Thursday, January 30, 2014

Inviting articles for a book


Dear All,

CONFLUENCE: A symposium on the importance of literature for professional studies was organized by us in October. As per the plan we want to compile the articles/ write ups from the speakers of the symposium, participants and selected experts. 
 
We would like to propose the following sub-themes for inviting the articles/ write ups:
 
· Importance of literature as a study of humanities, psychology and cultures
· Impact of literature on study of law
· Impact of literature on study of management
· Impact of literature on study of various disciplines
· Books that can change your life
· Study of ancient literature including scriptures
· Social media and modern literature
· Literature and good governance
· Non-fiction as an educational genre
· Any other topic related to the theme

The book will be published after peer review by experts by Nirma University. 
You can send your articles on harmik.vaishnav@nirmauni.ac.in.

Two-Day National Seminar on Feminist Transitions



Organized by

 School Of Languages & Literature
 Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
24-25 March 2014

Conference Venue:  Lecture Hall C,D


School of Languages & Literature
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University
 Kakryal, Katra.
Jammu and Kashmir - 182320


Dear all

It gives us great pleasure to announce that the School of Languages & Literature, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University is going to organize a two-day national seminar on Feminist Transitions from 24 to 25 March 2014.

Theme and Objectives

Recent years have seen an unprecedented broadening of feminist issues and
practices. Feminist perspecti
ves have moved across and beyond a number of
established boundaries including geographical, national, economic,
ethnic, political, theoretical, cultural, popular, sexual and gender to
expand the scope of the movement. Now more than ever, there is a need for
an inclusive feminism that sees diversity as strength and engages
productively with the complexities and contradictions of the twenty-first
century. According to Rosalind Gill (2007), “postfeminism is best thought of as a sensibility that characterizes increasing numbers of films, television shows, adverts and other media products” and this sensibility is, “made up of a number of interrelated themes,” which raises issues about how far femininity is perceived as a bodily property ? Is there a shift from objectification to subjectification? 

-To what extent emphasis upon self surveillance, monitoring and self-discipline, and a focus on individualism, choice and empowerment been achieved.
This seminar will engage with feminist perspectives on a wide range of social, cultural, theoretical and global transitions that have affected
and/or modified feminisms identity, representation, activism and politics in the twenty first century.
Besides this the seminar hopes to address the following thematic concerns:
  • -to debate the state of twenty-first-century feminisms
  • to bring feminist and gender-sensitive scholarship into conversation with geographical and social science research on the new times and spaces of contemporary life.
  • to encourage interdisciplinary dialogue on the issues facing womens access to work and education across the globe.

Call for Papers and Guidelines

Aspiring participants are requested to send their abstracts latest by 1st  March 2014.
Papers should be in MS Word format, Times New Roman, font size 12 with 1.5 space.
Abstracts would be subject to review by a technical committee. Abstracts sent after the
deadline will not be accepted. The word limit for the abstract is 250 and for full paper 2000 words. The time limit for the presentation will be 20 minutes followed by discussion. In addition to these, the following guidelines should be kept in mind:
· Select the theme that best characterizes your research paper. Theme selections will be
used to begin the process of organizing presentations into sessions.
· Proposals related to subthemes other than the ones identified here, could also be
considered.
· Papers should be written as continuous expository narratives, not as lists of points or
as Power-Point presentations.
· Authors must ensure the accuracy of citations and quotations.
· Papers submitted for publication must be written according to the latest MLA Style
and must be thoroughly checked and proofread before the submission.

Biographical Information should include the name of the organization or institution in which
you work as also the position or title you hold within the organization/institution and a short
statement of your interests.

Registration Fee

Registration Fee        (Local) : Rs. 1500
Registration Fee (Outstation) : Rs. 4000

(Outstation registration fee includes stay in university guest house from 23 March to 25 March, 2014 plus meals)

Mode of Payment

The payment towards registration and accommodation may be sent through the demand draft of any Nationalized Bank drawn in favor of the Registrar, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, payable at Jammu, J&K or via electronic transfer to account number 0477040100000023 in Jammu and Kashmir Bank {IFSC:JAKA0SMVDUN}.

Deadline for Registration fee:  10 March, 2014


Cheques/ credit cards will not be accepted

Important Instructions

· Boarding will be provided only for registered outstation delegates on prior intimation
latest by 10th March.
· Breakfast and dinner will be served in the guesthouse where the participants will be
lodged and working lunch and tea between sessions will be provided by the organisers
at the conference venue.
· Weather in mid-March will be pleasant and warm.

Correspondence: All correspondence relating to the seminar should be addressed to: seminarsollsmvdu@gmail.com

Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune, International Conference on 'Postmodernism and Indian English Literature' on 21st and 22nd Feb., 2014


INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
‘POSTMODERNISM AND INDIAN ENGLISH LITERATURE’
21st & 22nd Feb., 2014
On the Occasion of
The Golden Jubilee Year Celebrations of Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune
Organised by
Department of English
Bharati Vidyapeeth University
Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune (India)


The Department of English, Bharati Vidyapeeth University Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune (India) is organizing
a two-day International conference at Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune, India on 21st and 22nd February, 2014.
About the conference
‘Postmodernism’ in itself is a complex phenomenon as it is neither a complete negation nor an acceptance of
modernism. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines Postmodernism as “of, relating to, or being any of various
movements in reaction to modernism that are typically characterized by a return to traditional materials and
forms (as in architecture) or by ironic self-reference and absurdity (as in literature)” or “of, relating to, or
being a theory that involves a radical reappraisal of modern assumptions about culture, identity, history, or
language.” Holding the realities to be plural and relative, it involves the belief that most of the seeming
realities are only social constructs, as they are relative and subject to change with the temporal or spatial
changes.
Postmodernism emphasizes the role of language, power relations, and motivations and is against the sharp
distinctions such as male versus female, straight versus gay, white versus black, and imperial versus colonial.
Perhaps, taking clue from the generalised definition of the term, postmodern Indian English writers have
taken excessive advantage and liberty to evade even the key social concerns like poverty, debt-ridden
farmers, and underprivileged sections of society.
The postmodernist discourses have made the issues of identity and nationality as all the more complex.
Postmodern in Indian English literature explores fragmentariness in narrative- and character-construction in
a different way from its British or American counterpart. In post modernism, there is a preoccupation with
insecurities in the existence of humanity. The picture of life delineated by them accommodates
meaninglessness, purposelessness and absurdity of human existence through the employment of devices
such as Contradiction, Permutation, Discontinuity, Randomness, Excess, Short Circuit and so on. Post
modernist literature manifests chaotic condition of the world. Post -modernism of Indian English literature is,
however, different from that of England or Europe which rejects western values and beliefs as only a small
part of the human experience and rejects such ideas, beliefs, culture and norms of the western.
Taking a departure from the first generation of Indian English novelists, the Postmodern Indian English
novelists have concentrated on an entirely new-fangled set of themes which are as wide-ranging and complex
as the life in the age of globalisation is. The present generation of writers seems to have buried down the
erstwhile fundamental issues and engaged with the emerging issues like globalisation and subsequent
multiculturalism, postfeminism, cyber-feminism, queer theories, cultural conflicts, diaspora sensibility,
glamour, consumerism, commodification, BPOs, upward mobility and consequent erosion of ethical values
and transforming public sphere.
Evaluation of Postmodern Indian English Literature which refers to the works of literature after 1980 is not
an easy task. It has transcended the local and transformed into global, successfully meeting the challenges of
the Bhasa literatures at home and Postcolonial literature and Anglo-American literatures abroad. If Raja Rao’s
Kanthapura marks modernism, then Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children (1981) and Nissim Ezeliel’s Latter-day
Psalms (1982) mark postmodernism in Indian English Literature. The present conference aims at a fruitful
discussion on critical analysis of the Postmodern Indian English Literature genre-wise beginning from 1980
to the present-day works. The important poets, novelists, short-story writers and playwrights like Nissim
Ezeliel, A.K. Ramanujan, Jayanta Mahapatra, Kamala Das, Shiv Kumar, Keki Daruwalla, Dom Moraes,
Amitav ghosh, Shashi Tharoor, Anita Desai, Vikram seth, Arundhati Roy, Manju Kapur, Raj Kamal Jha
and many others will be discussed from a different perspective.
Call for papers or PPT presentations:
The abstract of papers in about 200-250 words must reach the organizers before 8th February 2014 by email as an
attachment, with ‘Submission of Abstract’ typed in the subject field by email to bvduengdept@gmail.com. The
acceptance of the paper will be communicated by 10th February 2014. The abstracts or full papers accepted for
presentation will be published in ISBN numbered proceeding. The participants whose abstracts are accepted have
to submit the full paper before 13th February 2014 by email as an attachment, with ‘Submission of Full Paper
typed in the subject field to bvduengdept@gmail.com.



Conference themes
 Postmodernism: A view
 Postmodern Indian English Literature
 Postmodernism & Cultural Conflict
 Postmodernism: Textuality & Intertextuality
 Postmodernism: The Role of Language in Literature
 Power Relations in Postmodern India Literature
 Globalisation & Multiculturalism
 Postmodernism & Literature in Indian Languages
 Diasporic Sensibility & Literature
 Consumerism, Commodification & BPOs Reflected in Literature
 Identity Crises in Postmodern Indian English Literature
 Any other theme related to the main theme of the Conference


Specifications for submission of abstract/full paper:
The papers should be in MS-Word format with Times New Roman font, 12 point size, 1.5 line spacing and be in the
latest MLA style. Papers related to science fiction alone will be accepted for presentation and publication.
Deliberations:
The conference will have plenary sessions, paper presentation sessions and panel discussion. Power-point
presentations will be welcomed. A paper or PPT will be given 20 minutes for presentation followed by 10 minutes
for interactions. The official language of the conference will be English. Provision will be made for the use of
standard presentation tools for the convenience of the paper presenters. If required, there will be separate sessions
of presentations in regional languages.
The Organizers: Bharati Vidyapeeth:
Bharati Vidyapeeth is the parent organization of Bharati Vidyapeeth University; Pune is one of the largest
educational organizations in the country having various colleges, schools, institutes of higher education and
research imparting education in a large variety of academic programmes. Dr. Patnagrao Kadam, the founder of
Bharati Vidyapeeth and Chancellor of BVDU, laid the foundation of this historic institution in 1964 with an objective
of ‘Social Transformation through Dynamic Education’ which is the driving force of Bharati Vidyapeeth. As an
educational institute of international repute, Bharati Vidyapeeth has been doing the momentous work by
enhancing the accessibility of higher education, making available to different sections of population on its way to
the proposed Golden Jubilee Celebrations this year. Bharati Vidyapeeth has now grown up as one of the largest
educational organizations in the country having 67 colleges of liberal and professional education with 73 schools of
Marathi and English medium. The Campuses located at Kadegaon (Sangli) and at Jawhar, the tribal area in Thane
district, which are totally devoted to welfare and all round progress of the weaker sections of the society speak
volumes about the social commitment of Dr.Patangrao Kadam. Since 2006, Dr. Vishwajit Kadam has been leading
this institution in his capacity as the Secretary of Bharati Vidyapeeth. The Year 2013-14 marks the Golden Jubilee
Year of the establishment of Bharati Vidyapeeth. Hence we propose to have this Conference as a part of the Golden
Jubilee Year Celebrations.
Bharati Vidyapeeth University:
It was one of the most glorious moments in the life of Bharati Vidyapeeth when the Government of India on the
recommendations of University Grants Commission, accorded the status of ‘Deemed to be University’ to a cluster of
12 colleges and thus the Bharati Vidyapeeth University started functioning in April 1996. The number of
constituent units has gone gradually increasing and now it is as large as 29. They include colleges of Medicine,
Dentistry, Ayurveda, Homoeopathy, Nursing, Pharmacy, Engineering, Architecture, Law, Management,
Environment, Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Bio Technology, Arts, Commerce, Science and Social
Sciences. During a short period of 15 years there has been continuous increase in the number of programmes
offered by the university. In all, we offer 200 progroammes. The University presently having 800 overseas students
on its roll. In appreciation of our efforts, the NAAC(Bengluru) has Accredited and Re-accredited our University
successively with prestigious “A” grade.
Yashwantrao Mohite College:
Our college has very unique place in the organizational set up as it is with this college in the year 1978 Bharati
Vidyapeeth entered into the field of higher education. Possibly it is one of the first few colleges in India which
preferred to become part of any University and established an example. Presently there are 278 international
students from 14 countries and almost from all states of India have enrolled with us. Our proud alumni have been
honoured with prestigious Padma Shri award and Shiv Chhatrapati Krida Puraskar. We are proud to mention that
our alumni are working in various fields of life. Our efforts have been honoured by conferring upon us titles and
awards of recognition. The present conference is a continuation of the celebrated tradition of academic endeavours.


Registration fee:
Outstation delegates: Rs. 2000.00 Local delegates : Rs. 1500.00
PG Students/ Research Scholars: Rs. 1000.00 Foreign nationals : $ 150.00
The registration fee includes conference kit, ISBN numbered Souvenir, breakfast, tea, lunch for two days and a
dinner on the first day of the conference. The moderate accommodation will be provided for outstation delegates.


Mode of Payment:
DD should be drawn in favour of “The Principal, Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune – 38” payable at Pune. OR
One can transfer the registration fee online to the following details:
Account Name: Yashwantrao Mohite College, Pune
Name of the Bank: State Bank of India, Deccan Gymkhana (Pune) branch
Account Number: 31791360494 IFSC Code: SBIN0001110 MICR Code: 411002003
Last date of registration will be on or before 15th February 2013.
Transport:
Pune is very well connected by air, rail and road. The participants coming by Air may hire pre-paid taxi or a Radio
Wings Cab available at Pune Airport. Those reaching Pune by Train can get Auto Rickshaw at Pune Railway Station
to reach the venue. From Mumbai Airport one can get the Travels Cars on sharing basis for onward journey to Pune.
The distance from Pune Airport to venue is 20 kms, 15 kms from Pune Railway Station and 170 kms from Mumbai
Airport.
Accommodation:
Modest accommodation will be provided free of cost to the registered outstation participants. But, they have to
make prior request in this regard. Request has to be made to the Organizing Secretary on or before 15th January
2012. Foreign delegates will be provided with the accommodation in the international standard hotel. If they want
the accommodation in five-star hotel, they have to pay hotel on their own.

For any further assistance call Asst. Prof. Meharaj Shaikh, (09850034582, 09766076143)

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Jaipur Literature Festival: Cyrus Mistry wins $ 50,000 DSC Prize for 2014





Reticent author Cyrus Mistry Saturday beat off stiff competition from five other writers to become the fourth winner of the 50,000 dollar DSC prize for South Asian literature for his book "Chronicles of a Corpse Bearer".

The prize, is given to the best work or translations of a work on or about the South Asian region. Last year the award was won by Jeet Thayil for his debut debut novel "Narcopolis".

Mistry was presented with the award at a ceremony at the Jaipur Literature Festival this evening by Gloria Steinem.

"I have tried to keep myself as detached as possible with the possibility of winning this prize, so am not so enthusiastic but happy about the win," Mistry said after reciving the award.

Other books in the running were "Anand: Book of Destruction" (Translated by Chetana Sachidanandan) "Benyamin: Goat Days" (Translated by Joseph Koyippalli), Mohsin Hamid: "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia", "Nadeem Aslam: The Blind Man's Garden" and Nayomi Munaweera: Island of a Thousand Mirrors.

Union HRD Minister was originally slated to inaugurate the prize ceremony.

Noted writer, editor and literary critic Antara Dev Sen chaired the five member jury which first announced a longlist of 15 names and then came up with a shortlist of six from which Mistry was chosen.

Mistry's book is a story of marginalised community and looks at larger questions about life and death, which makes it a different read.

Set in the city of Mumbai, it revolves around the lives of a hardly heard of and rarely-seen set of people, corpse bearers or Khandhias within the Parsi community. Their job is to carry bodies of the deceased to the Towers of Silence.

The jury comprised of Arshia Sattar, Ameena Saiyid, Rosie Boycott, and Paul Yamazaki.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Saurashtra University , B.Ed Entrance Exam 2014


please check the syllabi of B.ed entrance Exam 2014.. 

Refresher Course in Contemporay Literary Theories (10-02-2014 to 02-03-2014) at SPU


Dear Friends,

This is to bring to your kind notice that UGC Academic Staff College, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar has announced 
24th Refresher Course on "Contemporary Literary Theories (ID) (10/02/2014 to 02/03/2014) . Teachers of all the languages can participate in this RC. It is needless to say that participation in Refresher Course sponsored by UGC is given a lot of importance in calculating API and PBAS which is one of the mandatory requirements for the promotion from stage 1 to 4 and for the higher AGP.

For further information one can visit 
http://www.ascspu.org/default.asp

One can also fill up the application form online http://www.ascspu.org/onlineapp.asp

Those who are interested can contact during the office hours to...

Friday, January 17, 2014

International Conference on 10th 11th October 2014


Hello every one good morning...

An international conference to be organised at Bhavan's College of Arts and Commerce, Ahmedabad, Gujarat on 10th and 11th October 2014...

Important Dates
January 15Opening of proposal submission
April 30Deadline for proposal submissions 
May 31Notices of acceptance sent out
August 15Deadline for registration of all presenters
August 15Deadline for pre-registration of participants (earlybird)
September 15Release of a preliminary conference program 
September 30Deadline for regular pre-registration 
October 9Pre-conference workshops
October 10 & 11Plenary & concurrent sessions

The Globalization and Localization in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (GLoCALL) Conference aims to share knowledge, research and experience on how to use computer technology to make language learning more effective and pleasant; to explore how the technology can be adapted to better meet the local needs of students and teachers, while at the same time providing global perspectives on computer-assisted language learning (CALL); and to bring the technology within the reach of local teachers who wish to develop their professionalism in CALL.....

for more information click here :http://www.bhavancollege.org/index.php

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Number of PhDs increasing in India

An increasing number of Indians are being awarded research degrees though the nation still lags behind countries like the US and China, indicate official figures.

According to figures compiled by the University Grants Commission (
UGC ), the number of research degrees awarded increased by over 50 percent from 10,781 in 2008-09 to 16,093 in 2011-12.

As per data compiled by Unesco Institute of Statistics, India's contribution to world's research publications has increased from 26,000 in 2002 to 44,000 in 2007.

This, however, is far behind nations like the US and China.

As per a paper published by the Yale University, the number of students to get PhDs in the US was 41,464 in 2007, while China had 48,112 PhDs in the same year...


source : http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/

SARDAR PATEL UNIVERSITY, SPECIAL RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN --- REVISED IVth ATTEMPT


Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar-388 120 invites applications in the prescribed
form for the following Posts to be filled up in accordance with the approval of the Govt. of Gujarat
Education Deptt.’s letter No.PRCH/102010/838/2 of 23/08/2010

click here for full details : http://www.spuvvn.edu/careers/advertise-sc-st%20fourth%20attampt%202014.pdf

Friday, January 10, 2014

UGC sponsored Seminar in Bharathiar University

UGC SPONSORED
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
POSTCOLONIAL
PERSPECTIVES IN
LANGUAGE AND
LITERATURE

--------------------------------
IMPORTANT DATES
Last date for sending abstract along with
registration fee: 20.01.2014
Last date for full paper submission: 24.01.2014
-------------------------------------------------------

CALL FOR PAPERS
Papers are invited from members of Faculty, Research
Scholars and Post Graduate students of English for
deliberations at the conference.
Abstract and the full paper intended for presentation
are required to be typed in MS Word in Times New
Roman font of 12 points and 1.5 line spacing. The
abstract of paper must be in 200 words and the full
paper should not exceed more than five A4 size pages.
Abstract and full paper are to be sent to
engbu2014@gmail.com . Paper related to the
conference theme alone will be accepted for
presentation.
The Delegates will be served working lunch, tea and
snacks during the conference day.
center located in Pollachi. Coimbatore is very well
connected by air, rail and road. Marudhamalai, which is the
abode of Lord Muruga, is located near our University. The
atmosphere is serene with the herbal plants. The campus
has a rich variety of flora and fauna and the beautiful
peacock and peahen steal our hearts with their
enchanting movements.
Postcolonialism is the study of the effects of colonialism on
cultures and societies. It is largely concerned with how
colonial powers conquered and controlled the other
cultures and how these cultures resisted the oppression. It
deals with the literature written in colonized countries
which deals with colonization or colonized people. The
struggle of the colonized people for ethnic, cultural,
political autonomy and their growing awareness of cultural
overlap and hybridity form the crux of the postcolonial
discussions.
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
POSTCOLONIALISM
----------------------------------
REGISTRATION FEE
----------------------------------
Delegates: Rs. 500/-
Students & Research Scholars: Rs. 250/-
The conference registration fee has to be paid in the form
of DD or Challan in favour of
“THE REGISTRAR, BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY”
payable at Coimbatore.
Abstract and full paper with registration fee has to
be sent to : 
Dr. P. Nagaraj
Organizing Secretary NCPPLL &
Assistant Professor of English
Bharathiar University
Coimbatore-641 046.
Mobile: 9894570330
Email: engbu2014@gmail.com

---------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES
BHARATHIAR UNIVERSITY
Tamil Nadu

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

SAURASHTRA UNIVERSITY NON CBCS EXTERNAL (YEARLY SYSTEM)(OLD COURES) EXAM DATE


EXAM NAME      START DATE

F.Y. B.A                 01/03/2014
S.Y. B.A.                11/03/2014
T.Y. B.A.                01/03/2014
F.Y. B.COM.          01/03/2014
S.Y. B.COM.          11/03/2014
T.Y. B.COM.          01/03/2014
M.A. PART 1          22/03/2014
M.A. PART 2          22/03/2014
M.COM. PART 1    29/03/2014
M.COM. PART 2    29/03/2014

Monday, January 6, 2014

AK Ramanujan Annual Paper Reading Contest.



Department of English, the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda  had organized AK Ramanujan Annual Paper Reading Contest  to commemorate one of its most illustrious faculties under the aegis of  the  UGC SAP DRS-I for four consecutive years  and had met  with a  grand success with participation from across the country.

The UGC SAP DRS-II, begins with this popular and much awaited academic programme i.e   AK Ramanujan Annual Paper Reading Contest. This contest is organized particularly for the students pursuing their Master of Arts from various Indian university Departments during 14 &15 February 2014. AK Ramanujan Annual Paper Reading Contest, thus provides a platform to students to involve themselves in academic and research  activities.

The first prize will be of Rs. 2000/- and a Rolling Shield. The second prize is of Rs. 1000/-. All the participants will receive certificates. The interested departments may please depute two participants from the department and we will be happy to provide local hospitality to the participants and reimburse their second class train tickets or bus tickets.

The topics of the contest are as follows:

i)              A K Ramanujan and Folklore
ii)             Representations of social movements in Films and Visual Arts
iii)            Indian Perspective on Translations or translation theories.
iv)           Dalit Poetry and Literary Cannon
v)            Graphic Novels as  Cultural Narratives
vi)           Treatment of Gender in the Fiction of Vikram Seth
vii)          Social Movements and Science Fiction
viii)         Social Movements and Indian Drama
ix)           Social Movements and Film Lyrics
x)            Social Movements in Personal Memoires
xi)           Computer Games and Feminist Discourse
xii)          Pre Independence Indian Writing in English
xiii)         Naxalite Movement in Indian Literature


The abstracts of the papers should reach Dr. Aditi Vahia (akrmsu2014@yahoo.com),  Mr. Skand Bhupendra (skand88@gmail.com) or Ms. Dipika Kevlani (dkkevlani13@gmail.com) before 20  January 2014  by email...... 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Know more about A.K.Ramanujan 

Attipat Krishnaswami Ramanujan (1929-1993) is one of the foremost Indian poets, linguists, critics and translators. Among his many works are the Collected Poems (1995), Interior Landscapes: Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology (1967), Folktales from India, Oral Tales from Twenty Indian Languages (1991), an English translation of UR Ananthmurthy’s Samskara (1976) and The Oxford Anthology of Modern Indian Poetry which he co-edited with Vinay Dharwadkar.

In 1962, he became an Assistant Professor at the  University of Chicago, where he was affiliated throughout the rest of his career.  In 1976, the government of India awarded him the title "Padma Sri," and in 1983, he was given the MacArthur Prize Fellowship. Before leaving for the United States in 1959, he had worked in many Indian Universities, including the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara. 

Saturday, January 4, 2014

A Two-Day National Seminar


Forum on Contemporary Theory





Silver Jubilee Year (1989-2014)




A Two-Day National Seminar




“Theorizing Today—25 Years Later”



10-11 February 2014




Venue: Centre for Contemporary Theory, Baroda

You will be happy to know that the Forum on Contemporary Theory, which was formally launched at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda on February 2 in 1989, will be entering its Silver Jubilee year in 2014. As some of you may recall, the inaugural lecture for the Forum was delivered by Professor Fred Dallmayr from the University of Notre Dame, USA, who was visiting Baroda then, on February 10, 1989; the topic of the lecture “Theorizing Today” discussed Theory as an inter-disciplinary field of knowledge and its efficacy to the study of the humanities and social sciences. The lecture in fact paved the way for the Forum’s future engagement with theory and its application. Professor Dallmayr continues to be associated with the Forum in various capacities. With the financial assistance from the Ford Foundation from 2005 to 2013, the Forum established the Centre for Contemporary Theory in Baroda and instituted several kinds of fellowships for scholars from India and South Asia to visit Baroda . Although the Ford Foundation grant will come to an end in September 2013, some of the activities of the Forum will continue due to occasional grants provided by individuals and institutions in India and abroad. During its two decades of existence, it has earned some reputation in India and abroad as a preeminent institution dedicated to theoretical and conceptual studies, in the humanities and social sciences.  
As part of its silver jubilee celebration, we have planned this two-day seminar to critically assess the status of “theorizing today” twenty-five years after the founding of the Forum; it is a way of remembering the 1980s when Theory was a dominant force in the humanities and social sciences, and to map its trajectory from that moment and its possible future direction. As you know, Theory has undergone several changes of emphasis during these decades; from its initial focus on Western theory, the Forum has made a shift to theories of the “global south” without jettisoning their Western context and filiation. The seminar will try to examine the state of theory and its academic and institutional relevance now. Professor Arjun Appadurai has accepted our invitation to give the keynote address. We had invited Professor Dallmayr to be with us on this momentous occasion, but he expressed his inability to undertake a long journey due to his advancing age. But he has promised to mail us a paper to be read out on the occasion.  
The Forum is not in a position to pay for those who will come from outside Baroda . But it should be possible to extend hospitality to those whose papers are accepted for presentation. Those who are interested in participating in this event and present papers are urged to send their abstracts by December 15, 2013 to Prafulla Kar (prafullakar@gmail.com)  

Lecture by Professor Akeel Bilgrami


Invitation  
Balvant Parekh Centre cordially invites you to a Lecture by Professor Akeel Bilgrami titled “Some Extensions of Edward Said” on Tuesday7 January 2014 at 4 pm at the Centre. This Lecture is part of Balvant Parekh Distinguished Lecture Series instituted by the Centre. In the Lecture, Professor Bilgrami would discuss: “Said asked what did the Orient mean for the West? It is time to ask how does the West appear to the Orient.”
About the Speaker            
                      Akeel Bilgrami is a Sidney Morgenbesser Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and a Faculty member of the Committee on Global Thought. Professor Bilgrami has two relatively independent sets of intellectual interests - in the Philosophy of Mind and Language, and in Political Philosophy and Moral Psychology especially as they surface in politics, history, and culture. His published books include Belief and Meaning (Blackwell, 1992) and Self Knowledge and Resentment (Harvard University Press, 2006). He is presently working on a book on the relations between agency and practical reason. His book of selected essays on the moral psychology of politics entitled Secularism, Identity, and Enchantment will be published by Harvard University Press in February 2014.  He is also contracted to publish What is a Muslim? (Princeton University Press); and on Gandhi's philosophy (Columbia University Press). Professor Bilgrami was the Director of the Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University from 2004-2011.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Academic faculty workshop on "News Writing"


Dear All,
I am happy to inform you about a One Day interactive workshop (9:00 am to 1:00 pm only followed by lunch) on "News Writing" by NIMCJ (National Institute of Mass Communication and Journalism), S G Highway, Ahmedabad on 18th January, 2014Saturday. All the faculties teaching General English/Commercial Communication at UG level are invited to this workshop as it is a part of our curriculum. 

There will be nominal registration fees of Rs.100 but prior registration is required for the participation (latest byJanuary 16, 2014) by replying to os@nimcj.org / director@nimcj.org or phone- 079-26870443, 65120097. During the holidays of Uttarayan you can text your registration on: 8141574441. 

3-Day Workshop on Computational and Cognitive Linguistics


3-Day Workshop on
Computational and Cognitive Linguistics
19th – 21st March 2014
Linguistic Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata

The Linguistic Research Unit of Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata is organizing a three-day Workshop on Computational and Cognitive Linguistics (WCCL) at ISI, Kolkata. It will provide an opportunity to the participants to explore many areas of computational and cognitive linguistics through deliberations of the experts. The experts will focus not only on computational and cognitive linguistics but also on allied areas including Statistics, Mathematics, Psychology, Philosophy, etc. The range of topics may include language corpora generation and processing, manual and machine translation, WordNet design, computer-assisted language teaching, part-of-speech tagging, word sense disambiguation, computational lexicography, digital dialectology, lexicology, translation studies, etc.

Dates               : 19th – 21st March 2014
Time               : 10 AM - 5 PM
Venue             : Auditorium, Platinum Jubilee Building, ISI, Kolkata
Participants   : Maximum 50, drawn from postgraduate students and research scholars of Linguistics, Computer Science, English, Bangla, Statistics, Mathematics, Psychology, and Philosophy, on a first-come-first-served basis.
Application  :  Please send your updated resume (not more than a page) mentioning your contact details and food preference (veg/non-veg) to the email address given below.

For Registration send Email to        : lruwccl2014@gmail.com               
For any query call us at                    : + 91 – 0 33-2575 3281 (11am- 4pm)

Last Date of application        : 31st January 2014

Organised by:

Linguistic Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata