2018-2019
Ancient Greek Culture: An Introductory Lecture by Dr. Madhu Grover
A group of innocent, unsuspecting first-year students, fresh out of school and all too excited to have the time of their lives in college, are suddenly faced with the daunting task of analysing and contextualising the gamut of ancient literature that the Western civilisation produced. They panic. They run to libraries, fill their Google search histories with essays on the Iliad, and down cup after
cup of coffee from Nescafe to keep the forthcoming existentialist crisis at bay.
To avert this anxiety epidemic and ease the batch into the period of the ancient Western civilisation, Dr. Madhu Grover, a senior professor of the department, conducted a special lecture on Ancient Greek Culture on the 6 th of August, 2018, where she took the students back in time to visualise, imagine, and experience the history, mythology, and art of an ancient civilisation.
Addressing a class full of curious first-year students, Dr. Madhu Grover began at the rebirth of classical learning- the Renaissance. After briefly explaining the works of Socrates and Aristotle, and their indispensability in the study of ancient Greek culture, Dr. Grover went back to the glorious days of the Greek civilisation and spoke of the culture and characteristics of the Spartan and Athenian races, but most importantly, of the Mycenaean people, whose culture and prosperity, and subsequent destruction following the Trojan War, is represented in the two famous Homeric epics.
Dr. Grover also spoke of and displayed on screen, Renaissance and neo-classical representations of Greek literature and culture in art. Displaying spectacular paintings of Homeric episodes superbly imagined by European artists, Dr. Grover informed the class of the myriad artistic styles of the period, such as the French neo-classical, the Italian mannerist, and the Dutch Romantic.
Referring to Homer as “an enigma for critics”, Dr. Grover elucidated on the idea of the “blind poet” as an important figure in ancient societies, and described the value systems associated with a warrior culture, while wondering why Alexander the Great was thus named when there really was “nothing great about killing people”, she said.
Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were the most famous dramatists of ancient Greece, all of whom competed for recognition and fame against each other at the famous Dionysian festival in Greece. Referring to the works of these pioneer dramatists, Dr. Grover explained the importance of theatre and drama in Grecian society, and concluded her lecture with a brief description of the role of the Chorus in ancient Greek drama.
To cover the breadth of ancient Greek literature in one short hour is no easy task, but Dr. Grover managed to familiarise the students with every key idea, theme, and element that they will encounter over the course of their first semester, undeniably making their learning process an infinitely easier one.
- Madhulika Banerjee
cup of coffee from Nescafe to keep the forthcoming existentialist crisis at bay.
To avert this anxiety epidemic and ease the batch into the period of the ancient Western civilisation, Dr. Madhu Grover, a senior professor of the department, conducted a special lecture on Ancient Greek Culture on the 6 th of August, 2018, where she took the students back in time to visualise, imagine, and experience the history, mythology, and art of an ancient civilisation.
Addressing a class full of curious first-year students, Dr. Madhu Grover began at the rebirth of classical learning- the Renaissance. After briefly explaining the works of Socrates and Aristotle, and their indispensability in the study of ancient Greek culture, Dr. Grover went back to the glorious days of the Greek civilisation and spoke of the culture and characteristics of the Spartan and Athenian races, but most importantly, of the Mycenaean people, whose culture and prosperity, and subsequent destruction following the Trojan War, is represented in the two famous Homeric epics.
Dr. Grover also spoke of and displayed on screen, Renaissance and neo-classical representations of Greek literature and culture in art. Displaying spectacular paintings of Homeric episodes superbly imagined by European artists, Dr. Grover informed the class of the myriad artistic styles of the period, such as the French neo-classical, the Italian mannerist, and the Dutch Romantic.
Referring to Homer as “an enigma for critics”, Dr. Grover elucidated on the idea of the “blind poet” as an important figure in ancient societies, and described the value systems associated with a warrior culture, while wondering why Alexander the Great was thus named when there really was “nothing great about killing people”, she said.
Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were the most famous dramatists of ancient Greece, all of whom competed for recognition and fame against each other at the famous Dionysian festival in Greece. Referring to the works of these pioneer dramatists, Dr. Grover explained the importance of theatre and drama in Grecian society, and concluded her lecture with a brief description of the role of the Chorus in ancient Greek drama.
To cover the breadth of ancient Greek literature in one short hour is no easy task, but Dr. Grover managed to familiarise the students with every key idea, theme, and element that they will encounter over the course of their first semester, undeniably making their learning process an infinitely easier one.
- Madhulika Banerjee
BLACKOUT POETRY
A black marker, a page full of text, and a yearning to turn everything mundane into something poetic. That is all it takes to create blackout poetry, a form of visual poetry that attempts to create an entirely new piece of literature by blacking out large portions of a previously existing printed text.
On 10 th August, 2018, the English Literary Association decided to try its hand at this increasingly popular art form and organised its very own Blackout Poetry event for students across all three years.
The event began with a short presentation by Sudeeti, our Department President, on the history and the origin of the form, which she explained, with examples from the works of Ronald Johnson and Austin Kleon, was much older than most modern-day poetry enthusiasts would imagine.
The students were then handed text samples from a variety of literary sources ranging from Premchand to D.H Lawrence to Jose Ortega y Gasset. A hush fell over the room as each student focused on unleashing their poetic imagination to create their own art by erasing the words of some of the world’s most eminent writers. When the appointed half hour was up and the pieces displayed, the visual effect was striking. A smattering of words remained on pages covered with black ink. Each poem, produced from the same set of texts, was a creation unique in itself, with its own poetic and visual splendour.
That afternoon, the English Department walked out of Room No. 28 with a budding poet within each heart and a new favourite hobby to hone in the next class.
- Written by Madhulika Banerjee & Photographs by Malvika Swarup
On 10 th August, 2018, the English Literary Association decided to try its hand at this increasingly popular art form and organised its very own Blackout Poetry event for students across all three years.
The event began with a short presentation by Sudeeti, our Department President, on the history and the origin of the form, which she explained, with examples from the works of Ronald Johnson and Austin Kleon, was much older than most modern-day poetry enthusiasts would imagine.
The students were then handed text samples from a variety of literary sources ranging from Premchand to D.H Lawrence to Jose Ortega y Gasset. A hush fell over the room as each student focused on unleashing their poetic imagination to create their own art by erasing the words of some of the world’s most eminent writers. When the appointed half hour was up and the pieces displayed, the visual effect was striking. A smattering of words remained on pages covered with black ink. Each poem, produced from the same set of texts, was a creation unique in itself, with its own poetic and visual splendour.
That afternoon, the English Department walked out of Room No. 28 with a budding poet within each heart and a new favourite hobby to hone in the next class.
- Written by Madhulika Banerjee & Photographs by Malvika Swarup
WHY DO WE STUDY LITERATURE: The Inaugural Lecture by Prof. Udaya Kumar
On August 16th, the Department of English hosted Professor Udaya Kumar (Centre for English Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University), where he tried to explore every language student’s most sleep-deprived-ly asked question: “Why do we study literature?”
One might hope to get a straightforward answer to this question, but even with his Doctorate in English Literature from Oxford University, Professor Kumar was able to only explain to us that, “There is no right answer.” While we may be able to puzzle out questions such as, “why should we study literature,” or, “why do we read literature,” it becomes difficult to pinpoint the academic nature of our pursuits in literary works. However, there is hope. While there might not be one right answer, there can be a multitude of possibilities, something that we learn everyday in our classrooms while carrying out our aforementioned academic endeavours.
So maybe the question we ought to ask is, “Why literature?” Why not philosophy, or history, or sociology? Why do we study stories, and individual experiences? Why do we delve into a world of language and examine every single unit of the tool which helps us make sense of our world?
Professor Kumar also spoke about the affective component of a text. What separates the study of literature from any other discipline, perhaps, is the attention we pay to individual emotion. We need literature to subject ourselves to the pleasure of empathy, to delve into another subject wholeheartedly, and to learn philosophy or history or sociology through the Other. Most importantly, we need literature to delve into ourselves.
The wonderful lecture was concluded with a multidimensional discussion on topics like armchair politics, the place of literature among humanities, education, and emotional subjectivity. Just as one must imagine Sisyphus happy, so must one perhaps hope to have an inkling of why we study literature.
- Arundhati Subhedar
One might hope to get a straightforward answer to this question, but even with his Doctorate in English Literature from Oxford University, Professor Kumar was able to only explain to us that, “There is no right answer.” While we may be able to puzzle out questions such as, “why should we study literature,” or, “why do we read literature,” it becomes difficult to pinpoint the academic nature of our pursuits in literary works. However, there is hope. While there might not be one right answer, there can be a multitude of possibilities, something that we learn everyday in our classrooms while carrying out our aforementioned academic endeavours.
So maybe the question we ought to ask is, “Why literature?” Why not philosophy, or history, or sociology? Why do we study stories, and individual experiences? Why do we delve into a world of language and examine every single unit of the tool which helps us make sense of our world?
Professor Kumar also spoke about the affective component of a text. What separates the study of literature from any other discipline, perhaps, is the attention we pay to individual emotion. We need literature to subject ourselves to the pleasure of empathy, to delve into another subject wholeheartedly, and to learn philosophy or history or sociology through the Other. Most importantly, we need literature to delve into ourselves.
The wonderful lecture was concluded with a multidimensional discussion on topics like armchair politics, the place of literature among humanities, education, and emotional subjectivity. Just as one must imagine Sisyphus happy, so must one perhaps hope to have an inkling of why we study literature.
- Arundhati Subhedar
Applying to UK universities: A talk by ex-student Devika
TAABEER: Reassembling Realities
“The first condition of the freedom of press is that it is not a business activity”- Karl Marx.
The role of the national media as the harbinger of all information in a nation as geographically expansive as India cannot be undermined. However, the recent media representation of the disastrous floods in Kerala have sent alarm bells ringing across the country regarding the nature of news representation in India, and the forces that act upon it.
In a nation that relies, almost blindly, upon the singular truth presented by the media, many found it disconcerting that the media machinery of the state not only failed to acknowledge the enormity of the tragedy in Kerala at the time of its occurrence, but also systematically attempted to divert public attention from the glaring inactivity of the central government and focus instead on heroic humanitarian efforts to help the thousands affected by the floods.
In an attempt to answer the many burning questions raised by the media’s representation of the Kerala floods, Taabeer, the Discussions Club of the English Department, hosted its first event of the semester- Reassembling Realities- on 23rd August, 2018.
The event began with a discussion on the works of famous photomontage artists such as Peter Kennard and John Hartfield, who used the medium of photomontage as a political weapon to subvert mainstream media representation and speak out against the state-controlled media machinery. Hartfield’s photomontage titled “Whoever Reads Bourgeois Newspapers Becomes Blind and Deaf” served as inspiration for Taabeer’s ‘Reassembling Realities’, which used the example of the Kerala floods to look at the alternative sets of reality that were not portrayed by the national media.
The discussion and display of various photomontage pieces was followed by an attempt by the students to create their own photomontage. Each student was handed a blank sheet and a newspaper that had some coverage of the floods. Each person had to create a photomontage by cutting pieces from the newspaper and pasting them onto the blank sheet to create a personal representation of what they believed was the reality of the floods.
A good half hour of cutting, pasting, and shrieking after precious flying scraps later, the pieces were complete. Each person displayed their piece and elaborated on the thoughts that led them to their creation. While each independent piece was a spectacular creation in its own way, collectively they represented the power and possibility of a multiplicity of narratives, and the dangers of a linear and biased press representation.
Taabeer’s first event therefore had managed to achieve exactly what it had set out to do. While it may not have created visual photomontage artists out of each one of us, it had forced us to confront with the blatant biases working within mainstream media, and had instilled within each of us, a refusal to accept dominant perspectives at face value.
The role of the national media as the harbinger of all information in a nation as geographically expansive as India cannot be undermined. However, the recent media representation of the disastrous floods in Kerala have sent alarm bells ringing across the country regarding the nature of news representation in India, and the forces that act upon it.
In a nation that relies, almost blindly, upon the singular truth presented by the media, many found it disconcerting that the media machinery of the state not only failed to acknowledge the enormity of the tragedy in Kerala at the time of its occurrence, but also systematically attempted to divert public attention from the glaring inactivity of the central government and focus instead on heroic humanitarian efforts to help the thousands affected by the floods.
In an attempt to answer the many burning questions raised by the media’s representation of the Kerala floods, Taabeer, the Discussions Club of the English Department, hosted its first event of the semester- Reassembling Realities- on 23rd August, 2018.
The event began with a discussion on the works of famous photomontage artists such as Peter Kennard and John Hartfield, who used the medium of photomontage as a political weapon to subvert mainstream media representation and speak out against the state-controlled media machinery. Hartfield’s photomontage titled “Whoever Reads Bourgeois Newspapers Becomes Blind and Deaf” served as inspiration for Taabeer’s ‘Reassembling Realities’, which used the example of the Kerala floods to look at the alternative sets of reality that were not portrayed by the national media.
The discussion and display of various photomontage pieces was followed by an attempt by the students to create their own photomontage. Each student was handed a blank sheet and a newspaper that had some coverage of the floods. Each person had to create a photomontage by cutting pieces from the newspaper and pasting them onto the blank sheet to create a personal representation of what they believed was the reality of the floods.
A good half hour of cutting, pasting, and shrieking after precious flying scraps later, the pieces were complete. Each person displayed their piece and elaborated on the thoughts that led them to their creation. While each independent piece was a spectacular creation in its own way, collectively they represented the power and possibility of a multiplicity of narratives, and the dangers of a linear and biased press representation.
Taabeer’s first event therefore had managed to achieve exactly what it had set out to do. While it may not have created visual photomontage artists out of each one of us, it had forced us to confront with the blatant biases working within mainstream media, and had instilled within each of us, a refusal to accept dominant perspectives at face value.
RUSSIA IN THE 19TH CENTURY: A talk by Prof. Debatri Bhattacharjee
The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
Professor Debatri Bhattacharjee, an expert in the field of Russian History teaching at Lady Shri Ram College, delivered a talk on 30th August 2018 on the theme, Russia in the 19th Century: Politics and Culture. Organised by the department of English, the talk witnessed an audience from a variety of disciplines, and was an effort to encourage the students understand the ‘context’ in every ‘text’.
In the context of 19th-century Russia, she presented the young audience with a concise timeline to signify what made the time-span significant then. She called the 1800s the most exciting time in the Russian history, emphasizing upon the works of Dostoevsky, Turgenev and many others. They contributed to a progressively enriching culture in a time that was constantly evolving with ideas.
What was most stunning about the glimpse she provided into an evolving Russian world was the constricted idea of ‘society’ as we know it today. Taking the example of Petersburg, she quoted Dostoevsky who called Petersburg “the most intentional city in the whole round world”. In a world struggling to accept differences, the quest for the 19th-century Russian spirit emerged through the utter self-consciousness of a Russia in ‘Europeanisation’.
Living in peculiar times when the very foundations of what it means to be a nationalist, a patriot, and a believer in the democracy are in a state of turmoil, Professor Bhattacharjee’s words served as a medium to question the idea of “belonging” in what one believes to be “the spirit of the nation.”
There is a vividness in the reemerging experience of caste and class differences in our country today. Professor Debatri’s provided the narratives of the peasant class’ contribution in initiating the Russian revolution, and gave us all food for thought. The contribution was woven into the fabric of the revolution through the appreciation of literacy and the presence of ‘universal’ ideas in the journals and writings of the time.With the literary, political and psychological engagement of the working class, the intellectuals, and the peasant class, their sentimentality for the cause of change, over their sensitivity for an individualistic means was evident.
Professor Bhattacharjee delved into the ideologies and motivations behind Slavophilia, Populism and Marxism. The role of literature in redefining Russia’s notion of itself was imperative, as it should be today, and the 19th-century women slept with Nikolay Chernyshesky’s book titled, What Is to Be Done? under their pillows, and youngsters equated the writer with God.
The Russia of today stands as a testimony to the misconstrued notion, because the western impression of the then Russia was one of backwardness ‘as if the autocracy defined Russia’. There is no way to understand and fathom the complexities of a nation in a quest for its spirit in a limited span of time, but Professor Bhattacharjee made sure to remind all of us that there is an endless quest for identity, for belonging, and for defining what must be experienced through a dive into the narrative of a culture and its time.
- Anushree Joshi
Professor Debatri Bhattacharjee, an expert in the field of Russian History teaching at Lady Shri Ram College, delivered a talk on 30th August 2018 on the theme, Russia in the 19th Century: Politics and Culture. Organised by the department of English, the talk witnessed an audience from a variety of disciplines, and was an effort to encourage the students understand the ‘context’ in every ‘text’.
In the context of 19th-century Russia, she presented the young audience with a concise timeline to signify what made the time-span significant then. She called the 1800s the most exciting time in the Russian history, emphasizing upon the works of Dostoevsky, Turgenev and many others. They contributed to a progressively enriching culture in a time that was constantly evolving with ideas.
What was most stunning about the glimpse she provided into an evolving Russian world was the constricted idea of ‘society’ as we know it today. Taking the example of Petersburg, she quoted Dostoevsky who called Petersburg “the most intentional city in the whole round world”. In a world struggling to accept differences, the quest for the 19th-century Russian spirit emerged through the utter self-consciousness of a Russia in ‘Europeanisation’.
Living in peculiar times when the very foundations of what it means to be a nationalist, a patriot, and a believer in the democracy are in a state of turmoil, Professor Bhattacharjee’s words served as a medium to question the idea of “belonging” in what one believes to be “the spirit of the nation.”
There is a vividness in the reemerging experience of caste and class differences in our country today. Professor Debatri’s provided the narratives of the peasant class’ contribution in initiating the Russian revolution, and gave us all food for thought. The contribution was woven into the fabric of the revolution through the appreciation of literacy and the presence of ‘universal’ ideas in the journals and writings of the time.With the literary, political and psychological engagement of the working class, the intellectuals, and the peasant class, their sentimentality for the cause of change, over their sensitivity for an individualistic means was evident.
Professor Bhattacharjee delved into the ideologies and motivations behind Slavophilia, Populism and Marxism. The role of literature in redefining Russia’s notion of itself was imperative, as it should be today, and the 19th-century women slept with Nikolay Chernyshesky’s book titled, What Is to Be Done? under their pillows, and youngsters equated the writer with God.
The Russia of today stands as a testimony to the misconstrued notion, because the western impression of the then Russia was one of backwardness ‘as if the autocracy defined Russia’. There is no way to understand and fathom the complexities of a nation in a quest for its spirit in a limited span of time, but Professor Bhattacharjee made sure to remind all of us that there is an endless quest for identity, for belonging, and for defining what must be experienced through a dive into the narrative of a culture and its time.
- Anushree Joshi
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND MLA: Lectures by Prof. Karuna Rajeev
Learning to Enter Academia
The practice of writing often entails more than proficiency in the technical know-how and extensive knowledge about one's interests. In an academic domain which calls for comprehensive yet meticulous research, this is no exception. Students may find themselves confronting the ever-present difficulty of launching themselves into a literary work and embarking on a academic exercise. How does one go about finding their object of research, developing an original idea while evading the influence of critical opinion in the same breath? How does one contribute to a discourse meaningfully? So much of what is picked up over time in relation to what constitutes "good writing" becomes something that needs to be unlearned or reassessed.
The academic journal of the English Department, Jabberwock, organized a two-part talk on 6th and 11th September regarding research methodologies and MLA referencing to give direction to aspiring scholars on this front. It was led by faculty member Ms. Karuna Rajeev, who touched upon a wide range of concerns, from the formal aspects of academia to how one could approach a particular discourse, both in the space of research and in that of a classroom. She began by emphasizing consistency, be it in reading or writing, as leisurely reading and critical analyses could produce divergent interpretations. Reading extensively forms the basis of the research; finding a topic calls for a further narrowing down of objective.
With the help of a hypothetical timeline, Ms. Rajeev demonstrated how to break down the entire process of writing a paper step-by-step. Interdisciplinary research methods and those specific to the context of English Studies were dealt with thoroughly. Students were familiarized with referencing basics. While discussing the selection of a topic, Ms. Rajeev highlighted the need to dig deeper into vast subjects, as their enormous scope makes it difficult to cover all dimensions. The lack of specificity produces a dubious authorial position. Over and above the tendency to copy from the famously resourceful Wikipedia, plagiarism in ideation was also talked about in great detail, as it raised questions about establishing oneself creatively and authentically in the entire sweep of known criticism.
The discussion on academic writing incited the most reactions. There's not much in the way of a convincing argument when it comes down to wordy embellishments or digressions. Instead, it becomes what Ms. Rajeev termed as "conflated writing" which could be excessively lofty and incoherent in presentation. Catherine Belsey's essay on textual analysis was used to underline the exploitation of sources to fit an author's contention. A literary text may determine the orientation of an analysis to some degree, but it cannot be manipulated via omission.
In light of all these considerations, it becomes apparent that the paradigms of good academic writing are never absolute. There is no pre-set technique that demands usage, nor is any such method accessed in the same way by everybody. Even so, the idea that knowledge is presented in mediated forms poses an equally reassuring opportunity for enquiry.
- Samiya Khan
The practice of writing often entails more than proficiency in the technical know-how and extensive knowledge about one's interests. In an academic domain which calls for comprehensive yet meticulous research, this is no exception. Students may find themselves confronting the ever-present difficulty of launching themselves into a literary work and embarking on a academic exercise. How does one go about finding their object of research, developing an original idea while evading the influence of critical opinion in the same breath? How does one contribute to a discourse meaningfully? So much of what is picked up over time in relation to what constitutes "good writing" becomes something that needs to be unlearned or reassessed.
The academic journal of the English Department, Jabberwock, organized a two-part talk on 6th and 11th September regarding research methodologies and MLA referencing to give direction to aspiring scholars on this front. It was led by faculty member Ms. Karuna Rajeev, who touched upon a wide range of concerns, from the formal aspects of academia to how one could approach a particular discourse, both in the space of research and in that of a classroom. She began by emphasizing consistency, be it in reading or writing, as leisurely reading and critical analyses could produce divergent interpretations. Reading extensively forms the basis of the research; finding a topic calls for a further narrowing down of objective.
With the help of a hypothetical timeline, Ms. Rajeev demonstrated how to break down the entire process of writing a paper step-by-step. Interdisciplinary research methods and those specific to the context of English Studies were dealt with thoroughly. Students were familiarized with referencing basics. While discussing the selection of a topic, Ms. Rajeev highlighted the need to dig deeper into vast subjects, as their enormous scope makes it difficult to cover all dimensions. The lack of specificity produces a dubious authorial position. Over and above the tendency to copy from the famously resourceful Wikipedia, plagiarism in ideation was also talked about in great detail, as it raised questions about establishing oneself creatively and authentically in the entire sweep of known criticism.
The discussion on academic writing incited the most reactions. There's not much in the way of a convincing argument when it comes down to wordy embellishments or digressions. Instead, it becomes what Ms. Rajeev termed as "conflated writing" which could be excessively lofty and incoherent in presentation. Catherine Belsey's essay on textual analysis was used to underline the exploitation of sources to fit an author's contention. A literary text may determine the orientation of an analysis to some degree, but it cannot be manipulated via omission.
In light of all these considerations, it becomes apparent that the paradigms of good academic writing are never absolute. There is no pre-set technique that demands usage, nor is any such method accessed in the same way by everybody. Even so, the idea that knowledge is presented in mediated forms poses an equally reassuring opportunity for enquiry.
- Samiya Khan
OF GODS AND GORE: The Iliad and the Trojan War
The Department of English collaborated with the Elocution Society of Lady Shri Ram College to organise a storytelling session based on Greek mythology and culture on 7th September 2018. Titled ‘Of Gods and Gore: The Iliad and the Trojan War’, the session focused on the role played by the Greek Gods in the foundation and evolution of the great Trojan war.
Arundhati Subhedar, a third-year student of English, opened the event by asking the audience what their candid thoughts on the Greek Gods were. Words such as manipulation, sex, and incest came up as the most popular answers from the students.
Calling the Greeks Gods most unique due to their nature- humane, flawed and adventurous, Arundhati stated that the most efficient way to support all the predictable opinions about the Gods was by understanding the intricacies of the Trojan War, and most importantly of the great Homeric epic, 'The Iliad’.
Three first-year students- Parul, Ankita and Pakhi, then took over the traditional role of the ‘bard’ to immerse the audience in the story of the Great City's downfall and literal journey to ashes.
There are several aspects of the Trojan war and ‘The Iliad’ which perplex young readers and to help simplify the complex web that is Greek mythology, the storytellers decided to start at the very beginning. Starting with the Judgement of Paris, they portrayed the egoistic, manipulative shades of the Gods’ characters by narrating the manner in which the three supreme goddesses of Olympus tempted Paris, a Trojan prince, to give them the title of the 'fairest’.
Paris refused Hera's offer of enormous wealth and happiness, and Athena's promise to make him the most skilful and the strongest, to finally choose Aphrodite for she offered him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris choice thus, set in motion, a series of events which would eventually seem like a game of chess for the Gods above, but gore and destruction for mankind on earth.
Taking us through the timeline of the war the storytellers narrated the rifts, clashes and plays of power between the mortals- Achilles and Agamemnon, and the Gods- from Ares to Zeus, which led to the deterioration of circumstances on earth for the Greeks and the Trojans.
Though the epic ends with the healing of angst through forgiveness, Arundhati then narrated the actual end of the war- the building of the Trojan horse and the subsequent sacking of Ilium.
“Homer shows us that war doesn't really amount to anything,” she said explaining the arduous journey home that then lay before the heroes, one that took men like Odysseus through ten years of perilous adventures before they returned to the familiarity of their own kingdoms.
Using a famous simile from ‘The Iliad’, which every literature student at LSR recognises as one of the greatest lines in history, Arundhati ended the session and thanked the audience, along with the Elocution Society for their participation.
Arundhati Subhedar, a third-year student of English, opened the event by asking the audience what their candid thoughts on the Greek Gods were. Words such as manipulation, sex, and incest came up as the most popular answers from the students.
Calling the Greeks Gods most unique due to their nature- humane, flawed and adventurous, Arundhati stated that the most efficient way to support all the predictable opinions about the Gods was by understanding the intricacies of the Trojan War, and most importantly of the great Homeric epic, 'The Iliad’.
Three first-year students- Parul, Ankita and Pakhi, then took over the traditional role of the ‘bard’ to immerse the audience in the story of the Great City's downfall and literal journey to ashes.
There are several aspects of the Trojan war and ‘The Iliad’ which perplex young readers and to help simplify the complex web that is Greek mythology, the storytellers decided to start at the very beginning. Starting with the Judgement of Paris, they portrayed the egoistic, manipulative shades of the Gods’ characters by narrating the manner in which the three supreme goddesses of Olympus tempted Paris, a Trojan prince, to give them the title of the 'fairest’.
Paris refused Hera's offer of enormous wealth and happiness, and Athena's promise to make him the most skilful and the strongest, to finally choose Aphrodite for she offered him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris choice thus, set in motion, a series of events which would eventually seem like a game of chess for the Gods above, but gore and destruction for mankind on earth.
Taking us through the timeline of the war the storytellers narrated the rifts, clashes and plays of power between the mortals- Achilles and Agamemnon, and the Gods- from Ares to Zeus, which led to the deterioration of circumstances on earth for the Greeks and the Trojans.
Though the epic ends with the healing of angst through forgiveness, Arundhati then narrated the actual end of the war- the building of the Trojan horse and the subsequent sacking of Ilium.
“Homer shows us that war doesn't really amount to anything,” she said explaining the arduous journey home that then lay before the heroes, one that took men like Odysseus through ten years of perilous adventures before they returned to the familiarity of their own kingdoms.
Using a famous simile from ‘The Iliad’, which every literature student at LSR recognises as one of the greatest lines in history, Arundhati ended the session and thanked the audience, along with the Elocution Society for their participation.
SPEAKING OUT
Adam Lambert, a gay American singer-songwriter, once articulated, “I am proud of my sexuality”.
The recent judgment passed by the Supreme Court of India, decriminalising section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, has finally given all Indians the right to readily and proudly claim their sexuality. To celebrate this new-found freedom, which has brought immense pride and joy to the students of LSR and indeed to the whole nation, the Department of English, in association with Expressions, the Creative Writing Society, held an Open Mic Event entitled ‘Speaking Out’, on 11th September 2018.
Speaking Out, however, was not necessarily a session that expected participants to speak about their sexual orientation or the experience of disclosing their queer identity. It was more about how this historical verdict, this monumental decision, affects us as a society, regardless of our sexuality.
Students from across all years and departments came together and shared their views and feelings through slam poetry, handwritten poems, prose etc. A student from the Economics Department performed a slam poetry piece on being gay, another recited an original poem entitled ‘More Women’ discussing about bisexual and lesbian love. The poem described the struggles of a lesbian woman in a society where people don't believe in her form of love. Several other pieces celebrated love in its myriad forms and colours, expressing even the pain and beauty of a love unrequited.
Our sexuality is a part of us but it does not have to define us. Love does not discriminate, and yet, our society has discriminated against people on the basis of who they choose to love, denying them the emotion most intrinsic to human nature: love. A student in her poem spoke about an ‘Alternate universe where there is no closet.’ That, is the universe the world must strive to create, and hopefully this landmark judgement is a step forward in that direction. The real challenge, however, begins now- the enormous challenge to remove taboo and stigma from a society that views homosexual love as unnatural, despite the law having recognized their rights.
With that challenge in mind, and with hope in each heart, Speaking Out ended as a great success, as people from different departments and backgrounds came together in an ultimate celebration of love and sexuality.
- Shanna Jain
The recent judgment passed by the Supreme Court of India, decriminalising section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, has finally given all Indians the right to readily and proudly claim their sexuality. To celebrate this new-found freedom, which has brought immense pride and joy to the students of LSR and indeed to the whole nation, the Department of English, in association with Expressions, the Creative Writing Society, held an Open Mic Event entitled ‘Speaking Out’, on 11th September 2018.
Speaking Out, however, was not necessarily a session that expected participants to speak about their sexual orientation or the experience of disclosing their queer identity. It was more about how this historical verdict, this monumental decision, affects us as a society, regardless of our sexuality.
Students from across all years and departments came together and shared their views and feelings through slam poetry, handwritten poems, prose etc. A student from the Economics Department performed a slam poetry piece on being gay, another recited an original poem entitled ‘More Women’ discussing about bisexual and lesbian love. The poem described the struggles of a lesbian woman in a society where people don't believe in her form of love. Several other pieces celebrated love in its myriad forms and colours, expressing even the pain and beauty of a love unrequited.
Our sexuality is a part of us but it does not have to define us. Love does not discriminate, and yet, our society has discriminated against people on the basis of who they choose to love, denying them the emotion most intrinsic to human nature: love. A student in her poem spoke about an ‘Alternate universe where there is no closet.’ That, is the universe the world must strive to create, and hopefully this landmark judgement is a step forward in that direction. The real challenge, however, begins now- the enormous challenge to remove taboo and stigma from a society that views homosexual love as unnatural, despite the law having recognized their rights.
With that challenge in mind, and with hope in each heart, Speaking Out ended as a great success, as people from different departments and backgrounds came together in an ultimate celebration of love and sexuality.
- Shanna Jain
WORDS: OF WORLDS WITHIN AND WITHOUT - A talk by Dr. Purushottam Agarwal
How would one describe Dr. Purushottam Agarwal - an academic, writer, and literary critic, or as a picky reader, a privacy cherishing traveller and a devotee of Dan Brown with strong literary opinions? Those who attended his lecture would be more likely to describe him as the latter and much more. On the occasion of the ‘Hindi Divas Week’, the English and Hindi Literary Associations, on Thursday, 13th September, 2018, invited Dr. Purushottam Agarwal for a talk titled 'Words: The Worlds Within and Without’.
Dr. Agarwal began by addressing the eternal dilemma of “How to read literature,” and followed with the better question, “Why to study literature at all!” According to him, literature gives such insights about our life and times which can't be provided by any other discipline. It serves as a medium which possesses the power to transport a person into the mind of another, and enables us to live many lives at once. Good literature reveals the contents of not just one's own mind, but that of an other’s as well, transcending caste, nationality, gender or class. The moment of emotional insight and transformation into someone else - even for an instant - is the moment of creativity. Literature is not just about beauty, it is about simplicity as well - an art that writers like Premchand and Manto have impeccably mastered.
Dr. Agarwal shared a rather interesting meeting he had with a fellow traveller while on train journey, carrying the latest book by Dan Brown. This led Dr. Agarwal, an otherwise privacy-cherishing traveller, to strike a conversation with him. His companion revealed that though he was an army officer, he read books so that he would “remain a human”. Thus, literature seeks to humanise in a very subtle way.
Not surprisingly, there is correlation between literature and society. “A society which has grown indifferent and insensitive to the literary world and its creations is soon bound to be a society of robots, and if I may go on to say, monsters.” He added that people have become overly sensitive these days, and their ability to take leisurely remarks in jest as well as to understand literary idioms is nearly lost. He supported these observations by quoting Mr. Italo Calvino, an Italian journalist of the late 20th century, who had said that a plague has entered our language system. Only literature and poetry have the power to restore the world to sanity and sensitivity. Dr. Agarwal explained that until this happened, superficiality and meaninglessness would reign.
But it was not all hopelessness, as Dr. Agarwal also added that we have the power to bring about a change within ourselves, and “must be proud to be literature students”. So, let us keep his words in mind, and not be monsters doomed by technology. Let us, instead, try to retrace our human roots which, we will find, are not very far away from us. They are not impalpable, but just a little blurry. Let us thus, endeavour to find ourselves through language and the purity of creativity.
- Pakhi Pande
Dr. Agarwal began by addressing the eternal dilemma of “How to read literature,” and followed with the better question, “Why to study literature at all!” According to him, literature gives such insights about our life and times which can't be provided by any other discipline. It serves as a medium which possesses the power to transport a person into the mind of another, and enables us to live many lives at once. Good literature reveals the contents of not just one's own mind, but that of an other’s as well, transcending caste, nationality, gender or class. The moment of emotional insight and transformation into someone else - even for an instant - is the moment of creativity. Literature is not just about beauty, it is about simplicity as well - an art that writers like Premchand and Manto have impeccably mastered.
Dr. Agarwal shared a rather interesting meeting he had with a fellow traveller while on train journey, carrying the latest book by Dan Brown. This led Dr. Agarwal, an otherwise privacy-cherishing traveller, to strike a conversation with him. His companion revealed that though he was an army officer, he read books so that he would “remain a human”. Thus, literature seeks to humanise in a very subtle way.
Not surprisingly, there is correlation between literature and society. “A society which has grown indifferent and insensitive to the literary world and its creations is soon bound to be a society of robots, and if I may go on to say, monsters.” He added that people have become overly sensitive these days, and their ability to take leisurely remarks in jest as well as to understand literary idioms is nearly lost. He supported these observations by quoting Mr. Italo Calvino, an Italian journalist of the late 20th century, who had said that a plague has entered our language system. Only literature and poetry have the power to restore the world to sanity and sensitivity. Dr. Agarwal explained that until this happened, superficiality and meaninglessness would reign.
But it was not all hopelessness, as Dr. Agarwal also added that we have the power to bring about a change within ourselves, and “must be proud to be literature students”. So, let us keep his words in mind, and not be monsters doomed by technology. Let us, instead, try to retrace our human roots which, we will find, are not very far away from us. They are not impalpable, but just a little blurry. Let us thus, endeavour to find ourselves through language and the purity of creativity.
- Pakhi Pande
SAME-SEX LOVE IN WOMEN IN INDIAN LITERATURE - A talk by Prof. Maitreyee Mandal
“I just want to be gay. I don’t want to attend conferences about it.” - Ashwini Sukthankar.
The English Literary Association, in honour of the recently decriminalized article 377, hosted a talk on “Same-Sex Love in Women in Indian Literature” by Professor Maitreyee Mandal on 4th October 2018. While the legal discourse around homosexuality is one many are now well-acquainted with, the discourse which has evolved in literature is often not as readily available for mainstream consumption. The primary focus of the talk was to explore this literary discourse on same-sex relationships among women, which Ms. Mandal believed was a “most under-researched domain.”
Professor Mandal opened her talk with the subject of identities and the feeling of commonness and belongingness that accompanies it. Amartya Sen, in his book, ‘Identity and Violence’, compared the construction of layers of identities an individual to ripples created in a water body when a stone is thrown into it. Like the ripples, which start out small and then increase in size, an individual starts out with a few identities but acquires larger ones as they pass through various life stages. Ms. Mandal explained that the phenomenon occurred as a result of the acceptance of one identity over the other.
After explaining the subtle but important differences between gender, sex and sexual orientation, Ms. Mandal moved on to a discussion of various Western discourses around lesbian movements which began in earnest during the Second Wave of Feminism in the West. According to Ms. Mandal, feminism is an ambiguous term in the Indian context, with little discourse on the nuances of lesbian love. Discussing the National Conference for Women and Caleri (Campaign for lesbian rights), Professor Mandal then began to give the audience an insight into the variety of Indian literature that dealt with the subject of lesbian love, ranging from texts such as ‘Sakhiyani: Lesbian Desire in Ancient and Modern India’ by Giti Thadani, to ‘The Dead Camel and the other Stories of Love’ by Parvati Sharma.
Despite the existence of lesbian literature in India today, Ms.Mandal admits that issues with representation still exist, whether it be in terms of a lack of lesbian stories by lesbian authors, a paucity of such narratives from marginalized societies in India, or the displaying of stereotypical butch/fem relationship which reinforce the idea of heteronormativity in lesbianism. Amidst the euphoria that the striking down of article 377 has brought, Ms. Mandal stresses the need for one to realize that what is now theoretically legal, still “requires solid practical implementation.”
- Shanna Jain and Himangi Shekhawat.
The English Literary Association, in honour of the recently decriminalized article 377, hosted a talk on “Same-Sex Love in Women in Indian Literature” by Professor Maitreyee Mandal on 4th October 2018. While the legal discourse around homosexuality is one many are now well-acquainted with, the discourse which has evolved in literature is often not as readily available for mainstream consumption. The primary focus of the talk was to explore this literary discourse on same-sex relationships among women, which Ms. Mandal believed was a “most under-researched domain.”
Professor Mandal opened her talk with the subject of identities and the feeling of commonness and belongingness that accompanies it. Amartya Sen, in his book, ‘Identity and Violence’, compared the construction of layers of identities an individual to ripples created in a water body when a stone is thrown into it. Like the ripples, which start out small and then increase in size, an individual starts out with a few identities but acquires larger ones as they pass through various life stages. Ms. Mandal explained that the phenomenon occurred as a result of the acceptance of one identity over the other.
After explaining the subtle but important differences between gender, sex and sexual orientation, Ms. Mandal moved on to a discussion of various Western discourses around lesbian movements which began in earnest during the Second Wave of Feminism in the West. According to Ms. Mandal, feminism is an ambiguous term in the Indian context, with little discourse on the nuances of lesbian love. Discussing the National Conference for Women and Caleri (Campaign for lesbian rights), Professor Mandal then began to give the audience an insight into the variety of Indian literature that dealt with the subject of lesbian love, ranging from texts such as ‘Sakhiyani: Lesbian Desire in Ancient and Modern India’ by Giti Thadani, to ‘The Dead Camel and the other Stories of Love’ by Parvati Sharma.
Despite the existence of lesbian literature in India today, Ms.Mandal admits that issues with representation still exist, whether it be in terms of a lack of lesbian stories by lesbian authors, a paucity of such narratives from marginalized societies in India, or the displaying of stereotypical butch/fem relationship which reinforce the idea of heteronormativity in lesbianism. Amidst the euphoria that the striking down of article 377 has brought, Ms. Mandal stresses the need for one to realize that what is now theoretically legal, still “requires solid practical implementation.”
- Shanna Jain and Himangi Shekhawat.
TAABEER DOCUMENTARY SCREENING
Tabeer, the discussion club of the Department of English, on 11th October 2018, organised a screening of an American documentary “13th” by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, in honour of Black History Month.
The film explored the history of racial inequality in the United States, focusing on the fact that the nation’s prisons are disproportionately filled with African Americans. It talked about the Thirteenth Amendment of the constitution of the United States which discontinued slavery but provided a loophole for White Americans to exploit. The amendment prohibited slavery, with the exception of slavery as a punishment for crime, which led to mass incarceration of and subjugation of the black Americans.
The documentary featured prominent figures from both sides of the coin, including Angela Davis, Bryan Stevenson, Van Jones, Newt Gingrich, Cory Booker, Henry Louis Gates Jr, etc. Exploring the economic history of slavery and post-civil war racist legislation and practices, it used powerful visuals, statistics, rap music (which originated in Africa) and footage of real incidents of brutality against the black people. The most striking was the visual irony employed to strike a balance between the past and the current state of affairs.
The film explains the myth surrounding ‘Black Criminality’, which is overrepresented on the media, calling them ‘super predators’, demonising and creating fear of them in the minds of whites. During the Jim Crow era when segregation was legalised, the lynching of blacks reached its peak. They were excluded from the political system. A new wave of suppression was created with Nixon’s ‘war on drugs’. Clinton joined the war on drugs, with a new ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy. This caused the US prison population to skyrocket to almost 2 million in 2017. The film also focuses on private prison contractors who work to keep the prisons full. ALEC, or the American Legislative Exchange Council, backed by politicians and corporations, support the prison-industrial complex. As a result of all this, every fourth prisoner in the world is an American.
The screening was followed by a discussion on how the film was an eye-opener on racial struggles in post-civil war America and racial justice. Everyone shared what they felt was the most striking part of the film for them. The students agreed that it provided a political insight on a country that they otherwise know so little about.
By Athira Raj
The War of Elements
The Department of English organized an exhibition of the painting of Parul Nayar, a student of the English Department, titled ‘The Impressionistic Interpretations of the Iliad: The War of Elements’. Expressing literature in the form of art has been a common practice throughout history and exploring this creative process becomes important for understanding both.
The event began with students providing various interpretations of the painting, talking about how it outlines the Iliad in particular, and life in general. Subsequently, Parul began to explain various movements such as classicism, neoclassicism, realism, and ultimately impressionism, which her work has been inspired by. Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement which was characterized by things such as relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, ordinary subject matter, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities etc. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, one of the most popular paintings of that time, was the motivation behind Parul’s painting of The War of Elements, which depicts Homer's Iliad.
According to Parul, Homer's text is interesting not because it depicts war between men, but because it shows war between nature and man. Nature, indeed, is prominent in her painting. She explains it by using one of Homer's smilies from the Iliad.
“Like the generations of leaves, the lives of mortal men. Now the wind scatters the old leaves across the earth, now the living timber bursts with the new buds and spring comes round again. And so with men: as one generation comes to life, another dies away.”
Nature is stable, while human beings will be replaced by each succeeding generation. The War of Elements starts with Achilles and Agammenon’s rage, shown through bold and long orange and red brush strokes, and ends with Achilles and Priam’s forgiveness, depicted through the colour green in order to highlight nature.
The colours in Parul’s painting are so eminent that they almost speak for themselves, a feature characteristic of Impressionism. Parul said that one can find the whole of the Iliad inside her painting as she tried to “encompass all the elements” of the book. It was important to her that the painting should not look broken but rather in continuity, just like life. Dr. Shernaz Cama, voiced the thoughts of all when she commented, “One of the most interesting projects I have seen in a very long time.”
The event began with students providing various interpretations of the painting, talking about how it outlines the Iliad in particular, and life in general. Subsequently, Parul began to explain various movements such as classicism, neoclassicism, realism, and ultimately impressionism, which her work has been inspired by. Impressionism is a 19th-century art movement which was characterized by things such as relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, ordinary subject matter, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities etc. The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, one of the most popular paintings of that time, was the motivation behind Parul’s painting of The War of Elements, which depicts Homer's Iliad.
According to Parul, Homer's text is interesting not because it depicts war between men, but because it shows war between nature and man. Nature, indeed, is prominent in her painting. She explains it by using one of Homer's smilies from the Iliad.
“Like the generations of leaves, the lives of mortal men. Now the wind scatters the old leaves across the earth, now the living timber bursts with the new buds and spring comes round again. And so with men: as one generation comes to life, another dies away.”
Nature is stable, while human beings will be replaced by each succeeding generation. The War of Elements starts with Achilles and Agammenon’s rage, shown through bold and long orange and red brush strokes, and ends with Achilles and Priam’s forgiveness, depicted through the colour green in order to highlight nature.
The colours in Parul’s painting are so eminent that they almost speak for themselves, a feature characteristic of Impressionism. Parul said that one can find the whole of the Iliad inside her painting as she tried to “encompass all the elements” of the book. It was important to her that the painting should not look broken but rather in continuity, just like life. Dr. Shernaz Cama, voiced the thoughts of all when she commented, “One of the most interesting projects I have seen in a very long time.”
Power Play Paper Presentation
On November 1st 2018, the academic journal of the department, Jabberwock, organized a student paper presentation on the theme of ‘Power Play’. The selected papers, written by students from various colleges and departments were to be presented at this competitive event, which would be followed by the selection of best paper in this year's issue of the journal. The discussion was centred around the various manifestations of power not just in politics, but in cultural misappropriation, the appeal of cult practices to the elite, the role of gender normativity in oral narratives, and the canonization of literature. The event commenced following an introduction from the editors, Dyuti Roy and Sidika Sehgal, who also invited faculty member Ms. Rukshana Shroff to preside over the event and select the paper for publication.
The first paper entitled "Deconstructing the Godman" was presented by Anushka Goel. Her argument was based on the machinations of cult establishments which appeal to a select elite by means of persuasive technologies. The Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country was interpreted through psychoanalysis to demonstrate the workings of a certain model of persuasion, one that harps on what its targets cannot see. These subjects are given the impression of agency when choosing to follow a particular cult, but Anushka argued that the choice is ultimately being dictated by an ideological authority. She furthered her argument by paralleling these observations with the algorithms of social media giants, ultimately contending that online engagement is brought about through the exploitation of the human psyche.
The second paper focused on oral narratives as embodiments of gender normativity, especially in the context of migration by the male member of a family. Sulthana Nasrin's paper "A Life of Estrangement & Migration: Dubai Kathupaat and the Struggle of Representation" contextualizes the mappila songs of the Muslim community of North Kerala on that front. With reference to S.A. Jameel's Dubai Kathupaatu, Sulthana looked into a particular category of mappila songs and demonstrated the effort of the female voice to assert itself while breaking away from the inhibitions placed by male authority and migration. She also brought up the question of recognition and undocumented history in juxtaposing these regional narratives against mainstream Malayalam literature.
Power is implicated in bureaucratic moves, which may be dismissed as innocuous, or simply carried out in the name of the age-old cliché: the betterment of society. Smriti Verma's paper "The Ideological and the Gendered: Tracing the Social Landscape of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale" explores the intertwined narratives of power structures in a post-apocalyptic world, alongside the creation of gender roles. Smriti discussed the instrumentality of repressive state apparatuses in forging compliance towards heteronormative structures, using theories on gender, power and discourse.
The final paper, "Sacred Games and Netflix India - The Power of New Media" was presented by Parul Sharma. Parul discussed the conflation of popular media and consumerism in light of a recent commercial import: Netflix in Indian pop culture. Using the theories of Althusser and Foucault, Parul shed light on the oppressive regimes of the nation-state by juxtaposing the show's politics with India's political reality. She additionally drew attention to Netflix's hybridity as a medium - particularly with regard to the possibility of offering alternative narratives to the political status quo - all which proceed from a systematic silencing of meaningful dialogue.
With that, the paper presentation came to an end. Each paper was thoughtfully conceptualised and well presented, but a winner had to be declared, and Sulthana Nasrin's paper, "A Life of Estrangement & Migration: Dubai Kathupaat and the Struggle of Representation" was ultimately chosen for publication.
The first paper entitled "Deconstructing the Godman" was presented by Anushka Goel. Her argument was based on the machinations of cult establishments which appeal to a select elite by means of persuasive technologies. The Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country was interpreted through psychoanalysis to demonstrate the workings of a certain model of persuasion, one that harps on what its targets cannot see. These subjects are given the impression of agency when choosing to follow a particular cult, but Anushka argued that the choice is ultimately being dictated by an ideological authority. She furthered her argument by paralleling these observations with the algorithms of social media giants, ultimately contending that online engagement is brought about through the exploitation of the human psyche.
The second paper focused on oral narratives as embodiments of gender normativity, especially in the context of migration by the male member of a family. Sulthana Nasrin's paper "A Life of Estrangement & Migration: Dubai Kathupaat and the Struggle of Representation" contextualizes the mappila songs of the Muslim community of North Kerala on that front. With reference to S.A. Jameel's Dubai Kathupaatu, Sulthana looked into a particular category of mappila songs and demonstrated the effort of the female voice to assert itself while breaking away from the inhibitions placed by male authority and migration. She also brought up the question of recognition and undocumented history in juxtaposing these regional narratives against mainstream Malayalam literature.
Power is implicated in bureaucratic moves, which may be dismissed as innocuous, or simply carried out in the name of the age-old cliché: the betterment of society. Smriti Verma's paper "The Ideological and the Gendered: Tracing the Social Landscape of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale" explores the intertwined narratives of power structures in a post-apocalyptic world, alongside the creation of gender roles. Smriti discussed the instrumentality of repressive state apparatuses in forging compliance towards heteronormative structures, using theories on gender, power and discourse.
The final paper, "Sacred Games and Netflix India - The Power of New Media" was presented by Parul Sharma. Parul discussed the conflation of popular media and consumerism in light of a recent commercial import: Netflix in Indian pop culture. Using the theories of Althusser and Foucault, Parul shed light on the oppressive regimes of the nation-state by juxtaposing the show's politics with India's political reality. She additionally drew attention to Netflix's hybridity as a medium - particularly with regard to the possibility of offering alternative narratives to the political status quo - all which proceed from a systematic silencing of meaningful dialogue.
With that, the paper presentation came to an end. Each paper was thoughtfully conceptualised and well presented, but a winner had to be declared, and Sulthana Nasrin's paper, "A Life of Estrangement & Migration: Dubai Kathupaat and the Struggle of Representation" was ultimately chosen for publication.
#BlackLivesMatter
How do cultural movements influence political cartoons?
On 17th January 2019, Dr. Anish Vanaik in association with the English Department of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, delivered a talk on ‘Black Lives Matter and Political Cartoons.’ Dr. Vanaik is a historian teaching at Jindal Global University, specialising in Marxist theory and Urban History.
Black Lives Matter began with the use of hashtag on social media in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012. It took the form of street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown in Fergusson, and Eric Garner in New York City. The protests sparked in Fergusson were led by the slogan ,“Hands up, don’t shoot” but there was a reactionary police militarization in dealing with these protests. Mr. Vanaik spoke about how the movement is seen parallel to 1960s Civil Rights Movement, which was also born out of Black liberation struggle for freedom. He also pointed out the fact that women and members of LGBTQ+ community were at the forefront of raising the cause for #BLM.
Using an original dataset of over 500 editorial cartoons by award-winning syndicated cartoonists, Dr Vanaik showed how their study found the frequency of cartooning about racism in the #BLM period increased with the greatest increases from those who had previously drawn the least about racism. Cartoons of this period also focused on police brutality to a hitherto unprecedented extent, criticizing the systematic nature of police brutality. Appearing on The Charlotte Observer was the cartoon by Kevin Siers ‘I can’t breathe’ in which Lady Justice is standing but with police property choking her neck, with reference to Garner’s case. Nick Anderson’s cartoon on Houston Chronicle depicted the militarization of the police and prejudice against racial minorities. Cartoons about movements also significantly increased. Mike Keefe’s 2014 cartoon ‘Black Lives Count’ in which a couple of high school students are marching across with the slogan, or David Brown's cartoon ‘March on Washington 50th Anniversary 1963-2013’ where Barack Obama muses over the protests that how long way they have to go were also discussed.
Mr. Vanaik ended by saying, “Movements break through; they change the way we think, they change the way we draw.”
By Shanna Jain
On 17th January 2019, Dr. Anish Vanaik in association with the English Department of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, delivered a talk on ‘Black Lives Matter and Political Cartoons.’ Dr. Vanaik is a historian teaching at Jindal Global University, specialising in Marxist theory and Urban History.
Black Lives Matter began with the use of hashtag on social media in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin in February 2012. It took the form of street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans: Michael Brown in Fergusson, and Eric Garner in New York City. The protests sparked in Fergusson were led by the slogan ,“Hands up, don’t shoot” but there was a reactionary police militarization in dealing with these protests. Mr. Vanaik spoke about how the movement is seen parallel to 1960s Civil Rights Movement, which was also born out of Black liberation struggle for freedom. He also pointed out the fact that women and members of LGBTQ+ community were at the forefront of raising the cause for #BLM.
Using an original dataset of over 500 editorial cartoons by award-winning syndicated cartoonists, Dr Vanaik showed how their study found the frequency of cartooning about racism in the #BLM period increased with the greatest increases from those who had previously drawn the least about racism. Cartoons of this period also focused on police brutality to a hitherto unprecedented extent, criticizing the systematic nature of police brutality. Appearing on The Charlotte Observer was the cartoon by Kevin Siers ‘I can’t breathe’ in which Lady Justice is standing but with police property choking her neck, with reference to Garner’s case. Nick Anderson’s cartoon on Houston Chronicle depicted the militarization of the police and prejudice against racial minorities. Cartoons about movements also significantly increased. Mike Keefe’s 2014 cartoon ‘Black Lives Count’ in which a couple of high school students are marching across with the slogan, or David Brown's cartoon ‘March on Washington 50th Anniversary 1963-2013’ where Barack Obama muses over the protests that how long way they have to go were also discussed.
Mr. Vanaik ended by saying, “Movements break through; they change the way we think, they change the way we draw.”
By Shanna Jain
Old Delhi: A Walk to Remember
Too much has been written about the winding, ridiculously crowded streets of Old Delhi to be able to create an original rendering of an experience of walking through them on a busy Saturday afternoon. Yet perhaps what we felt in swerving to save our backs from being run over by the bikes and cycles on pavements, and the large cows and autos on the road, struggling to catch up with the steady pace of our storyteller and historian, Asif Khan, would be a story worth recollecting.
Chawri Bazaar bustled with the sounds of rickshaw honks and screeching breaks as an enthusiastic lot of the English Department assembled to leave for a historical walk. We craned our necks to see the quaint old Mughal architecture, jumbled with the dusty office buildings, struggling to maintain a steady pace whilst being struck by the sheer traffic and humdrum on the road.
Rest arrived as we sat in a circle around Asif Bhai on the steps of Jama Masjid to hear of the tales of this old, old city. Of the beauty of Mumtaz and the love of Shah Jahan; of the ingenuity of the architects who tactfully used burnt khanjar to lay foundation for the Red Fort; of the British invasions that crumbled the Mughal empire and of the majma of Jama Masjid that lit up with its habitual visitors, storytellers and magicians - the truest rendering of the soul, the rooh of Delhi.
We heard tales of the adaqaaras of Chawri Bazaar, of the grace and fame of Umrao Jaan, Noor Bai and Moti Jaan. Ruminations over their skillfulness, their immense talent in art and music, and the resultant admiration on the part of the masses followed in our narrator's reconstructions. A few humorous interjections would find their way into his account, often relating to the experience of Old Delhi via the locals. "Any shopkeeper here will tell you that he's worked for 150 years, or that they came with Shah Jahan," remarked Asif Bhai discreetly.
Our excursion ended in the quiet comfort of Mirza Ghalib's residence (known primarily as Ghalib ki Haveli) – a tremendous relief from the endless chaotic path we decided to tread. Amid displays of memorabilia from the Urdu poet's life, we sat down to listen to a series of anecdotes and poetry translations. Ghalib's idiosyncrasies and witticisms animated the entire bunch with laughter and fascination, save for an equal sense of regret regarding limited academic focus on the same. For the spectator, a visual experience of Chandni Chowk certainly doesn't go unaccompanied by conspicuous displays of colonial influence. But the same presence inevitably looms over our own literary expeditions.
It was on this note that we left the riotous streets of Old Delhi. Our storyteller gave us some food for thought, besides a wholly renewed experience of the city. Perhaps it isn't always as dreamy as the place we've come to know in books and paintings, but the history etched onto this (sometimes) formidable part of the capital heightened our curiosity to discover more, retell stories and experience Delhi differently each time.
-By Samiya Khan and Tinka Dubey
Chawri Bazaar bustled with the sounds of rickshaw honks and screeching breaks as an enthusiastic lot of the English Department assembled to leave for a historical walk. We craned our necks to see the quaint old Mughal architecture, jumbled with the dusty office buildings, struggling to maintain a steady pace whilst being struck by the sheer traffic and humdrum on the road.
Rest arrived as we sat in a circle around Asif Bhai on the steps of Jama Masjid to hear of the tales of this old, old city. Of the beauty of Mumtaz and the love of Shah Jahan; of the ingenuity of the architects who tactfully used burnt khanjar to lay foundation for the Red Fort; of the British invasions that crumbled the Mughal empire and of the majma of Jama Masjid that lit up with its habitual visitors, storytellers and magicians - the truest rendering of the soul, the rooh of Delhi.
We heard tales of the adaqaaras of Chawri Bazaar, of the grace and fame of Umrao Jaan, Noor Bai and Moti Jaan. Ruminations over their skillfulness, their immense talent in art and music, and the resultant admiration on the part of the masses followed in our narrator's reconstructions. A few humorous interjections would find their way into his account, often relating to the experience of Old Delhi via the locals. "Any shopkeeper here will tell you that he's worked for 150 years, or that they came with Shah Jahan," remarked Asif Bhai discreetly.
Our excursion ended in the quiet comfort of Mirza Ghalib's residence (known primarily as Ghalib ki Haveli) – a tremendous relief from the endless chaotic path we decided to tread. Amid displays of memorabilia from the Urdu poet's life, we sat down to listen to a series of anecdotes and poetry translations. Ghalib's idiosyncrasies and witticisms animated the entire bunch with laughter and fascination, save for an equal sense of regret regarding limited academic focus on the same. For the spectator, a visual experience of Chandni Chowk certainly doesn't go unaccompanied by conspicuous displays of colonial influence. But the same presence inevitably looms over our own literary expeditions.
It was on this note that we left the riotous streets of Old Delhi. Our storyteller gave us some food for thought, besides a wholly renewed experience of the city. Perhaps it isn't always as dreamy as the place we've come to know in books and paintings, but the history etched onto this (sometimes) formidable part of the capital heightened our curiosity to discover more, retell stories and experience Delhi differently each time.
-By Samiya Khan and Tinka Dubey
TALKING SOLDIERS: HUMANIZING THE BORDER
“Writing about conflicts is not easy,” said Dr. Happymon Jacob, Professor of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, remarked while talking about his recent work The Line of Control: Travelling with the Indian and Pakistani Armies, a travelogue about his tour of the border between India and Pakistan from both sides. He travelled with the armies of both countries and explored what is effectively the ground zero, the life of soldiers and civilians there, borders as seen in the popular imagination, and the exceptional similarity between both sides.
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The session ‘Talking Soldiers’ attempted to navigate the conflict narratives by humanising the experiences of the border as peopled by emotions and memories through Dr. Jacob, Professor Rina Kashyap from the Department of Political Science and Professor K. Varghese from the Department of English, LSR. It was organised in a collaborative effort between both departments on 23rd January, 2019.
Dr. Rina Kashyap began by talking about what Dr. Jacob’s book reminds us about. She said, “The Line of Control is not just about control, it's about crossfire and crossover.” She spoke about how the book deals with the inside-outside perspective and the multiple versions of the same story, creating different versions of “truth”.
Dr. Jacob furthered the topic by saying how he was deeply distressed by the portrayal by media while talking about ceasefire violations. “How many have we killed?” He believed that the definitions, the ideas, and the narratives help “change not just the policies but the lives of the people as well.” This much accessible book is about humanizing the LoC, about people living at LoC and soldiers who manage these lines. In this honest account, he found himself making his way into it “as a character and a caricature.” Talking about the challenges he faced, he said that he often doubted his work because he was talking about real people, and thus it was important to have a reality check while romanticizing things. He was also “most scared of being dismissed as an amateur.” His attempt was to reach much wider audience, not through a “dry academic book” but a book which brings alive the conflicts between India and Pakistan by focusing on human emotions.
Professor Varghese praised the book for its “attention to process of narrating” and “investment in characterization.” He also commented on how the book showed us the difference between the state craft and human beings, and raised the questions about when people at the borders stop thinking of themselves as human beings and start becoming soldiers.
By- Shanna Jain
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The session ‘Talking Soldiers’ attempted to navigate the conflict narratives by humanising the experiences of the border as peopled by emotions and memories through Dr. Jacob, Professor Rina Kashyap from the Department of Political Science and Professor K. Varghese from the Department of English, LSR. It was organised in a collaborative effort between both departments on 23rd January, 2019.
Dr. Rina Kashyap began by talking about what Dr. Jacob’s book reminds us about. She said, “The Line of Control is not just about control, it's about crossfire and crossover.” She spoke about how the book deals with the inside-outside perspective and the multiple versions of the same story, creating different versions of “truth”.
Dr. Jacob furthered the topic by saying how he was deeply distressed by the portrayal by media while talking about ceasefire violations. “How many have we killed?” He believed that the definitions, the ideas, and the narratives help “change not just the policies but the lives of the people as well.” This much accessible book is about humanizing the LoC, about people living at LoC and soldiers who manage these lines. In this honest account, he found himself making his way into it “as a character and a caricature.” Talking about the challenges he faced, he said that he often doubted his work because he was talking about real people, and thus it was important to have a reality check while romanticizing things. He was also “most scared of being dismissed as an amateur.” His attempt was to reach much wider audience, not through a “dry academic book” but a book which brings alive the conflicts between India and Pakistan by focusing on human emotions.
Professor Varghese praised the book for its “attention to process of narrating” and “investment in characterization.” He also commented on how the book showed us the difference between the state craft and human beings, and raised the questions about when people at the borders stop thinking of themselves as human beings and start becoming soldiers.
By- Shanna Jain
Tea-à-Tête: The Annual Informal Meet of the English Department
On 24th January 2019, the New Common Room resonated with laughter and chatter as the English Department gathered for Tea-à-Tête, the annual interactive session of the English Department, traditionally organized by Jabberwock. The event aims at fostering bonds between the students and professors of the department, providing each a chance to get to know the other outside the mundane walls of the classroom.
The students settled down in the room, and a game of Bingo began, but with various statements in the grid instead of the usual numbers. Everyone had to strike out the statements which rang true for them, the aim being to strike off five columns to grab the winner’s position.
While the game went on, Dr. Madhu Grover and Ms. Dipti Nath were seen entering the room, and were greeted with claps and cheers. The professors joined in the game with great enthusiasm. The statements in the grid were quite the conversation boosters, and sentences like ‘Discuss a book you have never read’ and ‘Hated a classic’ invoked quite the reaction. Dr. Madhu Grover seemed comically distressed at the inclusion of Chetan Bhagat’s name in the grid. Somewhere amidst this excitement, Ms. Rukhsana Shroff graced the venue, amidst loud applause.
When the question of the favourite book was tossed around, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ seemed to be the clear winner, though ‘Moby Dick’ seemed closer to the professors’ hearts. And this little prodding was all that was needed to get the conversation flowing. Professor Dipti Nath never ran out of stories to tell, she seemed to have a penchant for narration in all its comic detail. The professors spoke about their own college days, and how one had taught the other at some point. Students were eager to know about the relationship shared between Rukhsana Ma’am and Shernaz Ma’am as sisters, while Madhu Ma’am’s revelation of her and Rukhsana Ma’am being ‘soul sisters’ was received with cheers. The rest was about the unique antics of the professors, and reminiscing the old LSR days.
The only things that interrupted this gushing conversation were the many bowls of brownies and chips, and cups of tea and lemonade, which were passed around generously.
But there was more in store, as a game of Pictionary was planned in the end. Terms like ‘catharsis’ and ‘mimesis’, and names like ‘Oedipus’, and ‘Homer’ were not easy drawings to make or guess, but the professors and students played on, amidst laughter and cheer. The session ended soon after, and though the weather may have been freezing outside, the English department was as warm as ever, and each left the room feeling happy and fulfilled with an afternoon well-spent.
-Pakhi Pande
The students settled down in the room, and a game of Bingo began, but with various statements in the grid instead of the usual numbers. Everyone had to strike out the statements which rang true for them, the aim being to strike off five columns to grab the winner’s position.
While the game went on, Dr. Madhu Grover and Ms. Dipti Nath were seen entering the room, and were greeted with claps and cheers. The professors joined in the game with great enthusiasm. The statements in the grid were quite the conversation boosters, and sentences like ‘Discuss a book you have never read’ and ‘Hated a classic’ invoked quite the reaction. Dr. Madhu Grover seemed comically distressed at the inclusion of Chetan Bhagat’s name in the grid. Somewhere amidst this excitement, Ms. Rukhsana Shroff graced the venue, amidst loud applause.
When the question of the favourite book was tossed around, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ seemed to be the clear winner, though ‘Moby Dick’ seemed closer to the professors’ hearts. And this little prodding was all that was needed to get the conversation flowing. Professor Dipti Nath never ran out of stories to tell, she seemed to have a penchant for narration in all its comic detail. The professors spoke about their own college days, and how one had taught the other at some point. Students were eager to know about the relationship shared between Rukhsana Ma’am and Shernaz Ma’am as sisters, while Madhu Ma’am’s revelation of her and Rukhsana Ma’am being ‘soul sisters’ was received with cheers. The rest was about the unique antics of the professors, and reminiscing the old LSR days.
The only things that interrupted this gushing conversation were the many bowls of brownies and chips, and cups of tea and lemonade, which were passed around generously.
But there was more in store, as a game of Pictionary was planned in the end. Terms like ‘catharsis’ and ‘mimesis’, and names like ‘Oedipus’, and ‘Homer’ were not easy drawings to make or guess, but the professors and students played on, amidst laughter and cheer. The session ended soon after, and though the weather may have been freezing outside, the English department was as warm as ever, and each left the room feeling happy and fulfilled with an afternoon well-spent.
-Pakhi Pande