What happens when you bring together brilliant authors, thinkers, writers, journalists, leaders, students, nerds, aunties and enthusiasts together for a couple of days?
You get the Times Litfest, Bengaluru, an event that the postgraduate students, research scholars and the faculty members of the Dept. of English, SSSIHL, attended in Bangalore.
The theme of the 6th Times Litfest (8-9 Feb 2020) was ‘Atheetha’, which translates to ‘beyond’. With over 70 speakers (authors, poets, filmmakers, musicians and the like), a host of book launches, children’s competitions, literary sessions and more; students, scholars and faculty had the opportunity to soak in plenty of ideas, thoughts and opinions.
Eclectic discussions and talks ranged from the growing importance of keeping politics away from scholarship (by Jairam Ramesh) to mythology (for example Kavitha Kane’s narration on the unsung heroes of Ramayana and Mahabharata). The two-day fest truly broadened the literary perspectives of the participants engaging them in thought-provoking new ideologies and concepts in greater magnitudes.
A student aptly summed up her experience: “The Times litfest was a marketplace of ideas. It helped to nurture the seed sown of new perspectives and ideas on many topics and assisted budding writers with several tangents of outlooks, which is the ultimate success of the event.”
“Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body,” as Joseph Addison, an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician, once said.
#SSSIHL #SSSIHLEnglishLanguageLiterature #timeslitfest
Teachers at the Anantapur Campus, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning conducted a workshop for researchers and students, Vantage Point – Thought and Task: The Connect, that stressed on the importance of fostering good research approaches, the proper use of information and tools on how to effectively communicate in this increasingly digital world.
Dr. P L Rani, Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of English Language & Literature spoke on fostering intellectual discipline and focus in the current world of “infobesity” (Excessive availability of information), to achieve relevance and authentication.
Dr. (Miss) U Suma, Associate Professor, Dept. of Management & Commerce said that qualitative research such as positionality, epistemological, personal & critical reflexivity and reciprocity were linked to openness, introspection, empathy, objectivity, and deep enquiry. She also encouraged researchers to pursue research with an attitude of gratitude.
Miss Sai Archana M, Teaching Asst, Dept. of English Language & Literature, spoke on the importance of communication and stressed upon qualities like problem solving, critical thinking, decision making, self-management and continuous updation for better employment opportunities.
Dr. (Miss) Dibba Bhargavi, Asst. Professor and Ms. Prasanti Prabha, Doctoral Research Scholar from the Department of English Language and Literature, SSSIHL, presented a paper each at the niche and prestigious Iris Murdoch Centenary Conference at St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, UK, 13-15 July 2019.
The conference was organised by The Iris Murdoch Research Centre in association with the University of Oxford.
The Iris Murdoch Society, based at the University of Chichester, is run by the Research Centre of the University to promote the philosophical and artistic vision of Iris Murdoch, a post-modern British novelist and philosopher. Professors, researchers, critics and general readers of Murdoch attend the conferences that the Society conducts (once every two years) in order to enhance, promote and archive the research on Murdoch.
Scholars from across 19 countries enthusiastically participated in the panel discussions, round-table conferences and symposiums dealing with a wide range of topics like ethics, intertextuality, politics, mind, perception, sociability, poetics, philosophy, aesthetics, realism, løgstrup, film, music, art, form, and moral life reflected in Murdoch’s writing.
Since Murdoch was influenced by Indian philosophy, the papers presented focussed on tracing the subtle references to Indian philosophical concepts in her novels. Titled, “Who is the Master?: An Understanding of The Message to the Planet in the Indian Context” and “Meandering Through the Web of Illusion: Bruno’s Dream from an Indian Perspective”, both papers analysed Iris Murdoch’s work using narratology. They also highlighted the latent Vedantic undertones in some of her novels.
The presentations were appreciated for the novelty of the idea and interpretation.
As participants, the team visited and explored the exhibition (on Murdoch’s Oxford life) at Somerville College & Kingston Museum. Other interesting and educating activities that were a part of the Centenary Conference included:
#SSSIHL #SSSIHLEnglishLanguageLiterature