Papers by Dr. PARTHA S A R A T H I NANDI
Where Time Stops, 2019
This Partition themed short-story was published in Sahitya Akademi's bi-monthly journal Indian Li... more This Partition themed short-story was published in Sahitya Akademi's bi-monthly journal Indian Literature Vol. 63, No. 6 (314) (November-December 2019), pp. 151-158 (8 pages).
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27276738
Authors on Pyre: The Ritual of Book Burning and Premchand, 2018
The element of Fire serves as a double-edged sword. On one hand it is the symbol of annihilation ... more The element of Fire serves as a double-edged sword. On one hand it is the symbol of annihilation and on the other it stands for purgation. This phenomenon is well exemplified by the relationship between books and fire. Burning books can be perceived as the earliest form of censorship and this performative act still exists. Instances of book burning defy any specific tempo-spatial barrier and are scattered throughout the annals of world history. It ranges from the razing of the library of Alexandria to the Nazi book fires of 1933, and the recent burnings of Rowling’s Harry Potter books in US or Premchand’s novel in India.
However, this article is not about the history of book burning. Rather, it analyses the very act (burning libraries, archives and cultural artifacts) which emerges out of an illicit pleasure of destruction, a desire for purity, an element of resistance/protest, an attempt to eradicate a certain ideology etc. Apart from exploring the wide implications of book burning (ranging from the destruction of knowledge and history; to the symbolic act of protest and the promise of a new beginning), this article also focuses on the incident of burning Premchand’s Rangbhumi by BDSA (in 2004) and seeks to address various issues like the politics of representation, the ethicality of employing vandalistic tactics for progressive causes etc.
Multicoloured Glass: Studies on Indian Short Stories, 2017
This paper analyses Khwaja Ahmad Abbas's little known short story "A Debt to Pay" in the context ... more This paper analyses Khwaja Ahmad Abbas's little known short story "A Debt to Pay" in the context of riots that erupted during India's Partition.
English Studies in India, 2018
Partha Sarathi Nandi's paper deals with the introduction of the English language in India. Most p... more Partha Sarathi Nandi's paper deals with the introduction of the English language in India. Most postcolonial critics tend to perceive English language as a "notorious" implement of India's colonial legacy that is still perpetuating colonialism in this era. And this suspicion towards the language persists among many Indians even today. But in doing so, they often discard the cultural interactions that occurred in this process. While some immersed themselves in the imported culture to become "more English than the English", others rejected this alien language, clinging on to their orthodox ideas. However, some accommodated both these trends, leading to the development of a hybrid culture which was an energetic mix of vernacular and English. Though it is undeniable that the "centre" introduced us to the English language, institutionalised it and valorised it among the elite intellectuals in colonial India, it is equally true that over time, the language has been absorbed, appropriated, modified and naturalised by the natives in such a way that it has now become a lingua franca for the people of multilingual nations like India. The paper discusses how English has travelled through time and space and has become a common language of interaction, uniting the multilingual population of India and the world.
The JMC Review: An Interdisciplinary Social Science Journal of Criticism, Practice and Theory VOL V , 2021
The paper seeks to understand visual representation and the 'othering' of migrant workers in the ... more The paper seeks to understand visual representation and the 'othering' of migrant workers in the time of pandemic. Digital technologies have made visibility expansive and at the same time, created spaces of contention for people to express their views in multimodal forms. Internal/ urban migrants refer to a floating population that comes to the cities in search for work. The plight of the migrant workers after the announcement of lockdown in India caused indignation among people witnessing the visuals who, in turn, tried to raise consciousness by employing various protest methods, both online and offline. The representation of migrant workers is explored at audiovisual forms, the imprint it left on the individual and community psyche, the resemblance, connotation and juxtaposition with other visuals when they had to return to their hometown with lockdown and no government (state/central) aids. The differential treatment regarding safety measures and resources given to people exposed the class divide existent within the country. The article seeks to explore the meaning making of injustice symbols regarding the migrant workers during the lockdown and their iconic significance with the new modes of protest repertoires on behalf and by the migrant worker.
This paper explores the aspects of surveillance and censorship on the creative works across time ... more This paper explores the aspects of surveillance and censorship on the creative works across time and space. So, pointing out the "timelessness" of the phenomenon of censorship, it also examines the philosophical foundations behind it and then places it within the historiographical context, namely censoring of the colonial stage of Bengal
Representing the practice of indigo cultivation in Colonial Bengal and its impact by Dinabandhu M... more Representing the practice of indigo cultivation in Colonial Bengal and its impact by Dinabandhu Mitra in his play 'Nildarpan' Politicizing and creating a controversy by Its second representation, the English translation of Nildarpan, and finally it's onstage presentation as an anti-colonial play of protest during the agniyug.
Considered to be one of the most traumatic chapters in India’s history, the partition witnessed a... more Considered to be one of the most traumatic chapters in India’s history, the partition witnessed a saga of
bloodbath and communal riots that left an indelible mark in the narrative of the country’s independence.
The haphazard formation of the two nations resulted in the eviction of countless number of families from their
ancestral roots. Nearly fourteen million people, who were forced to embrace the political ‘solution’ thrust upon
them, underwent this wrenching experience. However, the official historiography perceives ‘partition’ as a
fleeting moment of collective madness and the post-independent nationalist and ‘secularist’ historiographies
has been reconstructed as glorious narratives of freedom struggle and a tale of modernization. Creative
writers have captured these human dimensions of partition far more effectively than historians, as evident
from the works of Saadat Hasan Manto, the Indo-Pakistani writer. This paper attempts an analysis of Manto’s
short-story “Bitter Harvest” as a divergent narrative of those tumultuous times, and thereby examines that the
official narratives (and sometimes testimonies even) aren’t adequate enough to understand a cataclysmic
event like the India-Pakistan Partition. It is necessary to recognize and incorporate the creative modes of
experience (sometimes dismissed as fictive), within the discourse of official historiography.
This paper explores the psychoanalytic aspects of Uncanny by exploring two short stories: Rotonba... more This paper explores the psychoanalytic aspects of Uncanny by exploring two short stories: Rotonbabu ar sei Lok ta by Satyajit Ray and The Mirror by Haruki Murakami. This analysis will be done in the light of Freudian concepts of Uncanny.
This Paper deals with the catastrophic event of 1943 Famine in Bengal and how it changed the land... more This Paper deals with the catastrophic event of 1943 Famine in Bengal and how it changed the landscape of the Bengali Theatre, leading to the creation of plays like Nabanna (by Bijan Bhattacharya). This article is descriptive rather than analytical and gives an elementary account of the rise of People's Theatre.
Books by Dr. PARTHA S A R A T H I NANDI
An Analysis of Borges' short story The Circular Ruins in the light of Upanishads
Book Reviews by Dr. PARTHA S A R A T H I NANDI
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Papers by Dr. PARTHA S A R A T H I NANDI
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27276738
However, this article is not about the history of book burning. Rather, it analyses the very act (burning libraries, archives and cultural artifacts) which emerges out of an illicit pleasure of destruction, a desire for purity, an element of resistance/protest, an attempt to eradicate a certain ideology etc. Apart from exploring the wide implications of book burning (ranging from the destruction of knowledge and history; to the symbolic act of protest and the promise of a new beginning), this article also focuses on the incident of burning Premchand’s Rangbhumi by BDSA (in 2004) and seeks to address various issues like the politics of representation, the ethicality of employing vandalistic tactics for progressive causes etc.
bloodbath and communal riots that left an indelible mark in the narrative of the country’s independence.
The haphazard formation of the two nations resulted in the eviction of countless number of families from their
ancestral roots. Nearly fourteen million people, who were forced to embrace the political ‘solution’ thrust upon
them, underwent this wrenching experience. However, the official historiography perceives ‘partition’ as a
fleeting moment of collective madness and the post-independent nationalist and ‘secularist’ historiographies
has been reconstructed as glorious narratives of freedom struggle and a tale of modernization. Creative
writers have captured these human dimensions of partition far more effectively than historians, as evident
from the works of Saadat Hasan Manto, the Indo-Pakistani writer. This paper attempts an analysis of Manto’s
short-story “Bitter Harvest” as a divergent narrative of those tumultuous times, and thereby examines that the
official narratives (and sometimes testimonies even) aren’t adequate enough to understand a cataclysmic
event like the India-Pakistan Partition. It is necessary to recognize and incorporate the creative modes of
experience (sometimes dismissed as fictive), within the discourse of official historiography.
Books by Dr. PARTHA S A R A T H I NANDI
Book Reviews by Dr. PARTHA S A R A T H I NANDI
http://soutipotrika.com/Archive/2022-february/Features.aspx
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27276738
However, this article is not about the history of book burning. Rather, it analyses the very act (burning libraries, archives and cultural artifacts) which emerges out of an illicit pleasure of destruction, a desire for purity, an element of resistance/protest, an attempt to eradicate a certain ideology etc. Apart from exploring the wide implications of book burning (ranging from the destruction of knowledge and history; to the symbolic act of protest and the promise of a new beginning), this article also focuses on the incident of burning Premchand’s Rangbhumi by BDSA (in 2004) and seeks to address various issues like the politics of representation, the ethicality of employing vandalistic tactics for progressive causes etc.
bloodbath and communal riots that left an indelible mark in the narrative of the country’s independence.
The haphazard formation of the two nations resulted in the eviction of countless number of families from their
ancestral roots. Nearly fourteen million people, who were forced to embrace the political ‘solution’ thrust upon
them, underwent this wrenching experience. However, the official historiography perceives ‘partition’ as a
fleeting moment of collective madness and the post-independent nationalist and ‘secularist’ historiographies
has been reconstructed as glorious narratives of freedom struggle and a tale of modernization. Creative
writers have captured these human dimensions of partition far more effectively than historians, as evident
from the works of Saadat Hasan Manto, the Indo-Pakistani writer. This paper attempts an analysis of Manto’s
short-story “Bitter Harvest” as a divergent narrative of those tumultuous times, and thereby examines that the
official narratives (and sometimes testimonies even) aren’t adequate enough to understand a cataclysmic
event like the India-Pakistan Partition. It is necessary to recognize and incorporate the creative modes of
experience (sometimes dismissed as fictive), within the discourse of official historiography.
http://soutipotrika.com/Archive/2022-february/Features.aspx