bangladesh and the Indian states by name, West... more
The Bengali people are an ethno-linguistic group dwelling in the Bengal region of South Asia. Speaking Bengali mostly, its native population is divided between the independent country, Bangladesh and the Indian states by name, West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and some pockets of Manipur.
The Indian subcontinent has a chequered history of intolerance of religious character, particularly since 1947 when British India was vivisected into Hindudominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. However, religious solidarity could not keep Pakistan intact as it was partitioned in 1971, forming Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan, based on linguistic lines as the rulers imposed Urdu on East Pakistan, to the consternation of Bengalis. In the ensuing bloody war, India poked its nose into the embroiled warfare as minorities started pouring in and so it sent its troops aiding the people of East Pakistan and ensuring freedom of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has prided itself on its secular credentials since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. Though the constitution stipulates Islam as the state religion, it also upholds the principle of secularism. But analysts point out that hard-line Islamist groups have gained prominence over the years who have failed to tackle the rising religious intolerance and fundamentalism. “The government has for political expediency compromised with the fundamentalist forces, particularly in the backdrop of constrained democratic polity” (Nasrin 78). They copy a leaf from the book of their counterparts, Bharatiya Janata Party (of India), though less aggressive, owing to the established Indian democratic polity and solid secular foundations. The paper seeks to explore ethnic cleansing as comprehended in Lajja (1993).
The Indian subcontinent has a chequered history of intolerance of religious character, particularly since 1947 when British India was vivisected into Hindudominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. However, religious solidarity could not keep Pakistan intact as it was partitioned in 1971, forming Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Pakistan, based on linguistic lines as the rulers imposed Urdu on East Pakistan, to the consternation of Bengalis. In the ensuing bloody war, India poked its nose into the embroiled warfare as minorities started pouring in and so it sent its troops aiding the people of East Pakistan and ensuring freedom of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has prided itself on its secular credentials since it gained independence from Pakistan in 1971. Though the constitution stipulates Islam as the state religion, it also upholds the principle of secularism. But analysts point out that hard-line Islamist groups have gained prominence over the years who have failed to tackle the rising religious intolerance and fundamentalism. “The government has for political expediency compromised with the fundamentalist forces, particularly in the backdrop of constrained democratic polity” (Nasrin 78). They copy a leaf from the book of their counterparts, Bharatiya Janata Party (of India), though less aggressive, owing to the established Indian democratic polity and solid secular foundations. The paper seeks to explore ethnic cleansing as comprehended in Lajja (1993).
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This paper aims to deal with R. K. Narayan's novel, The Guide, as a modern version of a Panchatantra tale of a thief transformed into a saint. A unity of vision and tranquillity of temperament commingle in the novel. The language, in... more
This paper aims to deal with R. K. Narayan's novel, The Guide, as a modern version of a Panchatantra tale of a thief transformed into a saint. A unity of vision and tranquillity of temperament commingle in the novel. The language, in which the narration is couched, is generally luminous and lucid, metaphorically temperate and simple in syntax. The smooth conveyance of the novel's easy action to the readers imparts a sharp-eyed and taught feeling of gentleness in the portrayal of Narayan's character. Though this feeling verges on contemplative gentleness, Narayan's attitude is not that simple and encompasses expertness in defining the linked and confused territories of sincerity and self-deception. The complex association of sincerity and self-deception is indeed the organizing theme of the novel.
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Elderly people have been moving to old age homes because of detachment from their family members along with loneliness, widowhood, and aspirations of enhancement of spirituality. This has led to increasing trends of movement of elderly... more
Elderly people have been moving to old age homes because of detachment from their family members along with loneliness, widowhood, and aspirations of enhancement of spirituality. This has led to increasing trends of movement of elderly people towards old age home. There is a dearth of studies related to the lived experiences of elderly people with regard to living arrangement, especially in the context of Pokhara, Nepal. Therefore, this paper aims to explore perceptions of elderly people at old age home with regards to their living arrangement. This study was carried out for data collection using face to face in-depth interview with 22 people aged 60 years and above during the period May-July 2018. It follows thematic analysis, a meaning making approach, to analyse field data. Major findings of this study are better perceptions of elderly people with regard to living arrangement at old age homes in most of the cases in comparison to their place of origin. This study concludes that most of the elderly people have experienced peace, freedom and individualism at old age homes. It would be invaluable, especially for policy makers and stakeholders in order to attain the elderly people's quality of life.
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This paper assesses how rural farmers in the Terai region of Nepal have experienced climate change and what strategies are adapted to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture and livelihoods. The farmers experienced climate... more
This paper assesses how rural farmers in the Terai region of Nepal have experienced climate change and what strategies are adapted to mitigate the effects of climate change on agriculture and livelihoods. The farmers experienced climate change effects in the form of warming temperatures, loss of agro-biodiversity, decline in agricultural yields and upsurge in diseases that exerted negativities on agriculture and livelihoods. Endorsing collective experience and cultural frameworks, farmers have developed integrated adaptation strategies, updated indigenous practices, and diversified agricultural practices by conversion of farming period, application of alternative crops, hybrid farming, dairy cooperatives and micro-credit. The performative integrative adaptive practices entrenched in environmental anthropology envisioned on indigenous environmental knowledge, assessments, and cultural responses mediated the interactions with nature and shape the ways in which farmers observe, understand, experience and respond to climate change. It is imperative to recognize a locally applicable, temporally and spatially adaptive, culturally adaptive experiential model that is shaped into integrated implementation practices in climate change policies to develop cost-effective, participatory, sustainable and effective adaptation strategies in agriculture and livelihood.
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English Language teachers have been engaging in narrative analysis and using restorying as a technique to unravel their own and their peers previously storied learning-to-teach experiences, concepts, and self-understandings for about two... more
English Language teachers have been engaging in narrative analysis and using restorying as a technique to unravel their own and their peers previously storied learning-to-teach experiences, concepts, and self-understandings for about two decades now. One of the goals of narrative research in English Language Teaching (ELT) is to increase understanding of central issues related to teaching and learning through the telling and retelling of teachers’ stories. Narrative research inquires into narratives made by the chosen participants. It utilizes story-telling as a way of communicating participants’ realities to a larger audience. Narrative researchers collect data about people’s lives and construct meanings with the help of their experiences. It is a methodology in which the researcher attempts to present the meanings of personal stories and events. Narratives can be good tools to understanding an individual’s experiences and help ELT researchers to obtain an “insider view” on the issues of learning and teaching of English. Stories told by a participant also provide a deeper understanding of the issues that arise in the relationship between the participant and the researcher. The aim of this paper is to explore the history and the ideological stances of narrative inquiry, and revisit the growing popularity of narrative approach to ELT researches. This article discusses types, characteristics and techniques of narrative research in ELT along with the potential challenges of using narratives in ELT researches.
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There exists a sense of profound literary depth that utters from the human capacity to make observations and judgements of an aesthetic nature. Interestingly, the qualitative structure of human embodied experience is determined by... more
There exists a sense of profound literary depth that utters from the human capacity to make observations and judgements of an aesthetic nature. Interestingly, the qualitative structure of human embodied experience is determined by aesthetic perception. Literary works are read, evaluated, appreciated, or criticized by the Western, the Eastern, the ancient as well as modern readers. If there is any difference, it is of time, place, language, mythology, images, and cultural background of a country. These differences may pose some difficulties but do not stand in the way of appreciating a literary work as literature has universal appeal. 'Rasa' and 'sublimity' are the aesthetics associated with literature and ignite the dramatic emotional elements. The main purpose of the paper is to attempt to revisit the two classical literary theories-of 'Rasa' and 'Sublime'-and explore a close affinity in the views of Bharata Muni, an Indian sage-poet, and Longinus, a Greek critic. The paper analyzes and compares these two theories from two different times and space as their object of treatment in the literature. For Bharata, it is 'Natya' (drama) and for Longinus, it is 'poetry' (kavya)-the two classical forms of literary reflections of a creative genius.
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Art has always been closely intertwined with politics, and throughout history many artists have protested, both through their art and their political activism, against unjust political actions. In recent history, the Vietnam War era saw... more
Art has always been closely intertwined with politics, and throughout history many artists have protested, both through their art and their political activism, against unjust political actions. In recent history, the Vietnam War era saw the rise of political art, a prime example of which could be observed in the proliferation of protest posters in the era. The ascendance of Donald Trump to the highest political office in the United States, and the fierce opposition by many American artists to him, marked another chapter in the battle between arts and politics. Against this backdrop, this article aims to analyze the way in which one of Robert Frost's most famous poems, "Mending Wall" (1914), was appropriated by the anti-Trump media to criticize his highly contentious immigration policies. In so doing, this article discusses "Mending Wall" and some of its recent political interpretations through juxtaposing two articles on the poem published in Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post, respectively. We argue that in their attempt to either support or oppose the building of the wall on the US-Mexico border, the authors offer a blinkered view of "Mending Wall" to serve their own political agendas. Frost's poem, however, transcends the boundaries of reductive politics by leaving the narrative open-ended, which, in turn, encourages the readers to come to their own conclusions over the question of the wall—a fact that can account for the sustained interest in the poem since its publication.
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My Diary and Other Poems is the second collection of poems by Ishika Bansal. It has forty seven poems written on varied themes. Having read her first collection, the present book shows her remarkable maturity in language, diction and... more
My Diary and Other Poems is the second collection of poems by Ishika Bansal. It has forty seven poems written on varied themes. Having read her first collection, the present book shows her remarkable maturity in language, diction and style. Through these poems, Ishika tries to prove coming closer to fine poetic craftsmanship. Her poetic world is explorations of values, hard work, hope, and the sublime confidence to achieve all that make one’s life ‘glorious’.
In this collection, Ishika tries to introduce her poetic world through two
“Forewords”, “Comments”, “Reviews” and “Preface” by some teachers and editors, and “Author’s Note” written by herself. These writings help the readers to better understand the poems. Some read poems for pleasure and some read them for research. Ishika’s poems can serve both purposes alike.
In this collection, Ishika tries to introduce her poetic world through two
“Forewords”, “Comments”, “Reviews” and “Preface” by some teachers and editors, and “Author’s Note” written by herself. These writings help the readers to better understand the poems. Some read poems for pleasure and some read them for research. Ishika’s poems can serve both purposes alike.
Research Interests: English Literature, Indian studies, Poetry, Modern Poetry, Indian English Literature, and 13 moreRomantic poetry, Contemporary Poetry, Indian Literature, Indian Writing in English, Literature Review, Systematic Reviews, Book Reviews, Book Review, Caste and Gender Issues in Indian Culture and Literature, Reviews, Indian English Poetry, Modern Indian English Poetry, and Related Studies and Literature
Jindal delivers an odyssey with Manual For A Decent Life, a portrait of one woman and the social web that supports and holds her. A woman whose strength is her own. I am grateful to have been brought to Jindal's work through a collection... more
Jindal delivers an odyssey with Manual For A Decent Life, a portrait of one woman and the social web that supports and holds her. A woman whose strength is her own.
I am grateful to have been brought to Jindal's work through a collection of short stories May We Borrow Your Country by The Whole Kahani. These writers are new territory for me, I am curious to explore further.
Jindal's voice is direct, her narrative crammed with detail after detail. She does not give the 'feel' of a place she grabs the reader by the hand and points at people's cloths, pushes dishes of fragrant food beneath the reader's nose, she whispers behind her hand about sexual attraction.
I am grateful to have been brought to Jindal's work through a collection of short stories May We Borrow Your Country by The Whole Kahani. These writers are new territory for me, I am curious to explore further.
Jindal's voice is direct, her narrative crammed with detail after detail. She does not give the 'feel' of a place she grabs the reader by the hand and points at people's cloths, pushes dishes of fragrant food beneath the reader's nose, she whispers behind her hand about sexual attraction.
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Born in 1960 in Aberdeen, Katrina Porteous grew up in Country Durham and was graduated by Trinity College, Cambridge, and has studied in the United States at the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University. She has made the... more
Born in 1960 in Aberdeen, Katrina Porteous grew up in Country Durham and was graduated by Trinity College, Cambridge, and has studied in the United States at the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard University. She has made the landscape people of the Northumberland coast her specialization .
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Still in this era of nanotechnology, tuberculosis is a stigma in traditional societies, consequently the people infected with tuberculosis suffer from twofold experiences-suffering from the disease and the social suffering. This paper... more
Still in this era of nanotechnology, tuberculosis is a stigma in traditional societies, consequently the people infected with tuberculosis suffer from twofold experiences-suffering from the disease and the social suffering. This paper tries to assess the social insight on tuberculosis and the suffering of tuberculous infected people in Nepal. The study method was quantitative and qualitative. Interview schedule, P-scale and case study guidelines were used to obtain primary data from 35 respondents. Social insight on tuberculosis as the most stigmatized and discriminated disease has resulted in the intensification of belief on faith healer, loss of income, job discontinuity, social restriction, mental stress, discrimination by family, and treatment delay. Social restriction is stern for female and elderly people, but high-caste Hindu has fewer restrictions. Restriction increased with the increase in age. The sociocultural construction and the community instituted meanings and insights on tuberculosis as a 'polluted stigma' has regulated the clinical realities and added to the social suffering of the infected. The stigma attached to tuberculosis should be regarded as a biosocial and psycho-cultural phenomenon that requires the recognition and adoption of biological and sociocultural lenses of culture and health in health policy planning.
Research Interests: Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Medical Anthropology, Social Work, Philosophical Anthropology, and 13 moreStigma, Medical Education, Nepal, Nanotechnology, Social Work Education, Social Studies, Dalit studies, Tuberculosis, Society, Pedagogy of Social Work, Indian caste structure and its changing trends, Social Worker, and Environmental social work
The present paper unveils Booker T. Washington’s thoughts on education and their relevance in the contemporary educational system in India. Education is the most powerful tool which changes our life, society and ultimately country. A... more
The present paper unveils Booker T. Washington’s thoughts on education and their relevance in the contemporary educational system in India. Education is the most powerful tool which changes our life, society and ultimately country. A proper education moulds an individual’s character and makes his/her life better by inculcating moral values, intelligence, creativity and skills. It shows the way how to live and behave in society with dignity. It strengthens an individual’s head, hand and heart. Booker T. Washington, a renowned African-American educationist, dedicated
his entire life for the empowerment of the coloured people of America through the means of education. His educational model proposes industrial and technical education, agricultural education and training, vocational education, skill based knowledge, moral values, etc.
his entire life for the empowerment of the coloured people of America through the means of education. His educational model proposes industrial and technical education, agricultural education and training, vocational education, skill based knowledge, moral values, etc.
Research Interests: Education, Educational Technology, Adult Education, Teacher Education, Higher Education, and 12 moreICT in Education, Learning And Teaching In Higher Education, Equity and Social Justice in Higher Education, Higher Education Management, Teacing and Learning in Higher Education, Higher Education Studies, Higher Education Policy, Economics of Higher Education and Research, Blended learning in higher education, Internationalization of higher education, Accreditation & Quality Assurance in Higher Education (HE), and Higher Education Feminist Studies of Science and Technology
At first glance, ecology and linguistics can appear as two completely different unrelated topics, but despite appearances, they are profoundly interlinked. This study helps to shape and mold the way we relate to the world and our... more
At first glance, ecology and linguistics can appear as two completely different unrelated topics, but despite appearances, they are profoundly interlinked. This study helps to shape and mold the way we relate to the world and our environment to increase our ecological awareness and what impact this has upon our students and how we can implement this environmental ideology in our schools. One of the primary functions of schools is to reinforce students with adequate knowledge to appreciate the environment. Incorporating environmental words and expressions or ecolinguistics into the curriculum in general and English textbooks in particular facilitates a meaningful understanding of nature. The present study intended to investigate six English textbooks used in Iranian high schools from an ecolinguistic perspective. To do so, the content analysis of textbooks utilized to teach English in Iranian high schools was done. The results of the study revealed that the representation of ecolinguistics in English textbooks in Iran was low and limited to three ecolinguistic themes. The results also confirmed that the textbooks developers did not pay enough consideration to ecolinguistic issues in developing the English textbooks for Iranian EFL learners. Furthermore, the findings of the study indicate that only a few problems are considered, and inadequate representation of ecolinguistics is being followed in these textbooks. The findings can lead to pedagogical implications for the presentation of topics related to ecology and the environment in ELT textbooks.
Research Interests: Environmental Education, English as the World's Language, English language, Iranian Studies, English, and 14 moreTeaching English As A Foreign Language, Ecocriticism, Iranian History, English Grammar, Ecolinguistics, Environmental Humanities, History of English Language, English Language Learning, English language teaching, School Textbooks, Iranian politics and history, Iranian EFL learners, Arabic-English translation, and English Language
People use digital tools to transmit, store, create, share or exchange information of various sorts. These tools provide a vast repository of knowledge and tend to be resorts of twenty-first century information seekers. Academics nowadays... more
People use digital tools to transmit, store, create, share or exchange information of various sorts. These tools provide a vast repository of knowledge and tend to be resorts of twenty-first century information seekers. Academics nowadays are likely to begin their work by searching electronic databases. English teachers use PowerPoint or interactive whiteboards in their classrooms. They now have to acknowledge that the digital skills that were once the province of computer science students are now crucial across the entire spectrum of education. The last few decades have witnessed an exponential growth in the use of technology for language learning and teaching purposes. Students use different digital tools in their daily lives outside the classrooms. Teachers use technologies in their classrooms in order to help their students learn. English teachers have to adopt different roles as they engage and interact with increasingly complex web of digital texts and communication that compose the twenty-first century economic and educational environment. The effective English language teaching needs to capture the key aspects of changes in work practices, digital practices in particular. This article focuses on the competence English teachers need to develop to teach English in the digital environment. The article also discusses the two major dimensions of digital world which English teachers need to know; namely principal roles the technologies play and digital competence 21 st century English teachers need to possess.
Research Interests: Teaching English as a Second Language, English as the World's Language, Learning and Teaching, English language, English, and 9 moreTeaching English As A Foreign Language, Nepal, English Grammar, History of English Language, English Language Learning, English language teaching, English teaching, English Language, and English Literature and Language
This paper attempts to explore the relevance of affective phenomena in the genealogy of cultural and philosophical posthumanism. In its genealogical endeavour, this article expands the lens of posthuman by taking up Spinoza's notion of... more
This paper attempts to explore the relevance of affective phenomena in the genealogy of cultural and philosophical posthumanism. In its genealogical endeavour, this article expands the lens of posthuman by taking up Spinoza's notion of "affectio" and "affectus" from his Ethics. The paper would also argue how emotional competence makes AI more performative. Given that a new pathway for mental health has been opened up while emotions (on both sides) are activated, modulated, and exchanged to a biological and a nonbiological entity. The trajectory of this paper would take up social theorists and philosophers like Brian Massumi, Deleuze and Guattari to trace the affective phenomena in Spike Jonze's academy awardwinning film Her (2013).
Research Interests: American Literature, Cultural Studies, Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy, English Literature, and 14 moreFilm Studies, Emotional intelligence, Posthumanism, Documentary (Film Studies), Multiple Intelligences, African American Literature, Science Fiction, Critical Posthumanism, Theory of Science Fiction Film, Science Fiction Film, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Film and Media Studies, US Latino Literature, and Artificial Intelligence And Techniques
Mulk Raj Anand, R. K. Narayan and Raja Rao are known as the trio of Indo-Anglian fiction writers. Anand, senior among the three and committed to creative writing, is a prolific writer. His popular novels include Untouchable, Coolie, Two... more
Mulk Raj Anand, R. K. Narayan and Raja Rao are known as the trio of Indo-Anglian fiction writers. Anand, senior among the three and committed to creative writing, is a prolific writer. His popular novels include Untouchable, Coolie, Two Leaves and a Bud, The Sword and the Sickle, etc. Besides, he has more than seven collections of short stories to his credit. A committed humanist, he presents the predicament of the deprived people of society not only in his novels but also in his short stories. The paper explores the depiction of the realistic picture of the deprived and the untouchable people in his short stories, who are subjected to perpetual pains and sufferings in our society, and his concerns and sympathy for such people. The short stories discussed in this study include "Old Bapu", "The Barber's Trade Union", and "Lajwanti".
Research Interests: Non Fiction Writing, Literature, Indian studies, English, Feminism, and 13 moreIndian English Literature, Marginalized Identities, Indian Writing in English, Fiction, Dalit studies, Indian English Fiction, Postcolonialism and indian english fictions, Dalit Literature, Short Stories, Equality and Non Discrimination, Dalit, Dalit Movement, and English Literature and Language
Mahasweta Devi's short story "Kunti and the nishadin" revolves around an imagined conversation between the Empress and a woman from the hunter-gatherer nomadic tribe, a woman of no significance to the rulers of the land. Kunti, the Queen... more
Mahasweta Devi's short story "Kunti and the nishadin" revolves around an imagined conversation between the Empress and a woman from the hunter-gatherer nomadic tribe, a woman of no significance to the rulers of the land. Kunti, the Queen Mother considers the nishadin to be akin to rocks and stones in the forest where she now dwells, who is unworthy of her attention or disdain. The conversation concentrates on the power structures of patriarchy which shape the Rajdharma or the polity of governance. The patriarchal take on parenthood, kingship and the evolution of power structures is integral to Mahasweta's retelling of the epic through this short story. It is a modern-day parable which questions the dominant power structures built on the edifice of religion. Mahasweta offers a gendered critique while also showing how patriarchy is internalised and perpetrated through marriage, kingship and succession. This paper discusses the story as a contemporary postcolonial fable where the subaltern not only speaks but also dares to challenge the mores of the society by creating her own justice system which is in tandem with the natural laws of the society.
Research Interests: Mythology And Folklore, Mythology, Indian studies, Feminism, Subaltern, and 15 moreSubaltern Studies, Indian Writing in English, Indian Mythology, Dalit and other marginalized communities, Fiction, Dalit studies, Indian English Fiction, Feminismo, Postcolonial Theory/Subaltern Studies, Estudios Subalternos, Dalit Literature, Short Stories, Dalit, Postcolonial, Subaltern, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Dalit Movement
The term 'feminism' basically stands for the rights and equality of women. There is no definite definition of feminism. The feminist thinkers struggled a lot for making the simple and innocent women of the society aware about this and... more
The term 'feminism' basically stands for the rights and equality of women. There is no definite definition of feminism. The feminist thinkers struggled a lot for making the simple and innocent women of the society aware about this and they always are trying to solve several issues related to women. It is again not a recent concept. Feminists like Mary Wollstonecraft, Margaret Fuller, Virginia Woolf and many more thinkers forwarded a lot of different perspectives related to feminism. Ama Ata Aidoo, the former Education Minister of Ghana and an excellent academician has fought for the rights of the women of her native land. During her reign several provisions for Girls' Education were implemented in Ghana. She has a great contribution towards the literary field. In the present paper three of her popular literary pieces are taken into account to study the issues related to women of Africa especially of Ghana. These three literary works are: Anowa (1970), Our Sister Killjoy or Reflections from a Black-Eyed Squint (1977) and Changes: A Love Story (1991). These three literary pieces deal with women issue from different perspectives. She is also featuring her protagonists accordingly, Anowa, Sissie and Esi are different from each other. Her protagonists seem to be very bold, independent which reveal the strength of women.
Research Interests: African Studies, English Literature, African Philosophy, Poetry, African History, and 14 moreAfrica, West Africa, English, African Literature, African American Literature, East Africa, Ghana, Feminism, Southern Africa, African American Studies, Constructions of femininity, Horn of Africa, North African prehistory (Archaeology), and Feminismo
Myth has been used in literature both as archetype as well as structure so as to create a cultural contemporaneity of human experience by situating man in a larger continuum of time and space. Australian poet A. D. Hope who admittedly... more
Myth has been used in literature both as archetype as well as structure so as to create a cultural contemporaneity of human experience by situating man in a larger continuum of time and space. Australian poet A. D. Hope who admittedly aligns himself with European creative tradition, also employs myths while interrogating some of the most puzzling of human questions. His incorporation of myths and legends as if pleads for a re-interpretation, restructuring and re-moulding of the 'deadened present' to provide appropriate symbols for expressing a meaningful impression with the suggestion of a system of surviving values. For example, in the poem "Australia", Hope's lament for lost cultural roots brings into consciousness the urge for some cataclysmic regeneration of the nation as implied in the mythic images such as the 'sphinx' and the 'stone lion.' Likewise, the overall tenor of the poetry of North East India also articulates an urge for reclaiming the lost identity, the lost Elysium of peace amidst the cacophony of traumatic experience of exile, terror and migration. For Temsula Ao, storytelling is a powerful weapon of subversion, of protest, representing the power of man in shaping reality through language. In the poem "The Old Story Teller", the agency of storytelling with fables and tales pertaining to mystic rivers and magic mountains, gestures to a possibility of change with a simultaneous conviction of a writer's 'racial responsibility' in the urge for 'perpetuating the existential history and essential tradition' in the posterity and thus providing the world of readers a rich storehouse of NorthEast Indian folklore. This paper deals with the poetry of these two poets who belong to different countries and yet negotiate more or less similar kinds of crises facing the artistic urge for self-definition.
Research Interests:
I cannot easily digest the idea of dividing our world into ordinal numbers and so, my introduction will be a little explanation of this terminology with the help of some available maps showing such divisions on the world wide web sites... more
I cannot easily digest the idea of dividing our world into ordinal numbers and so, my introduction will be a little explanation of this terminology with the help of some available maps showing such divisions on the world wide web sites and briefly show how even intellectual people in the world are prone to accept such inordinate divisions blindly and swallow such false ideas to be real.
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Ecofeminism is a philosophical and political theory which combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, regarding both as resulting from male hegemony of society. It is evident that the values of patriarchal and... more
Ecofeminism is a philosophical and political theory which combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, regarding both as resulting from male hegemony of society. It is evident that the values of patriarchal and paternalistic/capitalistic society bring about deleterious effects as man in his studied ignorance is hell-bent on exploiting nature's resources in order to advance his misdirected rank interests. Consequently it has led up to an undesirable split between the environs and culture. Eco or ecological feminism explores the inter-connections between women and nature striving to bring about equality between genders, a revaluing of non-patriarchal or nonlinear structures, and a view of the world that respects organic processes, holistic connections, and the merits of intuition and collaboration. There are scores of writers belonging to Indian literature who seek to focus on the outcome of gender categories in order to demonstrate the ways in which social norms exert unjust dominance over women and nature. The focus of the paper is to bring out ecofeministic concerns in Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide (2004), among a few other novels. While doing so, the papers critiques the need to make a concerted effort to bring all initiatives under one umbrella to safeguard the blue planet lest her very existence is at peril.
Research Interests: Gender Studies, Ecofeminism, Feminism, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Feminist Literary Theory and Gender Studies, and 8 moreIndian Writing in English, Fiction, Women and Gender Studies, Indian English Fiction, Feminismo, Ecocriticism and Ecofeminism, Feminism and Gender Issues in Indian Writing in English, and Ecofeminismo
Here is the comparison of two famous stories which narrate the most unheard of stories where the hero lies down with his own mother, of course, with various reasons for it and supported by different contexts. In the Oedipus story the hero... more
Here is the comparison of two famous stories which narrate the most unheard of stories where the hero lies down with his own mother, of course, with various reasons for it and supported by different contexts. In the Oedipus story the hero by all the purity of his heart did want to avoid such heinous crime in his life but is almost predestined by fate and unconsciously and unknowingly Oedipus is led by the forces of fate to this hateful crime. Not only does he marry his own mother Queen Jocasta, but he also brings forth four children from her, all four of whom in fact become simultaneously his siblings as well as his children. In the case of Skendes of Ethiopia, the situation is totally different. Caught up in the mesh of the wisecrack that all women are prostitutes, Skendes coming back after the higher studies abroad wanted to probe and verify this statement with regard to his own mother. He bribes the housemaid of his mother with hundred dinars and conveniently arranges to sleep with his mother for one night in order to test her loyalty to her dead husband. He succeeds and sleeps with his mother and then only reveals his identity to the mother hearing which she commits suicide. Pondering over this tragic end of his mother, Skendes takes an oath not to speak any more in his life. His philosophical visions communicated in writing to the then King of Ethiopia have become great source of inspiration for the Ethiopians. An analysis of these two stories is proposed in this paper.
Research Interests:
In modern times, joint families are breaking up and sense of brotherhood among people is fading away. The result increases feeling of loneliness, alienation and selfishness among individuals.These are a few evils of our modern world.... more
In modern times, joint families are breaking up and sense of brotherhood among people is fading away. The result increases feeling of loneliness, alienation and selfishness among individuals.These are a few evils of our modern world. Novels of Anita Desai have the glimpses of tradition and modernity between which the Indian society is swinging. The Indian woman now presents herself at a new threshold, different from middle age. She is now a developed woman, competent and worldly, but when she sees her shadow, she identifies it with a stranger's face. She is not that woman who had waited in her dreams. What she looks, is a worldly woman bound with chains and shackles. These chains and shackles are the traditions which had made her to accept the compulsion of the given roles that she had never integrated into her personhood. She had been a daughter-in-law, wife and mother but not herself.
Research Interests:
Ahmed Saadawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad, originally published in Arabic in 2013 and translated into English by Jonathan Wright in 2018, is set in the chaotic socio-political condition of post-invasion Iraq. The Nobel exacerbates the... more
Ahmed Saadawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad, originally published in Arabic in 2013 and translated into English by Jonathan Wright in 2018, is set in the chaotic socio-political condition of post-invasion Iraq. The Nobel exacerbates the horror of sectarian violence by introducing a Frankensteinesque atmosphere of magical realism. However, this paper concentrates on the concept of monstrosity as presented in the novel. The paper shows how the concept of monstrosity, being a fluid one, problematizes the notion of identity. By carefully considering the multiple manifestations of 'monstrous identity', the paper demonstrates that 'monstrosity' is not an easily identifiable physical attribute found in conventional deformed-body 'monsters'; nor is it just a characteristic trait of an evil mind; rather, it is a highly nuanced term which complexly affects social identities.
Research Interests: Social Movements, English Literature, Literature, Identity (Culture), English, and 15 moreHistory of English Literature, Body Image, Internet & Society, Novel, Frankenstein, Comics and Graphic Novels, Fiction, Monstrosity, Novels, Iraq War, Related Studies and Literature, Novelists, English Literature and Language, Turkey's Foreign Policy Towards Northern Iraq or Iraqi Kurdistan, and Frankenstein Mary Shelley
As a writer of the diaspora, M. G. Vassanji has travelled three continents: Asia, Africa and North America. As a result, he is in the best position to write about homeland, past, memory and identity. The memories and heritage associated... more
As a writer of the diaspora, M. G. Vassanji has travelled three continents: Asia, Africa and North America. As a result, he is in the best position to write about homeland, past, memory and identity. The memories and heritage associated with homeland eventually gives identity to the characters. This identity becomes hyphenated over the years post migration. The place of origin provides identity, roots as well as a sense of belonging to an individual. The notion of identity is deeply connected to one's homeland. Vikram Lall, though has roots in India, establishes tender connections with Nakuru (his birthplace) in Kenya. For him, Kenya is the homeland, whereas for his grand father Anand Lall, his father Ashok Lall and mother Sheila Lall, India is the motherland. The notion of homeland varies for every person and generation. It is only during his self-imposed exile in Canada that Vikram feels a strong longing to return to Kenya. Even though the Indians have made Kenya their home, the Africans do not wholeheartedly accept them. The Asians were not treated fairly and thus were pushed to an in-between position. Vassanji dexterously articulates the predicament of the double migration of his characters. Their displacement, dislocation and the eventual disillusionment finds a comprehensive account in the novel.
Research Interests: African Studies, African Philosophy, Middle East & North Africa, Indian studies, African History, and 13 moreAfrica, African American Literature, Post-Colonialism, Indian English Literature, African American Studies, South African Literature, Theories Of The Other/Postcolonialism, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Indian Writing in English, Postcolonialism and indian english fictions, Related Studies and Literature, English Literature and Language, and Postcolonialism
In traditional Igbo society, gender exploitation is always a negative trait of the male folk. Men are usually the victimizers while women and girls are the victims. Because they are physically stronger than women, the men perpetrate such... more
In traditional Igbo society, gender exploitation is always a negative trait of the male folk. Men are usually the victimizers while women and girls are the victims. Because they are physically stronger than women, the men perpetrate such crimes as battery, rape and other violent assaults on them. This paper explored the depiction of gender exploitation in Ọ maba chant (Egara Ọ maba), an all-male Igbo masking chant composition, and Americanah to ascertain the extent of the employment of the concept of exploitation and its implications in the texts. The Theory of Otherness by the Existentialist, Simone de Beauvoir (1949), was critically deployed to determine the "Dominator" and the "Dominated" in the texts. Among the findings is that exploitation is employed positively in contradiction to the Igbo traditional ethics, to highlight the inestimable power of woman that she exercises at will. Although physically weaker, a woman in the contemporary world of competition and scarcity of resources could manipulate a man against his wish, and use him as a metaphorical rung to climb to her identity, independence and societal success. The findings, therefore, reverse the principles of the Theory of Otherness which assigns the victim role to the woman.
Research Interests: African Studies, African Philosophy, Middle East & North Africa, African History, Africa, and 15 moreAfrican Religion in Africa and the Diaspora, West Africa, African American Literature, African Women's Studies, East Africa, Southern Africa, African Politics, African American Studies, South African Literature, Nigeria, Horn of Africa, North African prehistory (Archaeology), Nigerian Civil War, Africana Studies, and African and African American Studies
The historical novel From the Nile to the Jordan is an enthralling story about the "Second Exodus" of Jews from Egypt to Israel. This so far little-noticed aspect of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, could spread new light on the events of 1948,... more
The historical novel From the Nile to the Jordan is an enthralling story about the "Second Exodus" of Jews from Egypt to Israel. This so far little-noticed aspect of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, could spread new light on the events of 1948, make the suffering of both sides public and bring the middle east one step closer to peace. Before 1948 there was a prospering community with 100,000 Jews in Egypt, today there are only few Jewish widows left. This book combines the well-researched historical facts based on Aharoni's research on the topic, as a professor of Sociology, with her personal perspective as a witness who had to leave Egypt as a young woman. This approach makes the book an eye-opener for an important chapter of Jewish history, that is widely unknown. Aharoni goes beyond the past, aiming at using the story of the "Second Exodus" as a tool for reconciliation, convinced that if Israel and Egypt can make peace, peace between Israel and Palestine is possible too.
Research Interests: Peace and Conflict Studies, Peace Movements, Egypt, Peacekeeping, Jordan, and 15 morePeace & Conflict Studies, Gender and Peacebuilding, Peace Studies, Peace Education, War and Peace, Israel, Peace, Peacebuilding, Arab-Israeli conflict, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Security and Peace Studies, UN peacekeeping operations, United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Peace & Reconciliation, and Peace and Security In Fragile States
The IFLAC Anti-War and Peace Anthology is an exceptional collection of articles and creative works, with the aim to unite writers, poets and artists to use the power of literature and culture for peacemaking. This anthology is based on... more
The IFLAC Anti-War and Peace Anthology is an exceptional collection of articles and creative works, with the aim to unite writers, poets and artists to use the power of literature and culture for peacemaking. This anthology is based on articles, short stories and poems from writers of 25 different countries around the world, embracing the fact that culture can be a global tool to eliminate the hate towards 'the others' and to make us see the shared human common ground.
Research Interests: Peace and Conflict Studies, United Nations, Peace Movements, Peacekeeping, Peace & Conflict Studies, and 15 moreGender and Peacebuilding, Peace Studies, Peace Education, War and Peace, United Nations Development Programme, Peace, Peacebuilding, Peace and Development, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Model United Nations, UN peacekeeping operations, United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, Peace and Security studies, United Nations Security Council, and Peace & Reconciliation
The present paper attempts to look at the representation of women in Garhwal miniature paintings, an offshoot of Pahari painting, which remained in vogue from the 17 th to 19 th centuries. The pictorial evidence presents pictures of a... more
The present paper attempts to look at the representation of women in Garhwal miniature paintings, an offshoot of Pahari painting, which remained in vogue from the 17 th to 19 th centuries. The pictorial evidence presents pictures of a woman on various realms like their functioning, costumes, ornaments and roles. In other words, art becomes a visual commentary on women when there is an absence of sources. The Garhwal School of painting is the one of the most prolific Pahari Schools of painting. The region of Garhwal received an impetus in painting when a Mughal prince, Suleiman Shikoh, fleeing from his uncle, Aurangzeb, had brought to Garhwal a whole retinue, which included a Mughal artist and his son. They remained at Garhwal even after the prince had left and were granted a substantial pension. The nayikas, or heroines of ancient Indian writers, are typical specimens of the Garhwal School's conception of womanly beauty. It is of utmost importance that one does not find in particular any court scene or any marriage procession painting since painting was not a favourite art at Garhwal but a number of paintings have been found from the nayikabheda series such as Abhisarika nayika or Vipralabdha nayika. The feminine figures are not robust rather seem imbued with lighter grace.
Research Interests:
This paper is a study of the Indigenous literatures of Australia and Canada. As Indigenous writings reflect the symbiosis of nature and culture, an important aspect of Indigenous people is that they try to return to nature to receive... more
This paper is a study of the Indigenous literatures of Australia and Canada. As Indigenous writings reflect the symbiosis of nature and culture, an important aspect of Indigenous people is that they try to return to nature to receive Indigenous spirituality that has its roots in harmony among all beings. These writings based on nature-centred thoughts, belief system, traditional patterns, spirituality and cultural practices, environmental knowledge and respect, change and catastrophe, and dependence on nature and natural resources have been studied as presented in some relevant texts.
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Sri Aurobindo is a great Indian poet and philosopher. His "Urvasie" is a brilliant symbolic love poem. Urvasie is the companion nymph of Pururavus. She is a manifestation of splendour. She and Pururavus are two physical emanations in... more
Sri Aurobindo is a great Indian poet and philosopher. His "Urvasie" is a brilliant symbolic love poem. Urvasie is the companion nymph of Pururavus. She is a manifestation of splendour. She and Pururavus are two physical emanations in human forms inhabited by the same secret-self or Nature. It is the pilgrimage of the Self in quest of the alter-self.
Research Interests:
Translation Studies, that gradually consolidated its position in the world literary stage as a major academic discipline is today acknowledged and seen as a strong medium of connecting people and boosting cross-cultural relations defying... more
Translation Studies, that gradually consolidated its position in the world literary stage as a major academic discipline is today acknowledged and seen as a strong medium of connecting people and boosting cross-cultural relations defying time and space. However, translation is not merely a linguistic effort on the part of a translator, it is rather a study through the socio-cultural, political, historical conditions associated with the target audience of the text. It acts as a bridge between two cultures, introducing one to the other transcending language barriers. Therefore, when a text is translated, it is recontextualised, rewritten and transformed aiming at influencing the readers and seeking to change the existing conditions. This paper will examine the reception of World Literature in the state of Odisha (in India) during the postcolonial era with a focus on the popular works of some of the Nobel Prize winners that got translated into Odia. These works were published at a time when the world political scene was witnessing a major political movement in the form of Cold War after the Second World War that led to the formation of the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc. It is to be examined if and how the translators and their writings were influenced by this development. Although, India had freed itself from the British rule, the translated works of Nobel Laureates may be seen as part of an attempt to move away from British literature and introduce the natives of Odisha to other literatures of the West. Also, Odisha, as a state was undergoing major changes socially, culturally and politically around the same time. This paper will explore the manner in which these themes are embedded in the translated works, analyze the ideas endorsed in the writings and the impact it strived to have on the people of Odisha.
Research Interests:
Franz Kafka died at a relatively young age of forty but in his young writing career, his works exemplify the strange nature of the human spirit. It is difficult to pin down Kafka; whether he is a realist writer or a fantasist. His The... more
Franz Kafka died at a relatively young age of forty but in his young writing career, his works exemplify the strange nature of the human spirit. It is difficult to pin down Kafka; whether he is a realist writer or a fantasist. His The Metamorphosis takes the most fantastic assumption of transforming a human being into a giant bug and then taking the thematic and the textual discourse in the most ordinary, casual and realistic manner. The text doesn't fail to depict the futile, horrifying and labyrinthine world of the first half of the 20 th century. Mostly read as an allegorical text, The Metamorphosis in this paper, would be analyzed as not being just an allegory but also as a text that can be read as an anti-realist text. The protagonist, Gregor Samsa is actually the anti-hero of the text. He transforms overnight from being a family provider to being a family secret. The paper would highlight the various levels of "metamorphosis" that take place, not just of Gregor but also of his family members as they too change by the transformation of Gregor Samsa.
Research Interests:
Parenting representations have always been quite intriguing and inviting simply because ideas which shape up the contour of parenting are consequent upon a number of socio-cultural and economic variables. The issue of parenting is... more
Parenting representations have always been quite intriguing and inviting simply
because ideas which shape up the contour of parenting are consequent upon a
number of socio-cultural and economic variables. The issue of parenting is nowadays
being explored from several theoretical standpoints. For instance, the act of parenting
is contingent upon both how parents negotiate various problems that spring up
occasionally during the time of parenting and how children respond to parental care
and affection. The act of parenting becomes more problematic when both parents and
children have to strive to come to terms with diasporic situations. The problem of
acculturation invariably leaves impact upon parenting, which leads parents to make
necessary alterations in the act of parenting, which is required to conform to diasporic
situations. The act of parenting in diasporic situations is as problematic as it is in the
case of internal diasporic situations. In other words, parents who migrate from one
state to another within a nation-state, have to negotiate acculturation-related problems
due to cultural heterogeneities pervasive across a nation-state. The impact of internal
diasporic situations upon the act of parenting is worth exploring and thus cannot be
left out of consideration. Shilpa Raj emerges as one of the young novelists who has
understood the worth of exploring the act of parenting in internal diasporic situations
and therefore has penned down The Elephant Chaser's Daughter – a brilliant fictional
manifestation of variegated parenting representations in internal diasporic situations.
Shilpa Raj lays bare different dimensions of parenting in the fictional narrative and
unveils how parenting leaves impact on the growth of the protagonist of the novel.
Most interestingly, Raj has brought out the need to put emphasis on internal diaspora
so far parenting is concerned in this novel. Along with it, the issue of border is
entwined with internal diaspora so much so that it cannot be left out of consideration
while examining parenting practices in internal diasporic situations. The notion of border which connotes a line of difference between two contesting spaces has been
exquisitely explored by Raj in connection with the parental representations in internal
diasporic situation. This article is intended to problematize parenting representation by
pitting it against the backdrop of internal diaspora. It aims to argue that the intricacies
germane to internal diaspora are bound to affect parenting and therefore can tenably
be subjected to theoretical deliberations.
because ideas which shape up the contour of parenting are consequent upon a
number of socio-cultural and economic variables. The issue of parenting is nowadays
being explored from several theoretical standpoints. For instance, the act of parenting
is contingent upon both how parents negotiate various problems that spring up
occasionally during the time of parenting and how children respond to parental care
and affection. The act of parenting becomes more problematic when both parents and
children have to strive to come to terms with diasporic situations. The problem of
acculturation invariably leaves impact upon parenting, which leads parents to make
necessary alterations in the act of parenting, which is required to conform to diasporic
situations. The act of parenting in diasporic situations is as problematic as it is in the
case of internal diasporic situations. In other words, parents who migrate from one
state to another within a nation-state, have to negotiate acculturation-related problems
due to cultural heterogeneities pervasive across a nation-state. The impact of internal
diasporic situations upon the act of parenting is worth exploring and thus cannot be
left out of consideration. Shilpa Raj emerges as one of the young novelists who has
understood the worth of exploring the act of parenting in internal diasporic situations
and therefore has penned down The Elephant Chaser's Daughter – a brilliant fictional
manifestation of variegated parenting representations in internal diasporic situations.
Shilpa Raj lays bare different dimensions of parenting in the fictional narrative and
unveils how parenting leaves impact on the growth of the protagonist of the novel.
Most interestingly, Raj has brought out the need to put emphasis on internal diaspora
so far parenting is concerned in this novel. Along with it, the issue of border is
entwined with internal diaspora so much so that it cannot be left out of consideration
while examining parenting practices in internal diasporic situations. The notion of border which connotes a line of difference between two contesting spaces has been
exquisitely explored by Raj in connection with the parental representations in internal
diasporic situation. This article is intended to problematize parenting representation by
pitting it against the backdrop of internal diaspora. It aims to argue that the intricacies
germane to internal diaspora are bound to affect parenting and therefore can tenably
be subjected to theoretical deliberations.
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The present paper reflects upon the fundamental human desire and dream revolving around ultimate happiness or broadly speaking, well-being, and how a movie can be the best suited medium to appeal and evoke those of our emotions which will... more
The present paper reflects upon the fundamental human desire and dream revolving around ultimate happiness or broadly speaking, well-being, and how a movie can be the best suited medium to appeal and evoke those of our emotions which will force us into responding to that appeal. Drawing upon the principles of positive psychology, this paper studies the movie, Dear Zindagi as a practical guide to identify, acknowledge, accept and work upon our strengths and weaknesses and thereby, bring harmony and balance in life. It explores how the plot of this movie is modelled after the life of a typical millennial; it seeks to trace the indispensable crossroads in her/his life and it seeks to dig deep and decode the embedded techniques in the story which can galvanize them to take hold of their life and start orienting towards their true well-being. It critiques this movie as a visually played out story to analyse it from such a pragmatic point of view and recognize the underlying messages to accommodate the seemingly abnormal choices and unacceptable behaviours in the fast changing cultural scenarios.
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Mulk Raj Anand is a great pioneer in the domain of Indian-English fiction. He distinguishes between the upper class and lower class of people in the society through his first trilogy. He is free from East-West complex. Undoubtedly, he... more
Mulk Raj Anand is a great pioneer in the domain of Indian-English fiction. He distinguishes between the upper class and lower class of people in the society through his first trilogy. He is free from East-West complex. Undoubtedly, he believes in humanism and realism. He touches the themes of untouchability in Untouchable (1935), poverty, hunger and exploitation in Coolie (1936) and labour problem in Two Leaves and a Bud (1937). The writer shows his sympathy and compassion for the downtrodden and the poor people who face infinite problems to establish their identity. This paper is a study of discrimination and exploitation in his first trilogy.
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In African Society, just like any other human society, the birth of a child is greeted with joy. Igbo land is not an exception but the excitement is more when the child is a male. Therefore, traditionally in Igboland the discrimination... more
In African Society, just like any other human society, the birth of a child is greeted with joy. Igbo land is not an exception but the excitement is more when the child is a male. Therefore, traditionally in Igboland the discrimination against the female child starts right from the birth. Time changes everything. Education and urbanization enhanced women emancipation and liberation. The female writers emerged and emphasized the need for a change. They believe that they can protect themselves with intelligence, independent minds, higher education, enhanced earning capacity and social status. Women have made efforts to promote gender equality in leadership roles. Some women even went further in shaping political system through their leadership roles. This paper examines how Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie as female novelists succeeded in enriching African literature with the point of view: that women are good leaders and Africans should adopt a change of attitudes towards women and leadership. They must mould anew the African attitude to women as an integral part of an African living culture, and not an oppressive static past in restructuring Africa.
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Children's literature is one of the fastest growing areas of study. It has brought to light, in contemporary scholarship in the domain of humanities, many issues concerning the child. One of the issues is the issue of literary... more
Children's literature is one of the fastest growing areas of study. It has brought to light, in contemporary scholarship in the domain of humanities, many issues concerning the child. One of the issues is the issue of literary socialization, a vital process, which prepares the child to face the challenges of the present and the future realities of life. Since the ancient Greek period, writers in every part of the world have contributed to the education and entertainment of the child, by publishing books suitable for promoting enjoyment and value education. In Africa in general and West Africa in particular, a group of highly talented writers has been publishing books for children since the colonial times. Before independence, in most of the African countries, children were reading books which were designed and written by European writers for European children. Towards the dawn of independence, African writers realized the importance of writing and publishing in Africa for the African child. They made use of the traditional African folklore, legends, and ancient myths. This paper is an appraisal of the evolution of children's literature in Africa, since the colonial period to modern times. It highlights the fact that today books are being written by African writers in Africa, for the African child and many eminent writers are contributing to this marginalized genre of literature.
Research Interests: English Literature, Literature, Children's Literature, Theory of Children's Literature as a Genre, Children's Literature & Culture, and 8 moreChildren's and Young Adult Literature, African Literature, African American Literature, African-American Literature, South African Literature, Nigeria, English language and literature, and North African literature
The search for self for a woman, both inside and outside literature has had at one time or the other to confront the patriarchal system of society. Human society, in general, throughout the world has mainly been dominated by the male,... more
The search for self for a woman, both inside and outside literature has had at one time or the other to confront the patriarchal system of society. Human society, in general, throughout the world has mainly been dominated by the male, giving birth to the patriarchal system in which woman has been given a secondary role. The female identity finds no place of its own but the one in relation to man. The notion of male superiority has taken many forms-paternal tyranny against female child in the family, male supremacy in the state and summary dismissal of the intellectual capability of the female in intellectual fields. Because of this vulnerable state of giving birth to children which incapacitated her physically for a length of time and made her dependent on the male for food and shelter, she had to accept the male dominance in the family and consequently in society and state. The fiction of Shashi Deshpande not only takes note of the exploitation of women in the patriarchal system but also records the change that is taking place. Woman's search for self is one of her major fictional themes.
Research Interests: Indian studies, Feminism, Indian English Literature, Women of Color Feminism, Feminism(s), and 7 moreIndian Writing in English, Radical Feminism, Indian English Fiction, Feminismo, Postcolonialism and indian english fictions, Feminism and Gender Issues in Indian Writing in English, and Indian Writings in English
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is one of the prominent women novelists in Indian English literature. She shows her affinity with the advocates of feminism. She presents the urban middle class life in and around Delhi. Her women characters raise the... more
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is one of the prominent women novelists in Indian English literature. She shows her affinity with the advocates of feminism. She presents the urban middle class life in and around Delhi. Her women characters raise the voice against the patriarchal forces that deny freedom to women as enjoyed by men. They also strive for their identity in the male dominated society. The present research paper analyzes Jhabvala's novel Get Ready for Battle (1962) from the feminist point of view. Mrs. Sarala Devi is the wife of Gulzari Lal, a rich Punjabi businessman. She boldly raises her voice against male dominance and exploitation of women by men. In the course of this struggle she opposes openly the immoral habits of her husband and her own brother. She opposes her husband's attempt to buy the land of Bundi Busti and evict the inhabitants for his own economic gain. She lashes out at her brother Brij Mohan who leads immoral life and keeps relation with housemaids. Jhabvala advocates for freedom for women. It is also seen in the case of Sumi, a young marriageable girl of the novel.
Research Interests: Gender Studies, Gender History, Gender, Feminism, Women and Gender Issues in Islam, and 14 morePostcolonial Feminism, Indian English Literature, Gender and Development, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Novel, Feminist Literary Theory and Gender Studies, Indian Writing in English, Women and Gender Studies, Indian English Fiction, Feminismo, Postcolonialism and indian english fictions, Novels, Feminism and Gender Issues in Indian Writing in English, and Novelists
Using the theories of Kristeva, Lacan, and Freud, this article offers a psychoanalytic feminist explication of the language of the body in J. M. Coetzee's novel In the Heart of the Country (1977). A lonely spinster in a remote South... more
Using the theories of Kristeva, Lacan, and Freud, this article offers a psychoanalytic feminist explication of the language of the body in J. M. Coetzee's novel In the Heart of the Country (1977). A lonely spinster in a remote South African farm, the narrator constructs a subversive vision of the body to counter patriarchal social and linguistic constraints. In a colonialist setting duplicating patriarchal oppression, the undifferentiated "semiotic" is used to help the narrator construct a dissident counterpart to the "symbolic" master narrative of patriarchy. The transgressive "semiotic" disrupts the ordered "symbolic" in the hysterical reveries of the narrator, Magda, who weaves a discourse that writes back to patriarchal discourses on hysteria and colonialist ones subjecting women. The narrative dramatizes feminist concerns about identity and (in)equality, and the daring visceral, sexual, even obscene, language of some entries challenges the authority of master discourses. Lacking structure or logic, Magda's diaries embody semiotic signification as opposed to the cultural and social levels of meaning ascribed to patriarchy and even an extreme form of the semiotic, the "abject" as the excluded realm writing back to phallocentrism. The novel documents an oscillation between the symbolic and the semiotic dimensions of language to defy superimposed gender identities and oppressive binaries.
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Creative writers author many works depicting history while silhouetting it against some plot. Here it is very pertinent that historical facts should not be trivialized, also popular version with some biases should not be pressed into... more
Creative writers author many works depicting history while silhouetting it against some plot. Here it is very pertinent that historical facts should not be trivialized, also popular version with some biases should not be pressed into service during fictional account. The need to safeguard the historical sacredness of facts is very important since political leaders pander to popular history to whip up hatred. This is all the more important since vested interests are inclined to appropriate history by projecting their own version. Such subversion if accepted poisons the minds of the gullible sections of society. They feel that their forefathers had been wronged and therefore, seek to avenge the real or imagined perpetrators' progeny in the present. In the subcontinent, all the vested interests cutting across the barriers of religions have been responsible for the mayhem caused over the decades by "the so-called injustice" (my emphasis). Such prejudicial histories must be contested and the fallacious arguments be dismantled in light of looming threat to the survival of minorities in particular. Writing history over the last few centuries has become a muddled area as historians have got themselves entangled in the cobweb of promoting parochial interests. While throwing light on depiction of history and the pitfalls involved when it is foregrounded to some story, anecdotes etc., the paper descants upon locating the positioning of veiled historians in creative writing while touching upon the issue of partition in particular. A few Indian novels were taken for the study.
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This article problematizes the construction and destruction of both the Self and the Other through an analogy between the motivation of Victor Frankenstein in creating a monster in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein (1818) and the... more
This article problematizes the construction and destruction of both the Self and the Other through an analogy between the motivation of Victor Frankenstein in creating a monster in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein (1818) and the formation of the terrorist groups as both are the product of imperial, hegemonic Western powers. The premises of Edward Said’s (postcolonial) theory of “Orientalism” and Michel Foucault’s definition of the dichotomy of power and knowledge set the foundation of this analysis. The discussion corroborates with Said’s contention that this convenient “Other” becomes a necessity in order to define and uphold the Self. This approach, which seeks to subvert reductive epistemological and ideological superimposed structures that sanction dualisms, engages with an examination of these ossifications inherent in hierarchies and in the creation of terrorism as a new exigency arisen with the collapse of socialism, the traditional Other of the West. Frankenstein poses ontological questions and depicts unusual occurrences that underline existential alienation and consummate a hegemonic belief (rooted in Western discourse) in the “Other” as monstrous/barbaric. Trying to transcend these propagated images and distortions of the Other may fill the vacuum of human understanding and allow for a rethinking of all social and cultural conventions, culminating in destabilizing patriarchal and exclusionist systems of oppression. People need to address the root causes of terrorism ingrained in injustice and the demonization of the “Other,” issues that feed the spirit of antagonism toward the West. Frankenstein subverts the borderlines between the scientist and the monster through portraying an articulate, compassionate “monster,” which explains why most people mistakenly refer to the monster as “Frankenstein.” Likewise, it is often the case that oppression perpetrated by hegemonic powers creates the “terrorists” the West claims to resist.
Research Interests: American Literature, New Zealand Literature, English Literature, Literature, Canadian Literature, and 11 moreEnglish, African Literature, African American Literature, Indian English Literature, Jordan, Novel, Australian Literature, Indian English Fiction, Novels, English Literature and Language, and Early Modern English Literature and Drama
Black rice consumption gains its popularity in the modern world because of its various health benefits. It is a type of the rice species, Oryza sativa L. Its colour is black due to the presence of anthocyanin, an antioxidant in the... more
Black rice consumption gains its popularity in the modern world because of its various health benefits. It is a type of the rice species, Oryza sativa L. Its colour is black due to the presence of anthocyanin, an antioxidant in the pericarp (Outer Part) of the kernel. This rice is also known as forbidden rice or Emperor's rice, because in China, it was only consumed by the royals and believed that consumption of black rice would increase the life span of the king. It was not allowed or forbidden for use of the ordinary people. It is rich in nutrients and antioxidants. It reduces the incidence of diabetes, heart attack, allergy, inflammation, obesity, cancer, improves digestive system, and have antioxidant activity. Since black rice has various health benefits, it is also called the Super Food of modern world.
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In Greek, there are two words for alienation-'anomi' and 'anomia'. While 'anomia' stands for self-alienation, 'anomie' refers to alienation from society. In fact, self-alienation and alienation from society are the two basic forms of... more
In Greek, there are two words for alienation-'anomi' and 'anomia'. While 'anomia' stands for self-alienation, 'anomie' refers to alienation from society. In fact, self-alienation and alienation from society are the two basic forms of alienation. If a person's spontaneous individual self has been stunted or stifled, that person is said to be in a condition of alienation from himself or herself. The female characters of Shashi Deshpande suffer from both anomie and anomia. The reason in both the cases is patriarchal codes governing the society. Since ages they have deprived women of the right to live according to their own will. Deshpande's treatment of alienation in her women characters has a different dimension. Her protagonists, unlike the protagonists of Anita Desai, neither commit suicide nor go into self-exile because of an oppressive sense of alienation.
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Among the galaxy of short story writers, Guy de Maupassant was the most versatile and brilliant, who enriched French literature between the year 1800 and 1900. His stories cover the panorama of French life at the end of the nineteenth... more
Among the galaxy of short story writers, Guy de Maupassant was the most versatile and brilliant, who enriched French literature between the year 1800 and 1900. His stories cover the panorama of French life at the end of the nineteenth century. In numerous of stories he demonstrates struggle of social classes. Such noteworthy stories are "The Necklace", "The Beggar", "A Piece of String", "Simon's Papa" and "Boule de Suif", in which we find the struggle of social classes. His works reflect his interest in the emotional problems of social classes. He deeply studied different aspects of life around him and reveals the same in his stories, which are characterized by his economy of style and minutely observation of the problems, the pain, the inconveniences and sufferings of the society.
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The proposed paper is an attempt to interrogate the concept of 'Othering' which restricts a Western traveller to 'know' the 'other' culture. The cultural superiority of a Western traveller and his self-representation as a unique travel... more
The proposed paper is an attempt to interrogate the concept of 'Othering' which restricts a Western traveller to 'know' the 'other' culture. The cultural superiority of a Western traveller and his self-representation as a unique travel ego which legitimized 'Othering' in the 'Orient' was a result of the imperialist project. The imperial travel writers described the myths of a place, and emphasized on narrating the details of a place or monument, instead of bringing into life or giving voice to the people they encountered. As a result, these writers manage to furnish limited details about the place they visit. This trait is reflected in William Dalrymple's travel narratives. In this context, this paper aims at expanding the parameters of knowledge and space in travel narratives by destabilizing the colonial discourse, thereby offering an alternative epistemology to the imperial centre. By way of articulating experiences that are removed from dominant productions of knowledge, the travelogue of Vikram Seth offers frames of reference that exist outside the boundaries of essentialist 'knowledge' production. He writes chiefly about the people he encounters throughout his journey and unlike Dalrymple, Seth prioritizes their voice, and strives to decipher the 'other's' point of view. In the process, Seth dismantles the binary oppositions of self/other or the subject and the object positions. Thus, the paper aims to focus on the reversal of perspectives and presents the underlying differences in dealing with the travel narratives of both the writers and enables the readers to decipher the underlying meanings.
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'Environmental humanities' is an interdisciplinary field that offers a sound understanding of human-based causes for social, economic, scientific and environmental changes. It helps to understand the intricate relationship between people... more
'Environmental humanities' is an interdisciplinary field that offers a sound understanding of human-based causes for social, economic, scientific and environmental changes. It helps to understand the intricate relationship between people and the environment they construct. The paper proposes to study Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood as an important contribution to environmental humanities. The study evaluates the text as a 'Climate Fiction' (cli fi) to find ecofriendly ways to cohabit the planet. The novel portrays a post-apocalyptic scenario after the fatal blow caused by an epidemic that nearly wipes out the human race. Two female characters Toby and Ren, locked in a spa centre and a sticky zone, narrate the past and the present. Along with their memories, the text also presents oral hymns told by Adam one, the leader of ecofriendly group of the God's Gardeners. The narrative reveals that Glenn (Crake, the protagonist of Oryx and Crake), the top-compound genetic engineer, creates and spreads the pandemic to replace the species with a better version of post humans called Crakers. On a parallel ground the Gardeners who have been active for nearly twenty-five years before the arrival of the epidemic, respond to the sensation of making a positive change by recourse to religion and re-telling of the biblical myths.
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Fera by the controversial author Taslima Nasreen examines the chronicle of a migrant who has been searching for her true identity. This novel stresses upon the emotions of a Bangladeshi emigrant whose memory oscillates between... more
Fera by the controversial author Taslima Nasreen examines the chronicle of a migrant who has been searching for her true identity. This novel stresses upon the emotions of a Bangladeshi emigrant whose memory oscillates between romanticizing over idyllic past days spent in Bangladesh and confronting hardcore reality in India as a refugee. This paper intends to explore the traumatic sufferings and psychic torments of the protagonist while trying to synthesize the cultural dilemmas of two nations: cultures inherited by birth and customs adopted in host land. Caught between an emotional imbroglio and the fervent desire to visit her motherland Kalyani travels back to Bangladesh in search of her roots. The paper takes the initiative to analyze her journey from the point of view of diasporic literature while giving a stress to some cognate issues like societal constraints, cultural difference, the ethos of diverse communities and identity crisis. This paper interrogates how ecology and her association with her surroundings loom largely over definingher identity. It also focuses how camaraderie is shared by human beings with natural phenomena like river, trees, land etc. This trait of the novel gives a way to analyze the text from ecocritical angle too. The border between two nations i.e. India and Bangladesh, doesn't remain a spatial character; its pervasive presence is felt in the hearts of the citizens residing in two countries. The corpus of this paper also highlights the binary between the thoughts of two women: Sharifa, Kalyani's childhood friend, who is relegated to the status of producing children and looking after the household chores and Kalyani, who travels to her motherland to reclaim her native identity.
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The post-independent era of Indian English literature witnesses the emergence of feminine sensibility, and women writers like like Kamala Markandaya, Anita Desai, Kamala Das, Manju Kapur, Shashi Deshpande, Mamta Kalia, Gauri Deshpande,... more
The post-independent era of Indian English literature witnesses the emergence of feminine sensibility, and women writers like like Kamala Markandaya, Anita Desai, Kamala Das, Manju Kapur, Shashi Deshpande, Mamta Kalia, Gauri Deshpande, Nayantara Sahgal, Bharati Mukherjee, Arundhati Roy, Anita Nair, Eunice De Souza, Sujata Bhatt, Shobha De, Mahasweta Devi and many others try their best for the literary emancipation of not only women but also the marginalized and exploited sections of the society. Among these writers, Mahasweta Devi is one such who recreates a span of history which contains the mechanics of exploitation, depressed communities of India, politicoeconomical policies of the upper class and social evils and maladies, and for showing all these, she falls in the category of those writers writing in their native languages whose writings are translated regularly into English.An essentially human vision rooted in her imparts a grand encroachment on the contemporary literary scenario. She sings for those whose songs of suffering, prayer, despair, protest and disillusionment are unheard. In her works she tries to give voice to the voiceless and shows the ways to survive and protest. Her Urvashi O Johnny is one such play that deals with survival policies through the character of non-living Urvashi and her owner Johnny, a ventriloquist. The play is written at the time of emergency and in this circumstance Johnny’s death because of his throat cancer shows how the democratic rights have been suppressed under establishment. But Johnny attempts to find his own petty way out to survive and for him survival means to stay happy. This paper makes an attempt to show how people, like Johnny, try to survive by searching happiness which symbolises his freedom - freedom from all kinds of oppression in dehumanised human condition.
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According to WHO's fact sheet, worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980 and it is also researched that overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. The data and facts related to obesity are alarming worldwide and... more
According to WHO's fact sheet, worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980 and it is also researched that overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. The data and facts related to obesity are alarming worldwide and efforts towards generating awareness about the ill effects of obesity are on the rise. The anti-obesity posters, advertisements, images, etc., are loaded with visual cues (such as signs, images, colours and so on) to captivate viewer's thoughts and communicate the message in the most appealing manner. It is interesting to observe what they contain and how effectively they suggest the pernicious consequences of obesity on adults and children. The paper analyses these visual cues and examines them for their impact on the psyche of the viewer. The methodology of this research is semiotic analysis, which has provided the tools here for analyzing selected images available online, containing anti-obesity text messages with conspicuous illustrations.
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Cinema as an art is constantly innovating and over-toppling its own pinnacle of achieved glory. In a century or so since its inception, the age of First Cinema (character and situation oriented) and Second (comparative perspective from an... more
Cinema as an art is constantly innovating and over-toppling its own pinnacle of achieved glory. In a century or so since its inception, the age of First Cinema (character and situation oriented) and Second (comparative perspective from an objective viewpoint) have become passé with the arrival of Third Cinema (a term coined by Michael Wayne in his book Political Cinema: The Dialectics of Third Cinema) a genre which has a strong literary and cultural grounding but takes one step further by bringing to the art of cinema-the range, depth and concerns of contemporary politics; a conscious political interlinkage between creator and spectator; clear portrayal of subaltern concerns and cultural specificities. Side stepping the avowed objectives of recreation and supreme creation, Third Cinema seeks to help the spectator build clear political ideologies and loyalties, an imperative in a multi perspective, deceptive, constantly fluctuating political environment. I shall undertake the study of select Third cinema specimen from Bollywood movies and attempt to align them with the prevalent thought and ideology of the day to eke out generalities, predict movements and showcase successful outcomes.
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In the twenty-first century, advertisements have changed drastically worldwide. The contemporary popular and effective advertisements not only try to promote and sell their products, services and ideas but also convey some sense of social... more
In the twenty-first century, advertisements have changed drastically worldwide. The contemporary popular and effective advertisements not only try to promote and sell their products, services and ideas but also convey some sense of social responsibility. The Indian advertisement industry witnessed a reformation in 2008 when the advertisement of Tata Tea, (Jaago Re) was launched. It was, to a great extent, a type of rejoinder to the criticism of the then prevalent television advertisements. However, the basic purpose of the advertisements remains unchanged. Some of the advertisements, in the recent past, played a decisive role in raising some of the fundamental social issues, like issues related to gender, education, health, etc. It has been observed that some of the advertisements are loaded with messages which question the orthodox and conservative social practices, values and beliefs. It seems academically viable to examine some of the select advertisements in order to see how and to what extent they influence society and its culture. The present study deals with the critical analysis of some of the select television advertisements in relation to stereotypical social values in India. The study looks at the advertisements as texts and it analyses them with the perspective of literature. As we know advertisements not only work as a catalyst to gradual social change but also hint at the change advertisers try to suggest overtly or covertly.
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Existentialism is a philosophical theory, flourished after Second World War in Europe which made people think about their existence and question it. The concept of human existence and meaninglessness of life is discussed by many... more
Existentialism is a philosophical theory, flourished after Second World War in Europe which made people think about their existence and question it. The concept of human existence and meaninglessness of life is discussed by many existentialist philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus. Some of the existential concepts like absurdity, meaninglessness of human existence, anxiety and existentialist characters are visible in Indian Hindi cinema. These existential glimpses can be found in the films like Akhon
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Postcolonialism is the study of theory and literature which analyses the after effects of the colonial era, that is, the effects of the coloniser on the colonised. One of the essential threads in the realm of Postcolonialism is the... more
Postcolonialism is the study of theory and literature which analyses the after effects of the colonial era, that is, the effects of the coloniser on the colonised. One of the essential threads in the realm of Postcolonialism is the Subaltern, a term coined and adopted by the Marxist philosopher and theorist, Antonio Gramsci. The term is used as a reference to the colonised South Asian sub-continent and encompasses an area in the study of culture, history, human geography, sociology, anthropology and literature. This paper traces the history of Subaltern Studies in India pioneered by Ranajit Guha and focuses on the work of Gayatri Spivak who had developed this idea a step further and asks the question, "Can the Subaltern Speak?", and throws light on the comprehension of historical narratives of women's resistance in India.
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Easterine Kire enjoys a special status in the literary history of Nagas because of her meticulous portrayal of socio-cultural life. She is a pioneer in unravelling and reviving the greatness of Naga oral cultures, be it the folklore or... more
Easterine Kire enjoys a special status in the literary history of Nagas because of her meticulous portrayal of socio-cultural life. She is a pioneer in unravelling and reviving the greatness of Naga oral cultures, be it the folklore or knowledge of ancestral people. In her novels, A Naga Village Remembered (2003), A Terrible Matriarchy (2007), Mari (2010), Life on Hold (2011), Bitter Wormwood (2011), When the River Sleeps (2014), we find a sensitive and authentic voices of the tribal people of Nagaland. Her narratives contain deep social awareness and cultural picture that invites us into the real life of the Naga people. What remains interesting is that Kire writes from her own standpoint using historical documents from Naga society. The paper highlights the fictional narratives of Easterine Kire. It develops a positive concept for understanding of the Naga socio-cultural dynamics and upholds their unique traditions.
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Nigeria as the most populated African nation has never experienced real unification right from the birth of the nation in 1914. Tribalism and day to day ethnic conflicts continue to manifest not minding the singing of 'One Nigeria' by the... more
Nigeria as the most populated African nation has never experienced real unification right from the birth of the nation in 1914. Tribalism and day to day ethnic conflicts continue to manifest not minding the singing of 'One Nigeria' by the political class as against the cry of the populace. The evidence of patriotism is questionable due to the high level of corruption and low regard of public accountability the political leaders display. Despite the return to democratic rule since 1999 in Nigeria, there is a rise in terrorism and corruption in the country which still revolve around tribalism and abuse of power. One of the themes of Nigerian literature, as a representation of life and mirror to the society, is the flaws associated with political leadership and the ways forward to reforming the society. This study aims at bringing out the open evidences of lack of unity and patriotism among political class and the populace as represented in some selected Nigerian novels. The paper also explores the job of creative writers as social reformers by highlighting their suggested ways to buttress great love for our fatherland if we actually want the manifestation of 'One Nigeria' as we sing.
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Most novels of the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970, especially those written by writers of Igbo extraction, depict women that contribute in diverse ways to the survival of people in Biafra during the 30-month fratricidal war. Besides... more
Most novels of the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970, especially those written by writers of Igbo extraction, depict women that contribute in diverse ways to the survival of people in Biafra during the 30-month fratricidal war. Besides women's participation in the attack trade, another sphere that women prove their mettle and contribute to the survival of people in Biafra is the provision of social service to both the army and the needy civilian population. Apart from providing food and clothes to the soldiers, women also serve as nurses in hospitals as well as caregivers at refugee camps and feeding centres. Some studies have tangentially treated this aspect of the Nigerian Civil war narrative as it affects women. This paper attempts to comprehensively analyze the various depictions of women as resourceful social service providers during the Nigerian Civil War as portrayed in Chukwuemeka Ike's Sunset at Dawn and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun.
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Blake's "The Divine Image", in fact, celebrates the traditional Christian virtues of Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love. Man, by nature, also possesses these virtues, but fails to realize it. A man can rise up to the level of God if only he... more
Blake's "The Divine Image", in fact, celebrates the traditional Christian virtues of Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love. Man, by nature, also possesses these virtues, but fails to realize it. A man can rise up to the level of God if only he realizes the inherent qualities in him. In this regard the poem adopts a didactic tone. It is nothing but a sermon in verse. It is extremely simple but this deceptive simplicity deepens once the reader deflects his thought towards the philosophical suggestions of the poem. For Blake man is not merely created in the image of God, but Man is God and God is Man. God and Man are the same, in so far as these attributes of God viz., Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love are shared by God and Man. The poem "A Divine Image" on the other hand, tries to show that cruelty, jealousy, terror and secrecy are abstract ideas but they have no reality apart from human beings. It is from the heart of human beings that cruelty comes. It is human beings who are jealous, who cause terror, who create secrecy. Human heart is strong like iron. It is as powerful and as full of potentially destructive, as well as constructive, energy as a forge or a furnace. The human heart is not soft and tender but a consuming mouth, like that of a beast. The experience, for Blake means the sophisticated, post-lapsarian plight of the human beings. Blake might have wished to include this poem as the counterpart to "The Divine Image", just as he did with regard to "The Lamb" and "The Tyger" and formulated the lines in a way resembling that of "The Tyger", but never included this in the Songs of Experience during his life time.
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Dr. Vijay Kumar Roy is a bilingual poet, editor and critic. He started writing poems at the age of nineteen. He has authored and edited twenty books on English poetry, Hindi poetry, Indian English poetry, Indian English fiction, Peace... more
Dr. Vijay Kumar Roy is a bilingual poet, editor and critic. He started writing poems at the age of nineteen. He has authored and edited twenty books on English poetry, Hindi poetry, Indian English poetry, Indian English fiction, Peace Literature, Comparative Literature, and English Language Teaching. Dr. Roy is a man of principle. He has deep faith in the Almighty. He is fascinated by two things in life: beauty and truth. To him beauty does not mean external beauty. He believes in the inner beauty of man which helps him to find the truth. For him, beauty is synonymous with truth. The poet has a tender heart to find the presence of Almighty in all creatures as well as in nature. His collection of poems, Realm of Beauty and Truth, published in 2016 contains poems dealing with his love for humanity, search for truth and quest for spirituality. The present paper aims at dealing with his spiritual quest in this collection of poems.
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Vijay Kumar Roy’s collection of poems covers the themes of beauty, truth, love, spirituality, patriotism, peace and universal brotherhood.
Research Interests:
The word 'teacher' represents knowledge-transfer of knowledge from the teacher to the taught. In fact, the foundation that builds a person is to great extent based on the knowledge he gets from his teacher. If there is somebody other than... more
The word 'teacher' represents knowledge-transfer of knowledge from the teacher to the taught. In fact, the foundation that builds a person is to great extent based on the knowledge he gets from his teacher. If there is somebody other than our parents who plays an important role in our mental development, it's our teachers. A good teacher doesn't mean he/she teaches well, but can make students know they can learn well. To make students interested in their learning, first a teacher should make them aware of what they are capable for. Teaching is a procedure that intimately involves both the students and teacher together. This profession needs sincerity, creativity, dedication and imagination that require to take teaching to heart and to care about each problem. The more a teacher thinks about a student, more he/she gets the solution. Being a teacher, one should try to understand problem area; problems among students can vary to friends, family or on personal condition. Psychological analysis gives a reason why a student is not learning and helps finding a solution. It is important to help teachers to make self-improvement. Teachers should think out various ways and try them out in teaching, as it will help to make the class more interesting and create more chances for us to improve the teaching. Teachers should also try to find if there are any physical or mental problems with weak students. For example, if a student is unable to write something from board or to comprehend with the speaker, he may have some physiological, psychological, environmental, linguistics, and content barriers. Some students may also suffer from interpretation problems which make them unable to cope with all students of the class. Here comes the main duty of teachers to find problems first and then treat students accordingly. The teacher of the present time should be open to the world, learn about what happens therein and follow up the new developments in the field of competence; otherwise, he falls prey to cognitive illiteracy.
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There has been a prominent shift within the field of language learning and teaching over the last few decades with greater emphasis being put on learners and learning rather than on teachers and teaching. Therefore, special focus has been... more
There has been a prominent shift within the field of language learning and teaching over the last few decades with greater emphasis being put on learners and learning rather than on teachers and teaching. Therefore, special focus has been given to the curriculum and the materials being taught. The present study aimed to find out the extentof learner-centered activities in the intermediate stage English textbooks at Saudi Arabian public schools. Based on the criteria of analysis, the work analyzed the activities of the textbooks for learner-centeredness. The findings of the study showed that the number of learner-centered activities was low compared to the non-learner-centered ones. In light of the findings, the work recommended that more incorporation of learner-centered activities should be adopted in the English language textbooks of the intermediate stage in Saudi Arabia.
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English spoken by educated people in Kerala is a regional variant of Indian English commonly called Malayalee-English (M.E). The M.E is influenced in its pronunciation and syntax by Malayalam-the mother tongue of the speakers. This L 1... more
English spoken by educated people in Kerala is a regional variant of Indian English commonly called Malayalee-English (M.E). The M.E is influenced in its pronunciation and syntax by Malayalam-the mother tongue of the speakers. This L 1 influence/ colouring on L 2 is denoted with the terms interference/negative transfer. It is generally held that interference is the main causative factor that produces the Indian English accents. However, the distinct Malayalee-English accent is not due to interference alone. Innovations in pronunciation by M.E bilinguals also factor in making the M.E a highly noticeable variety of Indian English. This study, based on a survey of the English pronunciation of a group of undergraduates highlights some of the pronunciation innovations in M.E through insertion and elision of certain sounds.
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Women have taken to sea, serving on board ships which were previously a male dominated industry. They can be found at all levels in the industry. They have historically constituted a small percentage of seafarers. They continue to... more
Women have taken to sea, serving on board ships which were previously a male dominated industry. They can be found at all levels in the industry. They have historically constituted a small percentage of seafarers. They continue to establish themselves in the maritime sector at all levels, despite traditional perceptions that seafaring is reserved exclusively for men. Women seafarers from Russia, England and China have always been part of the maritime industry. The presence of women lends itself to new and complex areas of development on board cargo vessels, cruise, passenger ships and ferries. Women face many challenges to maintain a growing presence and growth as seafarers. While the demands and expectation of women may vary, common for all, are the challenges that faced in maintaining a healthy work life while also paying close attention to their family responsibilities. This paper seeks to explore the challenges that female seafarers experience on boards ships at sea; while at the same time maintaining and nurturing a relationship with their family.
Research Interests:
Dalvir Singh Gahlawat is a burgeoning distinguished voice in Indian English poetry. He is the artist of feelings, experiences, and nature. He is very close to nature and man. In his poems he describes and understands human nature in... more
Dalvir Singh Gahlawat is a burgeoning distinguished voice in Indian English poetry. He is the artist of feelings, experiences, and nature. He is very close to nature and man. In his poems he describes and understands human nature in different conditions. He portraits the pictures of the so called modern society where we see the peak of luxuries and lack of love, trust and loyalty. He is a writer of a number of books on literature as well as Indian Police System. His book, Smile from the Veil: Collection of Poems (2014) is fully pregnant with fecund and innovative ideas. The poems portray the real pictures of life. In today's competitive self-centered world where each and every person is trying to get physical comforts, it seems that the poet, beyond the above, observes the importance of inner feelings of trust. In his beautiful poem "Wall of Trust" he has presented problems of life with notable path of solutions i.e. incredible dedication and adaptability. This paper tries to delineate the importance and weakness of 'Trust' through his poem "Wall of Trust" wherein the poet shows that 'Trust' is too weak to stand on the surface of loyalty, honesty and dedication in this "world of flatterers and money makers". Trust can be shaken by the outer forces if it is not protected from the flattery and "Yes-man-ship". However, in order to make it so strong, it requires to be nurtured with confidence, incredible dedication and adaptability. It requires victory over negativity and outer upheaval. It is the very truth of life that one has to go and go towards the path of adaptability by the way of incredible dedication without any hesitation in order to survive for long in this self-centered world as incredible dedication and adaptability are the true intelligence of human kind.
Research Interests:
In the poetry of W. B. Yeats, one comes across the poet's preoccupation almost with the totality of human concerns in life and it is notable that reality for an artist, as per the poet, lies in the tension between two ideal opposites of... more
In the poetry of W. B. Yeats, one comes across the poet's preoccupation almost with the totality of human concerns in life and it is notable that reality for an artist, as per the poet, lies in the tension between two ideal opposites of experience. A pattern of dialectics thus characterises the whole poetic world of Yeats and what he aspired for as an artist, was a 'Unity of Being' which would combine the ultimate forms of Realities such as life and art. In the complicated search of the poet, old age with its debilities also receives a due yet problematic treatment in Yeats' later poetry. The present paper seeks to establish how Yeats' initially angry and dismissive reaction to age as something deterrent to his search for an ideal vision of 'truth,' gradually develops first into a spirit of acceptance and then into a discovery of its sharpening effect on his passion and muse with which he feels to have realised his dream of achieving a unity in the sphere of realisation and artistic creation.
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Lord Tennyson, the leading Victorian poet of English literature is hailed today not only a representative poet delineating the doubt and dilemma of his age, but also a great poetic figure who has discussed extensively the myths and... more
Lord Tennyson, the leading Victorian poet of English literature is hailed today not only a representative poet delineating the doubt and dilemma of his age, but also a great poetic figure who has discussed extensively the myths and legends of the past in most of his poems. He is very much successful in including Greek and Roman mythology as the basis of his poetry. His purpose is to give some universal philosophies through the speeches of his characters. Hence we find both mythology and philosophy in his poetry simultaneously.
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As it should have always been with regard to approaching any of the works of William Blake's 'Composite Art', a threefold approach of viewing the text of the poem side by side with its illuminated painting and in the context of the Bible... more
As it should have always been with regard to approaching any of the works of William Blake's 'Composite Art', a threefold approach of viewing the text of the poem side by side with its illuminated painting and in the context of the Bible is followed in this study of "The Little Black Boy", too. Dwelling on the critical heritage of this attractive song, an attempt is made in this study specially on the reversal of the roles of the white boy and the black boy in realizing the core principles of human love which breaks the barriers of caste, colour and creed. William Blake, using his skilful touches both with the lines and the images and with the strong allusions to the biblical themes of love, very effectively connives at the supreme importance of bearing with any human beings irrespective of caste, colour and creed which is the basis for peaceful and healthy human coexistence. In the sheepfold of Jesus Christ, the Eternal Shepherd, children of all colours, castes and creeds flock together and any sort of superiority on the basis of colour, caste or creed is purely a creation of the privileged class and not at all reasonable or compatible with Christ's world view.
Research Interests:
The present paper is an exhaustive study of the treatment of patriarchy and gender issues in Mahesh Dattani's debut play Where There's a Will. Patriarchy and gender are the major themes in the plays of Mahesh Dattani, which he has used as... more
The present paper is an exhaustive study of the treatment of patriarchy and gender issues in Mahesh Dattani's debut play Where There's a Will. Patriarchy and gender are the major themes in the plays of Mahesh Dattani, which he has used as a significant tool to give a new face to Indian English drama. Dattani has picked up the highly practical issues of Indian society which has been faced by majority of people. Almost all issues taken up by Dattani in his plays are radical, unconventional and contemporary. He has prepared the stage for the treatment of realism.
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Bapsi Sidhwa's The Ice Candy Man (1989) is a standing example of the relationship between partition and women. It portrays a broad cross-section of Lahore society both before and after the city became a part of Pakistan. The narrative is... more
Bapsi Sidhwa's The Ice Candy Man (1989) is a standing example of the relationship between partition and women. It portrays a broad cross-section of Lahore society both before and after the city became a part of Pakistan. The narrative is in the first person, the narrator being an eight year old handicapped Parsi girl. The beginning and the end of the novel are highlighted with two epigraphs, through which the novelist expresses her earnest desire to work urgently to heal the wounds of partition and to give words to the tragedy.
Research Interests:
In Indian English fiction Bhabani Bhattacharya, like Mulk Raj Anand, is a socially conscious artist. He believes that "an artist should delineate contemporary reality rather than recreate the historical or legendary theme" (Srivastava 5).... more
In Indian English fiction Bhabani Bhattacharya, like Mulk Raj Anand, is a socially conscious artist. He believes that "an artist should delineate contemporary reality rather than recreate the historical or legendary theme" (Srivastava 5). In the novel Music for Mohini he feels that what was political liberty worth to the common man if it was not part of a renascence in social life? If freedom is to be made effective, India must reorient her national life on a new social basis where the woman has to sacrifice her comforts in the social rejuvenation of India. Mohini, the heroine of the novel, is symbolic of "the New India," of the newly emerged free India. The present study is a thorough depiction of woman's sacrifice of her comforts and adoption of alien customs and conventions for the sake of societal and cultural development of the nation. The study also depicts how a woman plays a role of a bridge between cultures, customs and conventions.
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India born Canadian author Stephen Gill discusses the possibility of adopting multiculturalism as the principle on which world peace can rest in his novel The Coexistence. Raghu Nath, the hero and the spokesperson of the author, freely... more
India born Canadian author Stephen Gill discusses the possibility of adopting multiculturalism as the principle on which world peace can rest in his novel The Coexistence. Raghu Nath, the hero and the spokesperson of the author, freely expresses his dissatisfaction with wars, genocides, prejudices, xenophobia, racism and discrimination. He seems to be actively involved in the debate of world peace and suggests the idea of live and let live, symbiosis, and multiculturalism as possible ways for the attainment of world peace. Gill seems to reject the Darwinian principle of struggle for existence and suggests that nature offers examples of symbiotic relationship. He is hopeful that world peace will be achieved when there will be a world parliament and national prejudices will be won over. He sincerely believes in the idea of emergence of a World-state. In fact the novel The Coexistence appears to be the summary of the emerging socio-political discourse in the developed world.
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Sashi Deshpande's novels are woman-centric. Her protagonists refuse to live on the margins of a male dominated society, but see themselves as women in their own rights who are ready to draw new boundaries for themselves. Small Remedies... more
Sashi Deshpande's novels are woman-centric. Her protagonists refuse to live on the margins of a male dominated society, but see themselves as women in their own rights who are ready to draw new boundaries for themselves. Small Remedies (2000) is also a woman-centric novel. It depicts the life of two women who lived almost fifty years ago in a male dominated society. In such a milieu, two young women, Savitribai Indorekar and Leela, find courage to defy all mores, break from their families and pursue their passions. Madhu, the narrator of the novel who is closely connected with both of these women, has her own life to live. The novel moves backward and forward in time to depict the life of these three women. Be it olden times or recent ones, all the three women have one feature in common-they are confident persons who know what they want and how to get it. They are dependent upon men for a harmonious and balanced life but at the same time they live life on their own terms. The present paper explores women subjugation and resistance in Deshpande's Small Remedies.
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The paper seeks to explore how the lunatic fringe is hell-bent on whipping up communal frenzy. As evidenced in the novels, most of the communal leaders are rank practitioners of politics and therefore, foment trouble for one or other... more
The paper seeks to explore how the lunatic fringe is hell-bent on whipping up communal frenzy. As evidenced in the novels, most of the communal leaders are rank practitioners of politics and therefore, foment trouble for one or other paltry reason. The Indian ethos, which has long been extolled, has been at stake in the last part of the second millennium. It has also witnessed, as evidenced in the novels, the animosity and rancour between the secular and communal forces each trying to outwit the other. The ideologues of communal leaders would always like to harp on the contradictions between Hindu-Muslim traditions. Some of the worth mentioning differences between them come handy for communalists to subvert popular discontent of economic oppression in the main. A few novels are pressed into service to substantiate the argument.
Research Interests:
In every society, without any exception of caste or culture, life has never been easy for women, but the way life used to take turn for little Bengali girls after marriage was a matter of great surprise and sadness for Rabindranath... more
In every society, without any exception of caste or culture, life has never been easy for women, but the way life used to take turn for little Bengali girls after marriage was a matter of great surprise and sadness for Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore was never comfortable with the inequality of man-woman relationship. He always advocated equality of rights and respect for both the sexes; therefore he made his writings a medium to preach equal liberty for men and women. His phenomenal work of art, The Wreck depicts the matrix in married life of Kamala, Nalin, Ramesh and Hem. All the characters of this novel are bound in the clutches of chance and fate but finally emerge as victorious. The novel presents the psychological development of Kamala from a child-bride to a responsible wife, and through her character the novelist has highlighted the importance of female education and questions the custom of arrange marriage in the contemporary Bengali society.
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The paper presents an exploration of the literary and cultural contributions of a 16th century Odia saint poet who represented the oppressed communities of his time like cowherdmen, fishermen and other castes and worked for the... more
The paper presents an exploration of the literary and cultural contributions of a 16th century Odia saint poet who represented the oppressed communities of his time like cowherdmen, fishermen and other castes and worked for the socio-cultural upliftment of these communities through religious and socioeconomic activities. It is said that this saint wrote one lakh books, all devoted to glorify the great incarnation of God, Lord Krishna. A propagator of neo-Vaishnavism, he contributed profusely to the medieval Odia religious literature, where he has narrated his personal experience from yoga, sadhana and ponderance over religious thoughts/experiences and his practices as a karmayogi (crusader of action) and jnanayogi (crusader of knowledge). Describing himself through his own spiritual experience and vision as a companion of the Lord through the various ages, he had created several personal myths and had adopted a large number of disciples from various communities leaving behind a tradition of guru-shishya (preceptor-disciple) in the communities which have been following him so far and a religious sect of his own creating a community of worshippers who are called brahma-gopala who are adept in religio-cultural activities, etc. This poet-saint was the contemporary of Sri Chaitanya and had other four companions in Odisha who together were the five Vaishnava saints and poets, popularly called Panchasakha, i.e., five friends.
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Volume VII of Ars Artium offers fifteen critical articles on different areas of English Studies and Culture. In the first article, Dr. Motasim O. Al-Mwajeh and Dr. Shadi S. Neimneh critically examine the construction and destruction of... more
Volume VII of Ars Artium offers fifteen critical articles on different areas of English Studies and Culture. In the first article, Dr. Motasim O. Al-Mwajeh and Dr. Shadi S. Neimneh critically examine the construction and destruction of both the 'Self' and the 'Other' in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. They use Edward Said's theory of "Orientalism" and Michel Foucault's concept of power and knowledge in this study.
Dr. V. Pala Prasada Rao and Mr. G. Nageswara Rao, in their article "Historicity of Creative Literature", analyse the need of historical sacredness of facts and argue that history should not be appropriated by any means as the subversion of the same under some influence can be poisonous and cause hatred in some sections of society. They begin the article with important lines of Miguel de Cervantes, "History is a
sacred kind of writing, because truth is essential to it, and where truth is, there God himself is, so far as truth is concerned", and use Shashi Tharoor's Riot (2001), Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India (1988), Bhisham Sahni's Tamas (1974), and also Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India (1946) in their study.
There are three critical articles on Feminism. Dr. Shadi S. Neimneh, Prof.
Marwan M. Obeidat and Dr. Motasim O. Al-Mwajeh in their joint article examine the language of the body in J. M. Coetzee's novel, In the Heart of the Country (1977), in a psychoanalytic feminist approach using the theories of Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, and Sigmund Freud. Dr. Mohan Lal Mahto analyses Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Get Ready for Battle (1962) from feminist perspective and Mr. Vinay Kumar Dubey examines patriarchy and woman's search for self in the major novels of Shashi
Deshpande.
Prof. Zafar Khan, in his article on Children’s Literature, evaluates the evolution of Children's Literature in Africa since the colonial period to modern times. Dr. Evelyn Nwachukwu Urama examines discrimination against women in African society and the changing roles of the Igbo women as presented in the selected works of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the African women novelists.
In his article on Indian Fiction in English, Dr. Rabindra Das examines
discrimination and exploitation in the first trilogy of Mulk Raj Anand, namely Untouchable (1935), Coolie (1936) and Two Leaves and a Bud (1937).
There is an article on Film Studies by Dr. Sumati in which she studies the movie Dear Zindagi (2016) on the principles of positive psychology and tries to establish the fact that such a movie could be the best suited medium and a practical guide to appeal one's emotions and identify one's strengths and weaknesses in order to bring harmony and balance in life.
Mr. Abhisek Ghosal's article examines different dimensions of parenting in internal diasporic situations as presented in Shilpa Raj's memoir, The Elephant Chaser's Daughter (2017). He vividly explores acculturation-related problems that affect parenting and necessitate the parents to negotiate with them for the cause of success.
Mr. Aiman Reyaz and Dr. Priyanka Tripathi's study is an exploration of realism and anti-realism in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
There is a critical article on Translation Studies by Ms. Bastabika Das. In her article, she studies the influence of Cold War (after the Second World War) on the translated works of some Nobel Laureates in Odia and their impact on the people of Odisha as this eastern Indian state was undergoing major changes: socially, culturally and politically around the same time.
There is an article on Indian English Poetry by Dr. Pawan Kumar Jha in which he presents the discourse of love and beauty in the selected poems of Sri Aurobindo.
We have an article on ecocriticism by Dr. G. Anish S. Georshia in which she examines Indigenous writings of Australia and Canada and brings to light the symbiosis of nature and culture as portrayed in Indigenous writings along with Indigenous spirituality and ecocritical characteristics.
The article by Prof. Rekha Pande and Ms. Neeharika Joshi is a comprehensive study of representation of women in Garhwal miniature painting, an offshoot of Pahari painting. The authors provide historical accounts of paintings as well as different schools of paintings including Mewar, Bundi, Kotah, Marwar, Jaipur and Kishangarh. They also explore the murals of the caves of Ajanta and Ellora reminding us of Indian
philosophy of the sensuous and the sublime, an important part of Indian aesthetics.
There are three book reviews. Bhaskaranand Jha Bhaskar's collection of poems, Soothing Serenades: Straight from the Heart (2018), has been reviewed by Dr. Tribhuwan Kumar; Binod Mishra's collection of poems, Multiple Waves (2017), has been reviewed by Dr. S. Somasundari Latha; and Zafar Khan's Thirty-one Steps to Fluent Spoken English: Conversational English for the Speakers of Other Languages (2016), has been reviewed by Dr. Shahid Mushtaq.
As poetry is an important part of Ars Artium, there are moving poems by a number of poets from different countries: Prof. Charles Fishman (USA), Prof. Zafar Khan (USA), Prof. Neal Whitman (USA), Dr. Bishakha Sarma (India), Ms. Kaneez Fatima Syeda (Pakistan), Prof. Hadaa Sendoo (Mongolia), and Ms. Nibedita Sen (India).
Dr. V. Pala Prasada Rao and Mr. G. Nageswara Rao, in their article "Historicity of Creative Literature", analyse the need of historical sacredness of facts and argue that history should not be appropriated by any means as the subversion of the same under some influence can be poisonous and cause hatred in some sections of society. They begin the article with important lines of Miguel de Cervantes, "History is a
sacred kind of writing, because truth is essential to it, and where truth is, there God himself is, so far as truth is concerned", and use Shashi Tharoor's Riot (2001), Bapsi Sidhwa's Cracking India (1988), Bhisham Sahni's Tamas (1974), and also Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India (1946) in their study.
There are three critical articles on Feminism. Dr. Shadi S. Neimneh, Prof.
Marwan M. Obeidat and Dr. Motasim O. Al-Mwajeh in their joint article examine the language of the body in J. M. Coetzee's novel, In the Heart of the Country (1977), in a psychoanalytic feminist approach using the theories of Julia Kristeva, Jacques Lacan, and Sigmund Freud. Dr. Mohan Lal Mahto analyses Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Get Ready for Battle (1962) from feminist perspective and Mr. Vinay Kumar Dubey examines patriarchy and woman's search for self in the major novels of Shashi
Deshpande.
Prof. Zafar Khan, in his article on Children’s Literature, evaluates the evolution of Children's Literature in Africa since the colonial period to modern times. Dr. Evelyn Nwachukwu Urama examines discrimination against women in African society and the changing roles of the Igbo women as presented in the selected works of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the African women novelists.
In his article on Indian Fiction in English, Dr. Rabindra Das examines
discrimination and exploitation in the first trilogy of Mulk Raj Anand, namely Untouchable (1935), Coolie (1936) and Two Leaves and a Bud (1937).
There is an article on Film Studies by Dr. Sumati in which she studies the movie Dear Zindagi (2016) on the principles of positive psychology and tries to establish the fact that such a movie could be the best suited medium and a practical guide to appeal one's emotions and identify one's strengths and weaknesses in order to bring harmony and balance in life.
Mr. Abhisek Ghosal's article examines different dimensions of parenting in internal diasporic situations as presented in Shilpa Raj's memoir, The Elephant Chaser's Daughter (2017). He vividly explores acculturation-related problems that affect parenting and necessitate the parents to negotiate with them for the cause of success.
Mr. Aiman Reyaz and Dr. Priyanka Tripathi's study is an exploration of realism and anti-realism in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
There is a critical article on Translation Studies by Ms. Bastabika Das. In her article, she studies the influence of Cold War (after the Second World War) on the translated works of some Nobel Laureates in Odia and their impact on the people of Odisha as this eastern Indian state was undergoing major changes: socially, culturally and politically around the same time.
There is an article on Indian English Poetry by Dr. Pawan Kumar Jha in which he presents the discourse of love and beauty in the selected poems of Sri Aurobindo.
We have an article on ecocriticism by Dr. G. Anish S. Georshia in which she examines Indigenous writings of Australia and Canada and brings to light the symbiosis of nature and culture as portrayed in Indigenous writings along with Indigenous spirituality and ecocritical characteristics.
The article by Prof. Rekha Pande and Ms. Neeharika Joshi is a comprehensive study of representation of women in Garhwal miniature painting, an offshoot of Pahari painting. The authors provide historical accounts of paintings as well as different schools of paintings including Mewar, Bundi, Kotah, Marwar, Jaipur and Kishangarh. They also explore the murals of the caves of Ajanta and Ellora reminding us of Indian
philosophy of the sensuous and the sublime, an important part of Indian aesthetics.
There are three book reviews. Bhaskaranand Jha Bhaskar's collection of poems, Soothing Serenades: Straight from the Heart (2018), has been reviewed by Dr. Tribhuwan Kumar; Binod Mishra's collection of poems, Multiple Waves (2017), has been reviewed by Dr. S. Somasundari Latha; and Zafar Khan's Thirty-one Steps to Fluent Spoken English: Conversational English for the Speakers of Other Languages (2016), has been reviewed by Dr. Shahid Mushtaq.
As poetry is an important part of Ars Artium, there are moving poems by a number of poets from different countries: Prof. Charles Fishman (USA), Prof. Zafar Khan (USA), Prof. Neal Whitman (USA), Dr. Bishakha Sarma (India), Ms. Kaneez Fatima Syeda (Pakistan), Prof. Hadaa Sendoo (Mongolia), and Ms. Nibedita Sen (India).
Research Interests: American Literature, Comparative Literature, English Literature, Art History, Film Studies, and 15 moreLiterature, Indian studies, Poetry, English language, Painting, Canadian Literature, English, African Literature, Culture, Applied Linguistics, Feminism, Indian English Literature, Australian Literature, Indian Writing in English, and Indian English Poetry
At the dawn of its sixth year of publication, the editorial board of Ars Artium beams with a deep sense of elation. The heights which Ars Artium has soared within the five years of its publication, add to this sense of permissible pride.... more
At the dawn of its sixth year of publication, the editorial board of Ars Artium beams with a deep sense of elation. The heights which Ars Artium has soared within the five years of its publication, add to this sense of permissible pride. Besides getting indexed to various international directories and databases with a view to being visible and available to a wider readership, it is also crowned with the recognition from the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India.
Volume VI of Ars Artium consists of seventeen research papers on various topics from different areas within the purview of Humanities and Social Sciences, five book reviews and fifteen poems composed by twelve poets from various countries around the different continents.
Volume VI of Ars Artium consists of seventeen research papers on various topics from different areas within the purview of Humanities and Social Sciences, five book reviews and fifteen poems composed by twelve poets from various countries around the different continents.
Research Interests: Fiction Writing, Sociology, Psychology, Economics, International Relations, and 69 moreEnglish Literature, Development Studies, English for Specific Purposes, English for Academic Purposes, Teaching English as a Second Language, Translation Studies, Languages and Linguistics, Romanticism, Literature, Indian studies, Poetry, English language, Political Science, Canadian Literature, English, History of English Literature, Modernist Literature (Literary Modernism), Science Fiction, English as a Lingua Franca, Post-Colonialism, Translation of Poetry, Feminism, World Englishes, Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Poetry, Modern Poetry, Indian English Literature, Greek Lyric Poetry, Old English Poetry, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Linguistics, Modernism, English Grammar, Lyric poetry, Victorian poetry, Contemporary Poetry, Indian Politics, Epic poetry, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Novel, Australian Literature, Homeric poetry, Feminism and Social Justice, Indian Writing in English, Fiction, English language teaching, English Poetry, Literatura, English Education, Indian English Fiction, English language and literature, Realism, Polical Science, Postcolonialism and indian english fictions, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), New Englishes, Commonwealth and Postcolonial Literature, Feminism and Gender Issues in Indian Writing in English, Translation & Interpreting Studies (TIS), Global Englishes, ICT in teaching and learning English language, English Studies, Indian English Poetry, Functional English, English Language Teaching, English Language, Home Science, Romantic English poetry, Americal Literature, and English As a Second Language (ESL)
The present volume contains sixteen research papers, two book reviews, and sixteen poems.
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We are pleased to present the fourth volume of Ars Artium. It contains research papers on different aspects of English literature, Indian English literature, English language, Diasporic literature, Criticism, Post-modern studies, film... more
We are pleased to present the fourth volume of Ars Artium. It contains research papers on different aspects of English literature, Indian English literature, English language, Diasporic literature, Criticism, Post-modern studies, film studies, cultural studies, international relations, and book reviews and poems.
Research Interests:
Welcome to Ars Artium, Volume 3, January 2015. Entering the third year of its publication, we have tried to give space to the original and high quality research papers in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences along with book... more
Welcome to Ars Artium, Volume 3, January 2015. Entering the third year of its publication, we have tried to give space to the original and high quality research papers in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences along with book reviews and poems.
The present issue of the journal presents the research papers on Postcolonial issues in Shakespeare's Othello, Postmodernist fiction, Subaltern Studies, Translation Studies, Julia Kristeva's concept of intertextuality; the fiction of Graham Greene and D.H. Lawrence; essay of G. K. Chesterton; stories of Rabindranath Tagore; plays of Girish Karnad; fiction of Bhabani Bhattacharya, Rohinton Mistry, Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni; poetry of Sarojini Naidu, Kamala Das, R. Parthasarathy, Meena Kandasamy, Jaydeep Sarangi and Kulbhushan Kushal, and Iran and Turkmenistan, India-ASEAN Relations, Political Mobilization, and Religious Studies.
The Book Reviews section carries the reviews of the books recently published. They have been reviewed by the leading critics and reviewers. They are: B.R. Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste (the annotated critical edition) edited by S. Anand, Comparative Literature: Critical Responses edited by Tribhuwan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Roy, White Lotus and Other Poems written by Bishnupada Ray, A Door Somewhere? written by Jaydeep Sarangi, Eternal Quest written by SL Peeran, Manhood,
Grasshood and Birdhood written by Aju Mukhopadhyay, and Ocean of Thoughts: Poems about Social Issues and Human Values written by Sangeeta Mahesh.
The Poetry section of the journal offers the poems of Rob Harle, Jaydeep Sarangi, Vijay Kumar Roy, Ahmad Abidi, Priyaranjan Das and Vinay Kumar Dubey.
The present issue of the journal presents the research papers on Postcolonial issues in Shakespeare's Othello, Postmodernist fiction, Subaltern Studies, Translation Studies, Julia Kristeva's concept of intertextuality; the fiction of Graham Greene and D.H. Lawrence; essay of G. K. Chesterton; stories of Rabindranath Tagore; plays of Girish Karnad; fiction of Bhabani Bhattacharya, Rohinton Mistry, Chitra Banerjee
Divakaruni; poetry of Sarojini Naidu, Kamala Das, R. Parthasarathy, Meena Kandasamy, Jaydeep Sarangi and Kulbhushan Kushal, and Iran and Turkmenistan, India-ASEAN Relations, Political Mobilization, and Religious Studies.
The Book Reviews section carries the reviews of the books recently published. They have been reviewed by the leading critics and reviewers. They are: B.R. Ambedkar's Annihilation of Caste (the annotated critical edition) edited by S. Anand, Comparative Literature: Critical Responses edited by Tribhuwan Kumar and Vijay Kumar Roy, White Lotus and Other Poems written by Bishnupada Ray, A Door Somewhere? written by Jaydeep Sarangi, Eternal Quest written by SL Peeran, Manhood,
Grasshood and Birdhood written by Aju Mukhopadhyay, and Ocean of Thoughts: Poems about Social Issues and Human Values written by Sangeeta Mahesh.
The Poetry section of the journal offers the poems of Rob Harle, Jaydeep Sarangi, Vijay Kumar Roy, Ahmad Abidi, Priyaranjan Das and Vinay Kumar Dubey.
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Among Hindi writers Kamleshwar is the only one who never accepted any title or trophy. Whatever he wrote was based on reality. Kitne Pakistan is a novel with distinct reputation in the post-colonial literature. In this novel he tries to... more
Among Hindi writers Kamleshwar is the only one who never accepted any title or trophy. Whatever he wrote was based on reality. Kitne Pakistan is a novel with distinct reputation in the post-colonial literature. In this novel he tries to expose the received meanings of caste, tribe, religion, nation and civilization. His main endeavour in Kitne Pakistan is to analyse critically all those issues that cause animosity, strife and violence in human society. Kamleshwar tries to negate the mythical argument that cultures, religions and nations have always been the basis of confrontation and violence. In Kitne Pakistan the focus is mainly on the rise of Pakistan as a separate nation in the background of Hindu Muslim divide, which continues to haunt both India and Pakistan even today. This novel reveals that Kamleshwar has a deep seated faith in the ability of a writer. According to him, a writer is the only person who can keep the spirit of collective and harmonious living alive in people.
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Irving Layton (1912-) has emerged as one of Canada's major literary talents, not only because of his sizable body of writing, which includes a number of exceptional poems, but also because of a reputation-extending well beyond his reading... more
Irving Layton (1912-) has emerged as one of Canada's major literary talents, not only because of his sizable body of writing, which includes a number of exceptional poems, but also because of a reputation-extending well beyond his reading audience-for controversy, for obstreperous antagonism to those who fail to agree with him, and for keeping himself in the public eye. Reading through Layton's work, one feels the presence of almost two separate writers, the noisy social rebel on the one hand and the serious literary craftsman on the other. Layton is so absorbed with the poet as a public figure and a rebel. The present paper discusses Irving Layton as a Poet of Protest and Rebel in Canadian Literature.
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Film, generally, has enormous impact on society. It gives new trends, ideas, customs and traditions. Films not only make the opinion but also reshape the opinions. Among the film industries around the world, the Bollywood is one of the... more
Film, generally, has enormous impact on society. It gives new trends, ideas, customs and traditions. Films not only make the opinion but also reshape the opinions. Among the film industries around the world, the Bollywood is one of the famous and the strongest industry. The Muslim portrayal in Hindi Cinema has completely changed from Mughal-e-Azam (1960) till date. The movies in the fifties and the sixties portrayed Muslim characters mostly as Kings, Nawabs or Feudal lords. Films like Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal, Anarkali, Mughal-e-Azam, Mere Mehboob, Bahu Begam, Chaudhvin Ka Chand were all mainstream movies. With refined language and soul rendering music, these movies depicted the rich cultural tradition of the Indian Muslims. However, as we move to the seventies, a distinct change in the characterization of the Muslims started emerging in the Bollywood films. The characters though for some time continued to remain aristocratic were pushed towards hedonist pursuits. The indolent Nawabs chewing betel nuts and splurging their money on the nautch girls characterized Bollywood Muslims. Mere Huzoor, Pakeezah and Umaro Jaan are few movies for illustration. The seventies was also an era of parallel cinema. Movie like Elaan critiqued the aimlessness of the lower middle class Muslim youth. Garam Hawa was another fine movie that grippingly captured the human tragedy of partition of India. Bollywood since the eighties also heralded a whole arsenal of unexamined propositions about the Muslims and their religion. Islam means Jihad, Muslim means terrorists. It opened the floodgate for a number of flicks with much louder in such tone and tenure.
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For decades, women have been moulded, marginalised and victimised by the maledominated society in India. Termed as the 'Weaker Sex' they have been denied social, economic and political justice. However, the mid-twentieth century saw many... more
For decades, women have been moulded, marginalised and victimised by the maledominated society in India. Termed as the 'Weaker Sex' they have been denied social, economic and political justice. However, the mid-twentieth century saw many changes in the history of India thus bringing about a change in the status of women in general. Literature being the reflection of society, this changing face of women has been portrayed by some of the women novelists. Kamala Markandaya is one such name that fully reflects this awakened feminine sensibility in the changing Indian traditional society. Her female characters though drawn from different rungs of society have a common thread prevailing in them. All her women characters refuse to lose hope. They are all bent to meet the challenges of life no matter how gloomy the economic, social and political scenario is. Nalini in A Handful of Rice (1966) and Rukmani in Nectar in a Sieve (1954), both represent the unprivileged women in rural India whereas Sarojini in A Silence of Desire (1960) is a typical middle-class Hindu housewife. Though these women belong to the different strata of society yet their stoicism in confronting problems brought about either by unjust social system or destiny is no different from each other. My paper will talk about the new face of these women through Kamala Markandaya's Rukmani and Ira in Nectar in a Sieve.
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Rama Mehta's Inside the Haveli, a representative novel about Rajasthan, gives an insight into the culture and history of Rajasthan and opens up several issues related to gender and literary aesthetics. Though not an avowed feminist, Rama... more
Rama Mehta's Inside the Haveli, a representative novel about Rajasthan, gives an insight into the culture and history of Rajasthan and opens up several issues related to gender and literary aesthetics. Though not an avowed feminist, Rama Mehta occupies a significant place among the contemporary women novelists. They concern themselves with the problems of women and their quest for identity. Her protagonist is modern, educated, sprightly, open-minded young girl from Bombay. She is crushed under the weight of male-dominated and tradition bound society. Her attempt to give an honest portrayal of the sufferings, disappointments and frustrations of her protagonist makes the novel more susceptible to treatment from the feminist angle. The novel focuses on the women's world in the Jenana in the middle of the twentieth century. She gives a vivid description of an ancient haveli-Jeewan Niwas, the haveli of Sangram Singhji that enjoyed once a resplendent status and glory under the patronage of the Maharana but now with no patron to support it and despite the change that time has caused to it, the firm observation of its age-old customs and traditions has not been affected to the least.
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Jacques Derrida, a suburban Algerian born in 1930 comes to France at the age of nineteen as a student who continues to study and teach there. Deeply impressed by the spontaneous rebellion activities of the French society and... more
Jacques Derrida, a suburban Algerian born in 1930 comes to France at the age of nineteen as a student who continues to study and teach there. Deeply impressed by the spontaneous rebellion activities of the French society and intellectuals, his most influential work, Of Grammatology is first published in France in 1967, which is later translated into English and published in 1976 by Gayatri Chakraborty Spivak. If Ferdinand De Saussure is the father of structuralism, Derrida is the father of poststructuralism. His post-structuralism: Deconstruction has its own novelty, which is neither a construction nor a destruction but a reconstruction to learn and understand both language and literature in regard to certain views of the world. The study seeks to explicate a few major aspects of Derridean Deconstruction in Niranjan Mohanty's Prayers to Lord Jagannath.To analyze Derridean Deconstruction is as much difficult as to ascertain the unresolved mystery of Lord Jagannath, the living and loving God of Odisha. This study also intends to reveal specific terms of greater significance discussed in Derrida's Of Grammatology, such as, 'lack', 'always already', phonocentism and logocentrism, signifier and signified, presence in non-presence, essence in non-essence, close reading, and so on. It is a humble attempt to understand both Derridean Deconstruction and Lord Jagannath in reference to Niranjan Mohanty's Prayers to Lord Jagannath.
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The aim of this paper is to study the myriad methods that a teacher can use while teaching English to students in India. Seeing the worldwide importance of English language, it has become essential to have different approaches for... more
The aim of this paper is to study the myriad methods that a teacher can use while teaching English to students in India. Seeing the worldwide importance of English language, it has become essential to have different approaches for teaching English in India. Even after so many efforts students do not get proficiency in English speaking and writing. The reason behind it is that in India students are not getting congenial environment and good facilities at the primary level for English language learning. Even after knowing the importance of English most of the students of the higher classes are unable to write correct sentences and correct spellings of even simple words. So at this level of higher education, it becomes a challenge for a teacher to train these students in acquiring the basic English language skills as well as make them proficient in the art of speaking and writing. It needs lot of efforts on the part of a teacher. He can follow some traditional methods and can invent his own innovative methods according to the skills and level of knowledge of the students. He should put himself in the shoes of the learners and find out the ways that can be most effective for them. He should make English language learning classes livelier by involving the students in different language learning activities. This paper is an attempt to highlight some of the activities and methods that a teacher can use in his class. This is also an attempt to emphasize different activities and methods needed to deal with the students of different backgrounds. So the teacher of English language should be given liberty to use his novel methods according to the need of the students to find out the better results in teaching English language. This paper builds mainly upon my own experiences as a teacher of English and the interactions with several teachers of English.
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Bhabani Bhattacharya has to his credit a collection of fifteen short stories in Steel Hawk and Other Stories, besides his celebrated novels. Like his novels, his short stories show variety of theme. The theme of synthesis is not present... more
Bhabani Bhattacharya has to his credit a collection of fifteen short stories in Steel Hawk and Other Stories, besides his celebrated novels. Like his novels, his short stories show variety of theme. The theme of synthesis is not present in all his short stories. In some of his short stories, he does present a synthesis of tradition and modern values as well as idealism and realism. "The Acrobats", "Glory at Twilight", "Pictures in the Fire", "The Quack", "A Moment of Eternity" and "Steel Hawk" are typical examples of stories having a synthesis of tradition and modernity, idealism and realism, the old and the new. In his short stories, Bhabani Bhattcharya acts as a builder of bridges between two contrary, yet essential elements of life: tradition and modernity and idealism and realism. He recognizes their dialects, analyses them and then suggests synthesis of the two.
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The aim of this paper is to show the social and moral issues in George Eliot's novel Adam Bede as treated by the author. The paper also shows the social presentation together with the retrace of rural areas of the country. It centralizes... more
The aim of this paper is to show the social and moral issues in George Eliot's novel Adam Bede as treated by the author. The paper also shows the social presentation together with the retrace of rural areas of the country. It centralizes the basic tenant of social realism and how Eliot stresses on virtue and vice and believes that they lead to a better or worse life. Consciousness of people, regarding their social status, is also discussed in detail which in turn affects the whole social thinking and social paradigm. The vestige of Feudalism and its impact is also given due importance.
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Professional speaking refers to the communication that takes place in the professional world. It involves transfer of information without any personal distortion. As to write a technical report a writer needs to focus only its accurate... more
Professional speaking refers to the communication that takes place in the professional world. It involves transfer of information without any personal distortion. As to write a technical report a writer needs to focus only its accurate aspects instead of personal assumptions. In fact scientific facts are objective as are mathematical proofs; essentially anything that can convey correct data should follow objectivity of expression.
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Why to tell stories in a speech? Because they are catchy and engaging, they arrest audience's attention immediately and they make ideas of the presentation memorable. Stories have power to move, to delight, to amuse, to fascinate, to... more
Why to tell stories in a speech? Because they are catchy and engaging, they arrest audience's attention immediately and they make ideas of the presentation memorable. Stories have power to move, to delight, to amuse, to fascinate, to touch, to teach, to recall, to encourage, to stimulate and to challenge. As a social animal, we are eager to enjoy stories. We are hungry for them because there are actors, actions, objects, desires, conflicts, and results. It's all good fun, and that's why memorable. For most speakers, presentation is sequential display of collected data. They arrange their information and ideas like a list. Unfortunately, the human mind is not accustomed to remember lists very well. Once a speaker has told them 3 or 4 things, to remember the 4th or 5 th the audience has to forget the first. 'In one ear and out the other' fairly explains how we respond to lists. However, without much effort we remember number of stories like Orpheus and Eurydice, Oedipus the King, Macbeth, Hamlet or Mahabharata for fairly long time. So if the information-loaded presentation is delivered in story-coated form, it will be much more memorable and gripping. Story adds colour to a flavorless presentation of data. This paper attempts to highlight how various stories can be told for different situations in presentations and speeches. It also caters few formulas of telling stories during presentation.
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This study has sought to look at the work of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye from the point of view of violence and the types of violence she uses to narrate the story. It interprets the severe consequences of violence inflicted upon the... more
This study has sought to look at the work of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye from the point of view of violence and the types of violence she uses to narrate the story. It interprets the severe consequences of violence inflicted upon the victim. Moreover, neither the perpetrator nor society is untouched by the violence inflicted. This takes the shapes of racial attitude. The study also shows that development of hatred is the root cause of violence in this novel and Morrison has not only created wonderful incidents of violence but also studied the deep psyche of her characters.
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While critics take note of the resilience, foresightedness and enterprising nature of Alexandra Bergson, the protagonist of O Pioneers!, their focus on the sexual orientation of the heroine and subsequently on the sexual leaning of the... more
While critics take note of the resilience, foresightedness and enterprising nature of Alexandra Bergson, the protagonist of O Pioneers!, their focus on the sexual orientation of the heroine and subsequently on the sexual leaning of the author tends to overshadow the fact that the novel celebrates primarily women's spirit of survival. Busting stereotypes in which males are shown to be subjugating the untamed, wild land of America, Willa Cather focuses instead on a woman character that awakens the land to bounty with her nurturing touch. Whereas men around are simply defeated by the harsh conditions or are shown to reject new ideas, diffusing and dissipating their energies, Alexandra maintains a level-head, has sound judgment and is not averse to taking risk. The women on the whole have an aura of positivity around them. Resourceful and energetic, they make the best of odds cheerfully and contrast favourably with their male counterparts. The well laid-out corn fields of Alexandra and the log house, glass jars and full pantry of Mrs. Bergson are an indication of the triumphant spirit of women. The paper proposes to study how O Pioneers! pays a tribute to the spirit of powerful and pragmatic women and focuses on their strategies of survival.
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During the post cold war era a power vacuum has been created in Central Asia. The great powers like United States, Russia, China and European Union want to exert their own influence in the region to meet their geo-strategic interests. The... more
During the post cold war era a power vacuum has been created in Central Asia. The great powers like United States, Russia, China and European Union want to exert their own influence in the region to meet their geo-strategic interests. The other countries like Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia also want to strengthen their historical, cultural, linguistic, economic and political relations with the Central Asian States. The oil and natural gas rich Central Asian States are a great source of attraction for the developed world in general and United States and Russia in particular.
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The Bluest Eye addresses the issue of self disapproval but in the broader black feminist perspective. More than any other human being, pain, disapproval and humiliation are an inseparable part of a black woman's life. Toni Morrison is a... more
The Bluest Eye addresses the issue of self disapproval but in the broader black feminist perspective. More than any other human being, pain, disapproval and humiliation are an inseparable part of a black woman's life. Toni Morrison is a black woman and these are not foreign to her. She writes with a personal knowledge of the pain of the black women. In this novel she has depicted their isolation and hurdles in leading a fulfilling human life. Morrison chooses an eleven year old black girl-Pecola Breedlove-as the central character of her novel because she wants to bring forward the most neglected of human species. This novel addresses what can unquestionably be called a 'disease' in black women's psyche and analyses its root causes. This story of an ugly black girl also raises several sociological and psychological questions. The novel calls into question the contemporaneous slogan, "Black is Beautiful" and challenges readers to consider, the seeds of black hatred, the demons within black psyche, and the culprit or with the broader culture that contributes to black low self esteem.
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The literature of the oppressed or the marginalized has been always an area of hot discussion in this fast moving, fast changing and the fast progressing world. As the civilization progresses, the rate and depth of marginalization and... more
The literature of the oppressed or the marginalized has been always an area of hot discussion in this fast moving, fast changing and the fast progressing world. As the civilization progresses, the rate and depth of marginalization and oppression increases. It is strange to notice how humanity develops this sense of discrimination among the fellow beings. The recent trend of 'honour killing' in India is a different face of this attitude of marginalization. India, the most beautiful country is becoming notorious for this social evil of the human mind called 'marginalization'. The most ironical fact about this is that it is the people of middle and upper middle class who foster this discrimination mentality so strongly. Literature always holds a mirror up to the society. It reflects what happens in the society. Many Indian writers in English took very strong effort to expose this evil with an objective to wipe out the darkness of human mind. Of course, such writings bring out a cathartic effect resulting the purification of human mind. Mulk Raj Anand's Untouchable and Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things are very lively depiction of this social evil. The proposed paper is a an attempt to analyze how the community of the powerful handles these so called 'pariahs' and how these 'pariahs', despite their human birth, live a life of humiliation and disgrace under the label 'outcastes'.
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This article throws light on the work stress profile of faculty in professional institutions. It brings forth whether physical conditions, job interest or interpersonal relation is a dominant factor causing stress in faculty. It... more
This article throws light on the work stress profile of faculty in professional institutions. It brings forth whether physical conditions, job interest or interpersonal relation is a dominant factor causing stress in faculty. It determines stress levels in faculty, and the causes of stress. The study makes people aware of the deteriorating effects of stress. It reveals how sometimes chronic stress may prove to be fatal. How does stress lead to the downfall of both the employees and the organizations? It makes us acquainted in present times with stress that has become a global phenomenon at every work place. It also provides an individual and organization coping strategies so that the level of stress can be minimized in faculty.
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The term 'Diaspora' means dispersion of human beings from their mother land to another nation. People of the diasporic groups suffer from the pain of alienation, helplessness, homelessness, dislocation from the roots and divided identity.... more
The term 'Diaspora' means dispersion of human beings from their mother land to another nation. People of the diasporic groups suffer from the pain of alienation, helplessness, homelessness, dislocation from the roots and divided identity. These people remain in conflictual situation between the native and accepted culture. They maintain their own culture and value system in the new environment and also wish that their children should maintain these traditions and values in the alien country. The second generation immigrants have to fulfill the aspirations of their parents and simultaneously meet the demands of their American peers. Consequently, they lead a life of divided identity. In her debut novel The Namesake, the eminent novelist and second generation immigrant in US Jhumpa Lahiri has meticulously dealt these problems by portraying a Bengali Hindu family who journey from Calcutta and settle in Boston City, America. This paper attempts to explore diasporic consciousness and cultural conflict experienced by the first as well as second generation immigrants in America. Ashoke Ganguli, a research scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, marries Ashima a nineteen year girl and settles in US. Later he joins MIT as a professor. They have two children. Though well settled in US they suffer from pain of alienation, homelessness, nostalgia and sense of loss of roots caused by geographical and social dislocation. They also experience humiliation in America due to their Indian heritage. They make every attempt to maintain native culture in an alien country and also want to pass on their native culture to their children. Ashoke, Ashima and their children are torn between the two cultures as they can neither totally assimilate American culture nor break ties with their inherent Indian culture. Thus they lead a life of divided identity.
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The debate concerning Magic Realism's political efficacy had been ignited in the 1960s and 1970s with the Latin American prolific production of Magic Realist works. The insertion of the mode to the postcolonial literary production on this... more
The debate concerning Magic Realism's political efficacy had been ignited in the 1960s and 1970s with the Latin American prolific production of Magic Realist works. The insertion of the mode to the postcolonial literary production on this basis was confirmed especially with Stephen Slemon's essay, "Magic Realism as a Postcolonial Discourse". However, the Magic Realist approach to reality and fiction also ushered strong opposition focusing on what was perceived as the escapist nature of the trend. Realism has often been viewed as the appropriate genre to entrench literature in social and political critique by contrast to romanticism and modernism. According to this perspective, the introduction of magic within a realistic context would not only undermine realism but also would blur its ideological entailments and effectiveness. Salman Rushdie has often been charged with displaying an interest in political and social critique only to trivialize or to mask with the use of Magic Realism. The present study would endeavour to analyze Midnight's Children as a deconstruction and metamorphosis of collectively unconscious subjectivity rather than chronicalizing it as a metanarrative of factual 'ordering' of 'recorded objectivity'.
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Marginalisation has been a major preoccupation of the writers in recent Indian English fiction, be it on the basis of caste, class, gender or religion. It is such an issue which has vexed the minds of several authors and compelled them to... more
Marginalisation has been a major preoccupation of the writers in recent Indian English fiction, be it on the basis of caste, class, gender or religion. It is such an issue which has vexed the minds of several authors and compelled them to pick up pen against such discrimination plaguing the Indian society. They have done so with remarkable ideological tenacity, narrative verve and aplomb. In The White Tiger, Adiga too deals with the destiny of the destitute living miserably on the margin in the class-conscious Indian society. It depicts the plight of marginal class people in full swing.
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To the extent that Ben Okri's magical realism intends to destabilise the boundary between real and magical in order to effect an appreciation of a putatively African way of viewing reality in which such a boundary is held to have little... more
To the extent that Ben Okri's magical realism intends to destabilise the boundary between real and magical in order to effect an appreciation of a putatively African way of viewing reality in which such a boundary is held to have little value it follows that points of connection between Okri's texts and other magical realist writings such as Alejo Carpentier's The Kingdom of This World and Miguel Ángel Asturias's Men of Maize should respect this integral intention. Thus with particular reference to The Famished Road and Songs of Enchantment, this paper proposes to locate how Ben Okri's use of magical realism, while shifting the paradigms of Carpentier's "lo real maravilloso," aims to extend our sense of the real world itself to include myths, dreamscapes, magical events and the cultural modalities of the ex-centric (African) within it, and thereby arrive at a conclusion that in Okri's novels, it is the "magical" which qualifies the "real".
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Love has been a recurrent theme in the history of literature which is replete with the depiction of this particular emotion, found in the heart of each and every living creature. Sometimes, literature exhibits love in a fictional manner... more
Love has been a recurrent theme in the history of literature which is replete with the depiction of this particular emotion, found in the heart of each and every living creature. Sometimes, literature exhibits love in a fictional manner but sometimes it is reflected in a realistic way where social taboos cause painful separation, honour killing, violence, sadness and inhumanity. Taslima Nasrin, a Bengali Doctor-cum-writer, dares to depict a factual harshness of communal society for the true lovers in her controversial novel Lajja (1993). She depicts five shades of love-patriotic love, conjugal love, filial love, sibling love and inter-community love. Sudhamoy Dutt and his son Suranjan are in ardent love with their motherland, Bangladesh where they get humiliation, suppression and exploitation. The conjugal love between Sudhamoy and Kiranmoyee is deep, intimate and traditional. Nasrin also deals with sibling love between Suranjan and Maya. Intercommunity love between Suranjan, a Hindu boy and Praveen, a Muslim girl; and Maya, a Hindu girl and Jahagir, a Muslim boy is thwarted by various social forces and the lovers are dejected harshly. The novel shows that Nasrin's depiction of love in human life is realistic, not an imaginative one.
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In this paper, I revisit Joseph Conrad's famous colonial novel, Heart of Darkness and try to analyze it in the context of today's globalised world where the brutal yet barefaced colonialism of the nineteenth century has been replaced by a... more
In this paper, I revisit Joseph Conrad's famous colonial novel, Heart of Darkness and try to analyze it in the context of today's globalised world where the brutal yet barefaced colonialism of the nineteenth century has been replaced by a more insidious neoimperialism. In this change of eras as also political and ideological systems, what has remained surprisingly constant is the frailty of human greed. This human fallibility is epitomized by none other than the enigmatic Kurtz. Therefore, through a critical (re)reading of the text, an attempt has been made to understand whether avarice was the result of the temporality of the colonial times or is it an inevitable human weakness that has only reached disturbingly high proportions in today's globalised world.
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India is greatly known for its culture and tradition and holds a prestigious rank when it comes to its family values. Sadly, the Indian society turns a blind-eye to the socalled immoral practices of the subalterns like LGBTs and claims... more
India is greatly known for its culture and tradition and holds a prestigious rank when it comes to its family values. Sadly, the Indian society turns a blind-eye to the socalled immoral practices of the subalterns like LGBTs and claims that their country is devoid of such practices, and suppresses those 'cursed' people who try to voice out, who try to show their presence and to claim their right. In most cases, their cries are happily ignored. This paper speaks of their shamefully suppressed and hidden lives, with references to Mahesh Dattani's play Do the Needful.
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The first part of the proposed research paper seeks to make a close study of Shakespeare's influence on the Hindi/Indian cinema in various forms-pure adaptations, blatant plagiarism, Shakespeare as a colonial presence, Shakespearean... more
The first part of the proposed research paper seeks to make a close study of Shakespeare's influence on the Hindi/Indian cinema in various forms-pure adaptations, blatant plagiarism, Shakespeare as a colonial presence, Shakespearean features of the Bollywood movies, etc and the second section makes an attempt to evaluate the artistic worth of Maqbool by Vishal Bhardwaj a critically acclaimed movie which is based on Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece Macbeth. This film does not entirely follow the original play written by Shakespeare and only takes the theme, events and broadly characters from the play and creates a modern context for the action. Although one cannot but appreciate the creativity of Vishal Bhardwaj, it cannot be said to be a faithful version of Shakespeare's most powerful tragic drama but an indigenized version of the English Shakespeare.
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English Studies in India have continuously been in the process of revision and reorientation to suit the communicative needs of the globalised world so that information could be propagated for scientific, commercial and other purposes.... more
English Studies in India have continuously been in the process of revision and reorientation to suit the communicative needs of the globalised world so that information could be propagated for scientific, commercial and other purposes. And though there have been many debates on the issue of English in the country, history is a witness that the developments in India today are due to the continued importance of learning English in addition to vernaculars and we have accepted English as the de facto national language, but we are not making much of the linguistic legacy which can benefit us a lot more. Gone are the days of colonial English and Indian Studies have been Indianised. But looking at the worldwide popularity of English and us having the maximum number of English users in the country (leaving aside the natives), the need of the hour is to propagate our culture by using the language because if used properly, English can become an effective means of promoting our view of life and strengthening our cultural identity in the world. Let's make use of English to promote our worldview and spiritual heritage throughout the globe.
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The Householder is one of the seminal works written by R.P. Jhabvala. In her novels, she examines the social milieu of the middle class Indians who have profited from India's increasing urbanization and European expatriates who have... more
The Householder is one of the seminal works written by R.P. Jhabvala. In her novels, she examines the social milieu of the middle class Indians who have profited from India's increasing urbanization and European expatriates who have married into Indian families. The paper aims at scrutinizing man-women relationship in The Householder. The issue is well presented through Prem, a recently married young man and Indu, an exotic and sybaritic wife. The book makes us aware of the daily routine life of the couple in a very realistic manner. The book also unfolds how trivial matters and misunderstanding create great problems in relationships. Jhabvala seems to be a great observer of man-woman psyche which she has portrayed through the characters of Prem and Indu.
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Revelation of underlying reality in different branches of knowledge requires an indepth insight with creative imagination. The sublimity of the best work in art, science, literature and philosophy is reflected through its vision of truth... more
Revelation of underlying reality in different branches of knowledge requires an indepth insight with creative imagination. The sublimity of the best work in art, science, literature and philosophy is reflected through its vision of truth and beauty. John Keats in "Ode on a Grecian Urn' with the alchemy of his creative genius depicts the urn as a symbol of ultimate reality containing the mortal remains within. Endowed with the divine gift of philosophic imagination, the poet with a penetrating insight into the superior system of the universe envisions the eternal and temporal schemes inextricably interconnected; consequently through ironic undercurrent and paradoxical structure the poem presents the unified vision of truth and beauty. Depicting the urn as 'unravish'd bride of quietness', 'sylvan historian', 'Attic Shape' and 'Cold Pastoral', the poet having love, joy, youth and beauty of the mortal world at the back of his mind makes a move towards the realization of Absolute truth and beauty .
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A cultural analysis based on a textual critique of a novel from the 1980s by Ian McEwan's The Child in Time situates the contemporary dominant discourse on the child within the social framework of adult issues. Cultural artefacts use the... more
A cultural analysis based on a textual critique of a novel from the 1980s by Ian McEwan's The Child in Time situates the contemporary dominant discourse on the child within the social framework of adult issues. Cultural artefacts use the child to figure out representations of power between adults and children in terms of affect. Through separate fields of cultural practice which show the problem of modernity and post modernity with different accents, child tense relationship remains persistent; these representations are about the disappearance of child from adult discourse in terms of a traditional meaning given to the 'child' concept as a project of future. The article deepens in this context the social, cultural and political implications of Children's and Young Adult's Literature as an extended mirror of that relationship. The discourse of adults about children and simultaneously the discourse directed at children show the ways in which children are being shown and taught by adults to adapt to, and resist, the pressures which lead to their disappearance in adult discourses.
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It's a Battlefield, a literary masterpiece by Graham Greene portrays of alienation and meaninglessness of relationships. The present world has utter complexity because of untiring struggle between an individual and adverse social forces.... more
It's a Battlefield, a literary masterpiece by Graham Greene portrays of alienation and meaninglessness of relationships. The present world has utter complexity because of untiring struggle between an individual and adverse social forces. The novel shows a greater degree of realism, an awareness that grows out of the increasing hiatus between man and the world. The cry for a better, happier world continues in this novel. It deals with horrible modern life owing to over mechanised world. The social and moral dogmas, political interest all seem to be bane.
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The constitutions are the manifestations of the political societies. By observing constitution, one can understand the political and sociological milieu of any society and its evolution. Abrogation of one constitution and the promulgation... more
The constitutions are the manifestations of the political societies. By observing constitution, one can understand the political and sociological milieu of any society and its evolution. Abrogation of one constitution and the promulgation of other invariably mean that the political balance of the social order has changed; therefore there is a need for a new constitution. An emerging reformist Boris Yeltsin was elected as the chairman of the Russian Congress of People's Deputies (CPD) in 1990. The CPD announced 'Declaration of Sovereignty' of the Russian Socialist Federated Soviet Republic (RSFSR) and set up a Constitutional Commission to prepare a constitutional document. The Constitutional Commission presented the fifth version of the draft constitution to the parliament in May 1993 incorporating suggestions made by the deputies. This proposal was not acceptable to Yeltsin. He composed a Constitutional Assembly (Constitutional Conference) choosen by himself. The parliament did not recognize it as it was a body arbitrarily appointed by the president. The president-parliament struggle was at the climax. The Russian constitution of 1993 was introduced in the backdrop of the presidentparliament struggle. In this quest of power, the president won and so a strong presidency became the key feature of the constitution. The president has been given enormous power. The constitution adopted on 12 December 1993 finally gave legal status to Russia's federal system. The Russian Federation has 89 subjects including the Republics, Territories, Regions, Federal Cities, Autonomous Regions and Autonomous Areas which do not have equal rights. The Constitution of Russian Federation, article 65.1 has listed the names of the subjects of the federation. Part 1 of the Article 1 of the Russian Constitution names the state as "Russian Federation". The distribution of powers between the federation and its subjects is set out in Articles 71-73. The birth of the new constitution in Russia was long and painful process. Despite all the hue and cry over the new constitution, history shows, there is no such thing as a constitution that will please everyone. Concession must be made provided that the main constitutional goal of human rights and freedom are guaranteed. Fortunately, the new Russian constitution of 1993 fully incorporates this goal on human and civil rights.
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The focus of this study is to see how Bhojpuri folk songs, the erstwhile property of the folk, have travelled from realism to non-realism, to a culture industry spawned consumerist usurpation of the significant voices of the common folk... more
The focus of this study is to see how Bhojpuri folk songs, the erstwhile property of the folk, have travelled from realism to non-realism, to a culture industry spawned consumerist usurpation of the significant voices of the common folk by the oligopolistic forces of technology and global economy. It can be viewed as a transformation of a typically folk into a blended product of folk and popular elements resulting in homogeneity. Folk songs, the spontaneous outbursts of people's feelings, very naturally show their experiential and existential realities. The unsophisticated folk could wield them as a strong means of expression. But with the advancement of technology mediated communication, their songs have been covertly usurped by a burgeoning culture industry which has no other motto than extortion of money from the masses by selling its products back to them. As the Bhojpuri diaspora forms a considerably significant part of the Indian diasporic community around the world, these products cater to their newly created tastes on a very large scale.
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Rabindranath Tagore's Chitra, a play in one act, abounds in stylistic features. Tagore's dexterous use of figurative language is indisputably inimitable. The play is a creative adoption of an exquisitely beautiful love story of the... more
Rabindranath Tagore's Chitra, a play in one act, abounds in stylistic features. Tagore's dexterous use of figurative language is indisputably inimitable. The play is a creative adoption of an exquisitely beautiful love story of the legendary lovers, Chitra and Arjuna, which forms a memorable episode in The Mahabharata. So the content and the style of presentation are in quite congruence in the play. There are only two levels in the discourse structure of the play-at the first or overarching level the writer is the addresser and the reader the addressee, and the text of the play forms the message, while at the second or embedded level are the characters in the play as the addressers and the addressees and what the characters communicate to each other forms the message. There is no other level of discourse between the character as the addresser and the reader as the addressee. The dramatic discourse consists of all the five major speech acts of constative, directive, commissive, expressive, and declarative. The plenteous use of parallelism is one of the outstanding features of the play. Sheer magical music flows throughout the drama.
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Amitabh Ghosh is a well-known writer of the Indian English fiction. His important works include-The Circle Reason (1986), The Shadow Lines (1988), In an Antique Island (1992), The Glass Palace (2000) and The Hungry Tide (2004). As a... more
Amitabh Ghosh is a well-known writer of the Indian English fiction. His important works include-The Circle Reason (1986), The Shadow Lines (1988), In an Antique Island (1992), The Glass Palace (2000) and The Hungry Tide (2004). As a novelist, he skillfully blends scholarship, history, sociology and anthropology in his narrative for more serious purposes. His novels both Indian and global in perception and treatment represent, fresh trends in today's postcolonial literature.
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Indian literature contains many allusions to metaphysical love with a wide range of physical symbolism. Love is an overarching term and denotes affection and attraction between two individuals and thus incorporates a variety of... more
Indian literature contains many allusions to metaphysical love with a wide range of physical symbolism. Love is an overarching term and denotes affection and attraction between two individuals and thus incorporates a variety of relationships. The appreciation of beauty of all kinds and the knowledge of the science of love focusing on the capacity to give as well as to receive physical joy and happiness are specially underlined in the treatises as essential assets of Indian Literature. Romantic love is all about that beautiful, charged, amorous, intense, albeit transient moment. In our Indian literature these romantic moments shown in any form of literary writing or language are evanescent, spontaneous, unexpected and unrehearsed and it is only the skilled poet or the consummate artist who is able to capture that heart-throbbing moment and convert it to a moment of beauty in an artistic creation.
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To enhance our communication skills, it is mandatory to have a command over language. Language is the backbone of elevated communication skills and for that one needs to improve one’s listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. A... more
To enhance our communication skills, it is mandatory to have a command over language. Language is the backbone of elevated communication skills and for that one needs to improve one’s listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.
A language is the code system that is used for communication and thought. It allows us to organise and associate information obtained as we grow older and increase our experience with the world. The language code is organised in very specific ways. Language serves as a symbolic code that manipulates, organises and associates information and allows for efficient and appropriate recall and retrieval of information for speaking and writing.
A language is the code system that is used for communication and thought. It allows us to organise and associate information obtained as we grow older and increase our experience with the world. The language code is organised in very specific ways. Language serves as a symbolic code that manipulates, organises and associates information and allows for efficient and appropriate recall and retrieval of information for speaking and writing.
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Alice Malsenior Walker, born (February 9, 1944) in Eatonton, Georgia is the youngest of eight children to sharecroppers, Willie Lee Walker and Minnie Lou Tallulah Grant. After an early day's misfortune which blinded her in one eye, she... more
Alice Malsenior Walker, born (February 9, 1944) in Eatonton, Georgia is the youngest of eight children to sharecroppers, Willie Lee Walker and Minnie Lou Tallulah Grant. After an early day's misfortune which blinded her in one eye, she went on to become valedictorian of her neighboring school, and attended Spellman College and Sarah Lawrence College on scholarship. Alice Walker volunteered in the voter registration drives of the 1960s in Georgia, and went to job after college in the Welfare Department in New York City. She was married in 1967, and unfortunately divorced in 1976. Her first volume of poems was published in 1968 and her earliest novel was published just after her daughter's birth in 1970. Her poems, novels and short stories dealt with the themes of troubled relationships, violence, rape, multi-generational perspectives, isolation, sexism and racism, etc.
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Humanities and social sciences play a very important role in educational institutions in general and technical institutions in particular. Because technical institutions are able to evolve sustainable systems of development and... more
Humanities and social sciences play a very important role in educational institutions in general and technical institutions in particular. Because technical institutions are able to evolve sustainable systems of development and empowerment, humanities and social sciences must be given due importance in such institutions. Technological development depends on the status of technological institutions and skilled manpower in the fields of communication, electronics, computer, etc. for which financial need can't be ignored but for money alone the poor, dalits and socially and economically backward students should not be deprived of their rights to be admitted in welldeveloped technical institutions.
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Indian born British novelist Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is popularly known as Salman Rushdie. He has thronged among few Indian English novelists such as Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth and V S Naipaul to produce classical fictions and thus has... more
Indian born British novelist Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is popularly known as Salman Rushdie. He has thronged among few Indian English novelists such as Amitav Ghosh, Vikram Seth and V S Naipaul to produce classical fictions and thus has promoted and contributed enormously to give Indian literature a world class stature. Salman Rushdie started his literary journey from Grimus (1975) which is a fantastic tale-cum-science fiction. Then after it he wrote several novels at regular interval. His works include Midnight’s Children (1981), Shame (1983), The Satanic Verses (1988), The Moor’s Last Sigh (1995), The Ground Beneath Her Feet (1999), Fury (2001), Shalimar the Clown (2005), The Enchantress of Florence (2008) and Luka and the Fire of Life (2010). All his works are unique and they deal with the different social, political and religious milieu of east and west. The locale of these novels is generally set in Indian Subcontinent and framed artistically in Indian Diaspora mode.
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It is a universal fact that love is a wonderful feeling and an inspiring power of human heart but sometimes it keeps the mind in a fever of miseries and despair. Its power is remarkable and it can change someone forever, or drive him or... more
It is a universal fact that love is a wonderful feeling and an inspiring power of human heart but sometimes it keeps the mind in a fever of miseries and despair. Its power is remarkable and it can change someone forever, or drive him or her to do insane things that are completely out of him or her characters. Love always had a place in every piece of literature. Its impact on literature is profound. Robert
Browning is one of the most distinguished love poets of the Victorian Age.
Browning is one of the most distinguished love poets of the Victorian Age.
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It is true that Mistry’s creative force lies in his sincere attempt to depict the problems of Parsi community in post Independence India which boasts of multiculturalism, unity in diversity but in practice it often bypasses or ignores the... more
It is true that Mistry’s creative force lies in his sincere attempt to depict the problems of Parsi community in post Independence India which boasts of multiculturalism, unity in diversity but in practice it often bypasses or ignores the relevant claim of various communities who are in a hopeless minority. Like typical Diaspora writers of India, Mistry is also conscious of all the undercurrents of homeland despite leaving
India decades ago. In his several interviews and writings Mistry has openly conceded that for his writing he considerably relies on ‘memory and imagination’. Thus, history becomes quite a significant tool for a creative writer of Mistry’s caliber because, “For him history is the medium through which the writer has to journey in order to retrieve
individual memories, memories that are so overlapping and anguishing as histories themselves.” (Roy, Anjali 18) The Parsis are the lot who are known for their honesty and integrity worldwide and since the day Parsis have found shelter in India, they have tied up their loyalty and integrity with the land and added extra golden rings to the land’s glory with their marvellous achievements in the fields of art, commerce, education
and culture. Though they enjoyed a very close association with the Raj in preindependence era, their role in the Indian National Movement has been outstanding. Names like Bhikaji Cama, Rustamji Jivanji Gorkhodu, K.F.Nariman, Dadabhai Navroji and their contributions in Independent Movement of India need no introduction. So, it is but quite natural from the part of a sensitive writer of Parsi antecedent like Mistry to take up national history and politics in his works. That is why, in all his three novels namely; Such a Long Journey, A Fine Balance and Family Mattes, the focus is on the Parsi community, however the other major problems of India and its people in general and Mumbai and its people in particular finds considerable space. Misty injects history into relative narratives in such a way that it becomes part and parcel of the stories with their further proceedings. Bangladesh war with Pakistan in Such a Long Journey, state of Emergency declared by the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi in A Fine Balance and aftermath of post-Babri Masjid demolition in Family Mattes create foreground in the development of his three books. In this regard Nandini Bhautoo Dewnarain’s observation is quite remarkable, “It is impossible for anyone to read Mistry’s fiction and not be aware of the depth to which it is embedded in the political background of post-Independence India.” (64)
India decades ago. In his several interviews and writings Mistry has openly conceded that for his writing he considerably relies on ‘memory and imagination’. Thus, history becomes quite a significant tool for a creative writer of Mistry’s caliber because, “For him history is the medium through which the writer has to journey in order to retrieve
individual memories, memories that are so overlapping and anguishing as histories themselves.” (Roy, Anjali 18) The Parsis are the lot who are known for their honesty and integrity worldwide and since the day Parsis have found shelter in India, they have tied up their loyalty and integrity with the land and added extra golden rings to the land’s glory with their marvellous achievements in the fields of art, commerce, education
and culture. Though they enjoyed a very close association with the Raj in preindependence era, their role in the Indian National Movement has been outstanding. Names like Bhikaji Cama, Rustamji Jivanji Gorkhodu, K.F.Nariman, Dadabhai Navroji and their contributions in Independent Movement of India need no introduction. So, it is but quite natural from the part of a sensitive writer of Parsi antecedent like Mistry to take up national history and politics in his works. That is why, in all his three novels namely; Such a Long Journey, A Fine Balance and Family Mattes, the focus is on the Parsi community, however the other major problems of India and its people in general and Mumbai and its people in particular finds considerable space. Misty injects history into relative narratives in such a way that it becomes part and parcel of the stories with their further proceedings. Bangladesh war with Pakistan in Such a Long Journey, state of Emergency declared by the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi in A Fine Balance and aftermath of post-Babri Masjid demolition in Family Mattes create foreground in the development of his three books. In this regard Nandini Bhautoo Dewnarain’s observation is quite remarkable, “It is impossible for anyone to read Mistry’s fiction and not be aware of the depth to which it is embedded in the political background of post-Independence India.” (64)
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The Life insurance industry has been the most important industry in India. This paper is an attempt to study the emerging scenario of life insurance business in the light of liberalization and entry of private players in the insurance... more
The Life insurance industry has been the most important industry in India. This paper is an attempt to study the emerging scenario of life insurance business in the light of liberalization and entry of private players in the insurance sector. Monopoly of Life Insurance Corporation is over and now we have on scene a total of fourteen players with the market share being 76:24 approximately of LIC vs. other players in the industry. No doubt new entrants have done a good job in terms of life insurance business but it will be a difficult task for private players to move the customers away from LIC.
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This paper investigates the views of English teachers towards the implementation of texts for teaching English to technical students and also identifies the connection between their views on the students and students' use of texts. The... more
This paper investigates the views of English teachers towards the implementation of texts for teaching English to technical students and also identifies the connection between their views on the students and students' use of texts. The paper initially focuses on the context for technical learning using English language by reviewing current studies on the views of teachers as regards to technical classroom sessions using English language and finally provides the authors' view of the challenges faced by English teachers while taking classes for engineering students.
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Governance can be defined as the vital exercise of appropriate policy determination and its efficient implementation to improve the quality of life of the people ensuring optimum utilization of available material and human resources in a... more
Governance can be defined as the vital exercise of appropriate policy determination and its efficient implementation to improve the quality of life of the people ensuring optimum utilization of available material and human resources in a transparent manner ensuring greater people’s participation. The World Bank in one of its reports defined governance as “the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development.” (The World Bank, 1994: xiv) Mere routine governance without the fulfillment of the aspirations and active involvement of the people may not be adequate to muster the solidarity of the people with the principles of the governing elite. Obviously, governance must transcend the zone of routine discharge of administrative functions into the zone of good governance
in order to extract the confidence and support of the people for the regime. Good governance refers to a system of governance where the organization of political power allows sound social and economic policies to be designed and implemented in the most efficient and accountable manner. The World Bank coined the term “good governance” in 1992 and embedded in it the ideals of political accountability, freedom of participation, freedom of expression, an established legal framework based on rule of law, and a sound administrative system leading to efficiency and effectiveness (Glover 103).
in order to extract the confidence and support of the people for the regime. Good governance refers to a system of governance where the organization of political power allows sound social and economic policies to be designed and implemented in the most efficient and accountable manner. The World Bank coined the term “good governance” in 1992 and embedded in it the ideals of political accountability, freedom of participation, freedom of expression, an established legal framework based on rule of law, and a sound administrative system leading to efficiency and effectiveness (Glover 103).
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A work of art is successful in so far as it reveals the universal. Characterisation in literature also rises to greatness in proportion as the delineated individual man or woman represents the universal. The portrait must aim at exposing,... more
A work of art is successful in so far as it reveals the universal. Characterisation in literature also rises to greatness in proportion as the delineated individual man or woman represents the universal. The portrait must aim at exposing, through one figure, some essential or universal quality of man and woman. It ought to be the ideal of the individual. A photographic chastity cannot be the aim of art and literature.
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During November 2003 visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee described the friendship between India and Russia as a stabilising force in the changed world scenario and asserted that 'sky is the limit' in respect of... more
During November 2003 visit to Moscow, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee described the friendship between India and Russia as a stabilising force in the changed world scenario and asserted that 'sky is the limit' in respect of India-Russia relations. Similarly, Russian Ambassador to India, Alexander M. Kadakin, writing in The Times of India (13 Nov. 2003) on the occasion of the above visit, contends 'India has been and remains, without any reservations, Russia's closest and most reliable friend and partner'. Since, the year 2000, bilateral summits have become an annual feature. In fact, between December 2002 and November 2003 there have been four summit meetings between Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Putin. This amply shows the significance that each country accords to the bilateral relations.
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Iris Murdoch, as a creative writer, tries to live up to her ideals as she has expressed them outside her fiction. For her, one important attempt in this direction is not to control her characters, but to let them be free from the patterns... more
Iris Murdoch, as a creative writer, tries to live up to her ideals as she has expressed them outside her fiction. For her, one important attempt in this direction is not to control her characters, but to let them be free from the patterns within her own mind. Her ideal is to submit them to the test of reality and contingency, to make them act as real people act, to avoid making them unnaturally heroic or saintly, to prevent them being agents of the author’s fantasy or wish fulfilment. We find her intention fulfilled throughout her fiction. The Black Prince is one of the famous novels of Murdoch that provides a good example of this ideal.
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The English Language has been proven as a language which gave expression to many colonized and oppressed communities worldwide, like the natives of North America, Australia, New Zealand, etc. The basic premise of this paper is to... more
The English Language has been proven as a language which gave expression to many colonized and oppressed communities worldwide, like the natives of North America, Australia, New Zealand, etc. The basic premise of this paper is to highlight the seminal role played by the English language in trans-nationalizing the tribulations and mortifications of the marginalized community, which had been hitherto unnoticed and uncared for, in our country. In India, the widespread awakening caused by the iconoclast, Dr. Ambedkar, the education promoted by the British Rule and the reservation policy of the government are some of the causative factors which resulted in the evolution of a new literary movement called Dalit Literature. Though, many literary attempts have been made by this marginalized community in their vernacular languages since 1970's, the emergence of their English translation is hardly two decades old, starting from 1992, with the publication of Mulk Raj Anand and Eleanor Zelliot's An Anthology of Dalit Literature. This paper reflects the need for translation of literary works with respect to the translation of Joothan, an autobiography of Om Prakash Valmiki , by Arun Prabha Mukherjee. This paper also endeavours to analyze the impacts of this literature in translation on the marginalized community as well as the 'others'. The English language has widened the scope for realizing the injustice and inequalities existing in the social system and for making inroads into the creation of a new egalitarian society.
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The relationship between The Republic and The Mirror for Princes is not as straight as it might seem. With the changing political scenario in Italy and around, a fresh lot of advisory texts were written to suit the need of the hour. Just... more
The relationship between The Republic and The Mirror for Princes is not as straight as it might seem. With the changing political scenario in Italy and around, a fresh lot of advisory texts were written to suit the need of the hour. Just as the name suggests, The Mirror for Princes was about showing the rulers a mirror of the ideals that they could learn and follow. However, the innovation that was introduced to this category of literature can be explained with the statement that opens Marcel Tetel's article "The Humanist Situation": "Although the Renaissance seeks perfection and the ideal state of the human situation, it must sooner or later settle for the realm of experience" (70). In this study, focus will be made on a few thinkers-Plato, Erasmus, More, Machiavelli and Castiglione. Taking Plato's Republic (written around 360 B.C.E) as the key text, the relationship between politics and education to contextualize the renaissance versions of The Mirror for Princes will be explored.
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William Wordsworth, a prominent romantic poet, popularly known as the high priest of nature, is a ‘thinking feeling philosopher’, as ST Coleridge, a friend and mirror to him rightly states that Wordsworth “possessed more of the genius of... more
William Wordsworth, a prominent romantic poet, popularly known as the high priest of nature, is a ‘thinking feeling philosopher’, as ST Coleridge, a friend and mirror to him rightly states that Wordsworth “possessed more of the genius of a great philosophic poet than any man I ever knew” (Table Talk 21st July, 1832). His simple overt nature poetry does have a hidden philosophic richness as Jonathan Bishop in the essay “Wordsworth and the Spots of Time” realizing this embedded sublimity, remarks that in Wordsworth’s poetry ‘Surfaces hide depths’. This powerful undercurrent of spiritual and moral energy contained in his poetic treasure is realized when a sensitive reader moves from nature to a more deeply mediated conception of nature. Hence his simple surface-nature poetry has Miltonic depth as WJ Harvey comparing him to Milton states that what Wordsworth does share with Milton is ‘a high level of semantic density’. The hidden philosophical richness of his poetry is surfaced through the transfiguration of the external world of appearances with the innate divinity. Commenting on Wordsworth’s poetry Alan Gardiner appropriately asserts that “Wordsworth is interested not in the natural world but in the relationship between the natural world and human consciousness” and further asserts that in his poetry reality dawns when “sight develops into insight” (Gardiner 98, 90). Therefore, AC Bradley rightly striking the core says that Wordsworth “hungered for realities” (196) in his nature poetry.
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Language is a social phenomenon. It is influenced in the course of time. English has been influenced by several languages of the world during several historical periods. It is an international language and a liberal language that has... more
Language is a social phenomenon. It is influenced in the course of time. English has been influenced by several languages of the world during several historical periods. It is an international language and a liberal language that has resulted in the influence of scientific and technical terms in the age of science and technology. The advent of computer has brought a great change in the English language both in spoken and written forms. The words that were not known to the speakers of this language are in vogue today. The cyber culture has great impact on it. Even an illiterate person uses the terms of computer frequently. Thus technological innovations have influenced the English language to a great extent.
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Scholarly unpublished research papers following MLA Style (9th edition), poems and book reviews are invited for publication in its next volume. Kindly visit the website for Announcement (https://www.arsartium.org/announcement/),... more
Scholarly unpublished research papers following MLA Style (9th edition), poems and book reviews are invited for publication in its next volume. Kindly visit the website for Announcement (https://www.arsartium.org/announcement/), Guidelines for Authors (https://www.arsartium.org/guidelines-for-authors/) and Publication Ethics (https://www.arsartium.org/publication-ethics/) before sending your contributions.
Research Interests: American Literature, History, Sociology, Cultural Studies, Anthropology, and 15 moreInternational Relations, English Literature, Humanities, Teaching English as a Second Language, English language, Political Science, English, African Literature, Applied Linguistics, Indian English Literature, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Australian Literature, Indian Writing in English, English language teaching, and English Education
The present paper attempts to look at the representation of women in Garhwal miniature paintings, an offshoot of Pahari painting, which remained in vogue from the 17 th to 19 th centuries. The pictorial evidence presents pictures of a... more
The present paper attempts to look at the representation of women in Garhwal miniature paintings, an offshoot of Pahari painting, which remained in vogue from the 17 th to 19 th centuries. The pictorial evidence presents pictures of a woman on various realms like their functioning, costumes, ornaments and roles. In other words, art becomes a visual commentary on women when there is an absence of sources. The Garhwal School of painting is the one of the most prolific Pahari Schools of painting. The region of Garhwal received an impetus in painting when a Mughal prince, Suleiman Shikoh, fleeing from his uncle, Aurangzeb, had brought to Garhwal a whole retinue, which included a Mughal artist and his son. They remained at Garhwal even after the prince had left and were granted a substantial pension. The nayikas, or heroines of ancient Indian writers, are typical specimens of the Garhwal School's conception of womanly beauty. It is of utmost importance that one does not find in particular any court scene or any marriage procession painting since painting was not a favourite art at Garhwal but a number of paintings have been found from the nayikabheda series such as Abhisarika nayika or Vipralabdha nayika. The feminine figures are not robust rather seem imbued with lighter grace.
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Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In the twenty-first century, advertisements have changed drastically worldwide. The contemporary popular and effective advertisements not only try to promote and sell their products, services and ideas but also convey some sense of social... more
In the twenty-first century, advertisements have changed drastically worldwide. The contemporary popular and effective advertisements not only try to promote and sell their products, services and ideas but also convey some sense of social responsibility. The Indian advertisement industry witnessed a reformation in 2008 when the advertisement of Tata Tea, (Jaago Re) was launched. It was, to a great extent, a type of rejoinder to the criticism of the then prevalent television advertisements. However, the basic purpose of the advertisements remains unchanged. Some of the advertisements, in the recent past, played a decisive role in raising some of the fundamental social issues, like issues related to gender, education, health, etc. It has been observed that some of the advertisements are loaded with messages which question the orthodox and conservative social practices, values and beliefs. It seems academically viable to examine some of the select advertisements in order to see how and...
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This paper investigates the views of English teachers towards the implementation of texts for teaching English to technical students and also identifies the connection between their views on the students and students' use of... more
This paper investigates the views of English teachers towards the implementation of texts for teaching English to technical students and also identifies the connection between their views on the students and students' use of texts. The paper initially focuses on the context for technical learning using English language by reviewing current studies on the views of teachers as regards to technical classroom sessions using English language and finally provides the authors' view of the challenges faced by English teachers while taking classes for engineering students.
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... The word preserve, in that first, self-mocking context, returns twice in this finale, Arbuthnot now its object: May Heaven, to bless those days ... Two other meanings evolved simultaneously from the Greek symbolization of the willow... more
... The word preserve, in that first, self-mocking context, returns twice in this finale, Arbuthnot now its object: May Heaven, to bless those days ... Two other meanings evolved simultaneously from the Greek symbolization of the willow as a tree of life and death and of chastity that dies ...
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The present paper attempts to look at the representation of women in Garhwal miniature paintings, an offshoot of Pahari painting, which remained in vogue from the 17 th to 19 th centuries. The pictorial evidence presents pictures of a... more
The present paper attempts to look at the representation of women in Garhwal miniature paintings, an offshoot of Pahari painting, which remained in vogue from the 17 th to 19 th centuries. The pictorial evidence presents pictures of a woman on various realms like their functioning, costumes, ornaments and roles. In other words, art becomes a visual commentary on women when there is an absence of sources. The Garhwal School of painting is the one of the most prolific Pahari Schools of painting. The region of Garhwal received an impetus in painting when a Mughal prince, Suleiman Shikoh, fleeing from his uncle, Aurangzeb, had brought to Garhwal a whole retinue, which included a Mughal artist and his son. They remained at Garhwal even after the prince had left and were granted a substantial pension. The nayikas, or heroines of ancient Indian writers, are typical specimens of the Garhwal School's conception of womanly beauty. It is of utmost importance that one does not find in particular any court scene or any marriage procession painting since painting was not a favourite art at Garhwal but a number of paintings have been found from the nayikabheda series such as Abhisarika nayika or Vipralabdha nayika. The feminine figures are not robust rather seem imbued with lighter grace.
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Padma Shri Dr. Shyam Singh Shashi is an eminent Hindi poet, anthropologist and social scientist. He has Encyclopedia of Humanities and Social Sciences (50 volumes), Encyclopedia of Indian Tribes (12 volumes), Encyclopedia of World Women... more
Padma Shri Dr. Shyam Singh Shashi is an eminent Hindi poet, anthropologist and social scientist. He has Encyclopedia of Humanities and Social Sciences (50 volumes), Encyclopedia of Indian Tribes (12 volumes), Encyclopedia of World Women (10 volumes) and Encyclopedia Indica (150 volumes); many poetry collections and other important books to his credit. The present book, Nomads of India (2015) is a great contribution to the knowledge of mankind. The book presents anthropological, historical and sociocultural studies of nomadic communities of India. This is the result of extensive studies on these communities in India and abroad by the writer.
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Indian Poetry in English is remarkably great. The conflict between tradition and modernity at various levels – social, cultural, familiar, national and cosmopolitan is well marked in the works of modern poets. It can be said about the... more
Indian Poetry in English is remarkably great. The conflict between tradition and modernity at various levels – social, cultural, familiar, national and cosmopolitan is well marked in the works of modern poets. It can be said about the modern Indian poetry in English that with every passing decade an increasing immediacy and heightened awareness of actual Indian experience is noticeable. Gradually with passing time the English language poetry became more Indianized in nature. It is discernible in works of modern Indian poets of English. The book under review is a collection of fourteen critical papers. It explores the works of modern Indian poets who are significant voices of our time.
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Vijay Kumar Roy ’s collection of poems covers the themes of beauty, truth, love, spirituality, patriotism, peace and universal brotherhood. These poems are a moving celebration of what endures, in the individual life and in the human and... more
Vijay Kumar Roy ’s collection of poems covers the themes of beauty, truth, love, spirituality, patriotism, peace and universal brotherhood. These poems are a moving celebration of what endures, in the individual life and in the human and natural world at large. Vijay Kumar Roy’s poetry turns to the power and sustenance of God, or the hear-work that art does, and relishes the difficulties and pleasures to be found in the world. This is a poet who knows the pain as well as the passion of life and transforms them into an understanding of what it is to be human.
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Research Interests:
The grand epic of Vyasa which is almost 2000 years old is not a literary masterpiece tucked away in air conditioned museums or libraries, but its characters and events speak to us with a contemporary resonance. The evidence of the... more
The grand epic of Vyasa which is almost 2000 years old is not a literary masterpiece tucked away in air conditioned museums or libraries, but its characters and events speak to us with a contemporary resonance. The evidence of the popularity of this text is in the form of retellings in the form of books, theatre adaptations and teleserials all across the world. This research is based upon Shashi Tharoor's The Great Indian Novel (1989), one of such retellings and a fictional work that takes the story of this epic; and recasts and resets it in the context of twentieth century India. Postmodernity has been an important element in twentieth century fiction, and thus this research closely looks at the elements of meta-fiction, fluidity, parody, intertextuality present in this novel which make it a postmodern work. The 20 th century was also marked by mass decolonisation of many countries, and the postcolonial literature produced by the former colonies is interesting as well as engaging. The postcolonial writings are an act of reclaiming the lost culture and also the act of 'the empires writing back'. Tharoor's novel, like Rushdie's masterpiece, is yet another magnum opus which shows the distinctiveness of postcolonial literature.
Research Interests: English Literature, Intertextuality And Plagiarism, Historiography, English, Intertextuality, and 10 morePostmodernism, Indian English Literature, Rereading and Intertextuality, Metafiction, Indian Writing in English, Mahabharata, Portrayal of Partition in Indian English Literature, Contemporary Indian literature in English, Intertextuality and Allusion, and Ecocriticism in Indian english literature
The paper examines the portrayal of trauma and its post-traumatic experiences within the context of dictatorship in Alex Agyei-Agyiri's Unexpected Joy at Dawn (2003) and Odafe Atogun's Taduno's Song (2016). Drawing upon trauma theory as... more
The paper examines the portrayal of trauma and its post-traumatic experiences within the context of dictatorship in Alex Agyei-Agyiri's Unexpected Joy at Dawn (2003) and Odafe Atogun's Taduno's Song (2016). Drawing upon trauma theory as proposed by Caruth, the paper explores the psychological and emotional repercussions endured by the characters in the selected texts, portraying the implications of living under oppressive regimes. Through a close analysis of the texts, the paper examines the fragmentation of identity, emotional numbness, loss of trust, selfless sacrifice, and the intergenerational transmission of trauma. Moreover, the paper explores the characters' post-traumatic experiences, including nightmares, anxiety, and the complexities of healing and resilience in the aftermath of dictatorship. The paper, through in-depth analysis, contributes to the existing literary discourse on African military dictatorship, trauma and its effects, offering valuable insights into the impact of dictatorship and the characters' capacity to navigate trauma and find unexpected joy amidst adversity.
Research Interests: African Studies, Traumatology, Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, African History, and 15 moreTrauma Studies, African Literature, African American Literature, Dictatorships, Literature and Trauma, Loss and Trauma, Trauma, Cultural Trauma, Africana Studies, Post traumatic stress disorder, Dictatorship, Military Dictatorship, Trauma Theory, Dissociation and trauma, and Trauma Narratives
The ambitious National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) of the Government of India proposes to implement Indian languages as medium of instruction in its higher education. Many changes are required at different levels politically,... more
The ambitious National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) of the Government of India proposes to implement Indian languages as medium of instruction in its higher education. Many changes are required at different levels politically, economically, linguistically, sociolinguistically and socio-psychologically, in order to make a language medium of instruction at any level of education in a country. Such initiatives become manifold difficult to implement in a country like India where diversity can be seen in every walk of life. The linguistic and cultural diversity makes India unique and it is considered its strength. At the same time, it becomes challenging to make any amendment to the existing policy and law. The study tries to explore the sociolinguistic challenges in making the Indian languages media of instruction in higher education. The study deals with the role of language attitude, language policy, the relative social perception of Indian languages, the long-term effect on the economy, career prospects for the learners, etc. The study tries to focus on the trends of higher education globally in relation to medium of instruction.
Research Interests: Education, Teaching English as a Second Language, Sociolinguistics, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Language Policy, and 8 moreEnglish language teaching, Materials develpoment for ELT classes, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), English Language Teaching (ELT), ICT in teaching and learning English language, English Language Teaching, Lesson planning for English language teaching, and Teaching of English Language and Literature
The current study examines the complex terrain of language instruction. The challenges modern language classrooms face, are getting worse primarily because their learners are culturally and linguistically diverse. To better understand how... more
The current study examines the complex terrain of language instruction. The challenges modern language classrooms face, are getting worse primarily because their learners are culturally and linguistically diverse. To better understand how to overcome these obstacles and achieve better results in language acquisition, this research looks at the effectiveness of a particular intervention. This study explores the complexities of teaching English as a second language, considering the significance of language in all aspects of life, including communication, social integration, and career advancement. Language frameworks, educational techniques, and the ever-changing character of the language are all part of investigating the elements that impact language learning. According to the research, innovative solutions are essential to negotiate the intricacies of the classroom.
Research Interests: Teaching English as a Second Language, English, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, English language teaching, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), and 5 moreEnglish Language Teaching (ELT), ICT in teaching and learning English language, English Language Teaching, Teaching of English Language and Literature, and Pedagogical approaches
Ethnographic research is carried out in a natural setting, not in a laboratory. It entails close, in-person communication with participants. The ideas and behaviours of the participants are accurately reflected in ethnographic research.... more
Ethnographic research is carried out in a natural setting, not in a laboratory. It entails close, in-person communication with participants. The ideas and behaviours of the participants are accurately reflected in ethnographic research. To construct ideas about local cultures, it collects unstructured data in an inductive, participatory, and repetitive manner using analytical techniques. Ethnography is a holistic qualitative approach to research developed by anthropologists in order to understand people within their social and cultural contexts. It requires that researchers be reflective about their impact on the research site and the cultural group. The goals of ethnographic research are to be emic, all-encompassing, contextualized, holistic, and to focus on examining the interactions between intricate parts. Ethnographies often involve the uses of observations, interviews, diaries, field notes and other methods of data collection. Triangulation of data is always at the heart of the ethnographic process. This paper discusses the fundamental philosophical bases, history, and theoretical bases of ethnographic research. The article also describes the primary methodologies, techniques and tools used in ethnographic research. In addition, the article presents an ethnographic research template which can be used by English teachers for classroom purposes.
Research Interests: Teaching English as a Second Language, Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Teaching English to the Speaker of Other Languages, English language teaching, English Education, and 8 moreEthnographic Research, Elt Methodology, Ethnographic & autoethnographic research, Teacher Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Second/Foreign Languages (TESOL), English Language Teaching (ELT), ICT in teaching and learning English language, English Language Teaching, and Teaching of English Language and Literature
This research employs Theo Van Leeuwen's legitimation framework of Critical Discourse Analysis to investigate how genome editing is legitimized in two select newspaper reports. The analysis focuses on the dominant discourses,... more
This research employs Theo Van Leeuwen's legitimation framework of Critical Discourse Analysis to investigate how genome editing is legitimized in two select newspaper reports. The analysis focuses on the dominant discourses, justification techniques, power dynamics, ideologies, and social practices presented in these news reports. Genome editing is primarily justified as a groundbreaking scientific development with the possibility to revolutionise health and agriculture, according to the findings of a systematic analysis of language choices and claims of authority. This favourable ideological picture is supported by scientific data and professional advice from researchers and decision-makers, further solidifying their authority in the discourse. Nevertheless, there are clear power disparities, with scientists and policy-makers dominating the narrative and the general public's viewpoints and ethical concerns being under-represented. Dealing with language-related problems and solutions, this article has its applied relevance for institutional practices in education and the media.
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The application of metacognitive strategies incorporated in Barry J. Zimmerman's SRL method for the task of reading by less proficient English Honours students yielded promising results in a case study undertaken in an undergraduate... more
The application of metacognitive strategies incorporated in Barry J. Zimmerman's SRL method for the task of reading by less proficient English Honours students yielded promising results in a case study undertaken in an undergraduate classroom of Haryana. The usage of metacognitive strategies for improvement in reading skills by below average less proficient ESL students remains an under researched field. This paper shows that less proficient ESL students of Haryana, a northern state of India, find reading for a semester in English Honours quite challenging. It was observed during the case study of four less proficient ESL English Honours students in a university of Haryana that when, with the motivation and guidance of the teacher, these very students were encouraged to consciously apply metacognitive strategies included in above mentioned SRL method, learning outcomes for reading proficiency significantly improved. This can be deduced to mean that the incorporation of metacognitive strategies for long reading assignments by ESL students can lead to better learning outcomes.
Research Interests: English, Applied Linguistics, Metacognitive Strategies in Listening, Metacognitive Learning Strategies, METACOGNITIVE ONLINE READING STRATEGIES, and 5 moreEnglish Language Teaching (ELT), Metacognitive Strategies in Teaching Listening Comprehension, Metacognitive Strategies in Reading, Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies, and Metacognitive Strategies
Krishna Samaroo's The Nowherians (2016) is a coming-of-age story, a bildungsroman, of two brothers who are at the mercy of Trinidadian societal practices at the time. The details of childhood are a capsule of memory from pre-independence... more
Krishna Samaroo's The Nowherians (2016) is a coming-of-age story, a bildungsroman, of two brothers who are at the mercy of Trinidadian societal practices at the time. The details of childhood are a capsule of memory from pre-independence to post independence. In this article, I examine some key issues that arise from Samaroo's work and make connections to two other works set in a similar time in Trinidad and Tobago-Hodge's Crick Crack, Monkey (1970) and Persaud's Butterfly in the Wind (1990). Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s and 1960s includes experiences that are determined by social class and specifically in these works, the rural-urban dynamic as it affects social issues. These three works include childhood as a major theme and as a result, home spaces and caregivers in the forms of grandmothers and aunts are also issues of importance. My own family stories offer connections to thematic discussions in the article.
Research Interests: English Literature, Development Studies, Indian studies, Caribbean Literature, Indian English Literature, and 9 moreAnglophone Caribbean Women's Literature, Caribbean Dramatic Literature, Literature of the Anglophone Caribbean, Literature of the Francophone Caribbean, Caribbean literature (English), Contemporary Caribbean Literature, Indian Writing in English, Hispanic Caribbean Literature and Arts, and Indo-Caribbean Literature
The biggest undoing of early anthropologists and their approaches to the study of oral literature is the concentration on the functions that oral literature plays in society. This perspective invariably relegates to the uncharitable... more
The biggest undoing of early anthropologists and their approaches to the study of oral literature is the concentration on the functions that oral literature plays in society. This perspective invariably relegates to the uncharitable background, the role of the performer of the verbal art. This study unquestionably examines the personality of the oral artist or poet in the whole gamut of the realisation of the oral art forms. The oral poet is seen, therefore, as a vehicle in the entire concept of performance. The poet's persona and his internal configuration speak volumes about the kind and quality of vocal performance the community and audience experience, against the backdrop of the avowed position of the occasion of such performance in the African setting.
Research Interests: Mythology And Folklore, African Studies, Folklore, English Literature, Performance Studies, and 15 moreLiterature, Indian studies, Poetry, African History, English, African Literature, Performance, Folktales, Folk legends, Folk Music, Folklore (Literature), Nigeria, Africana Studies, Folk literature, and Oral Poetry
This article examines the blight of prostitution and street hawking on the children protagonists in Uwem Akpan's "An Ex-mas Feast" in the short story collection, Say You're One of Them (2008) and Chigbo Ugwuoke's Ogadimma: The Diary of... more
This article examines the blight of prostitution and street hawking on the children protagonists in Uwem Akpan's "An Ex-mas Feast" in the short story collection, Say You're One of Them (2008) and Chigbo Ugwuoke's Ogadimma: The Diary of Housemaid (2015). It discusses the plight of children who act in the capacity of their parents by engaging in risky and dehumanizing jobs in a frantic bid to survive and provide financial support to their families. Guided by the culture of poverty and structuralist theories, this article forays into the dearth of hope and the birth of hopelessness in these young protagonists who step into adult roles due to parental, societal, and institutional failure. The article finds that a nation besieged with blighted childhoods and aborted destinies can only spiral into abysmal chaos and criminality.