Conversation on Salman Rushdie

Belletristic, the literary society of the Department of English, Shoolini University had a virtual conversation on Sir Salman Rushdie, initiated by the invited speaker Dr. Nandini C Sen, who is an English Professor at Delhi University. Dr Sen has an impressive professional profile with several national and international awards to her credit. 

The session began with a wonderful quote by Rushdie who he is known to speak his mind: “What is freedom of expression, without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” Dr Sen then gave a brief account of the biographical details of Rushdie because his writing is intertwined with the life he has lived. Rushdie’s life has been a complex one, his lifestyle is flamboyant and he has the knack of remaining in the news constantly. He plays with words, uses satire in his fiction, and courts controversies incessantly. 

Rushdie’s first novel, “Grimus” 1975) was ignored by critics. The second novel, “Midnight’s Children”, however, reached the heights of success. People believe that the main character of this work, Saleem Sinai is actually Salman Rushdie himself, though, Salman Rushdie denies this.

Dr. Nandini not only talked about the works of Rushdie, but also about that time of the partition about which he wrote. She also mentioned the most controversial work by Rushdie, “The Satanic Verses”, which made Rushdie go into hiding for several years. Another work, “Shalimar, The Clown” was the come-back of the Rushdie. 

Rushdie’s sensibilities are incredibly global, he is a person who reads and understands history. He usee Magic Realism or Marvelous Realism which in all his books. Dr. Nandini concluded the session by talking about how languages, as the carriers of cultures, should be ever-flowing and ever-growing. With that, she also quoted yet another line by Rushdie, “Language is courage, the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so, make it true”. 

The session was very informative, the students were vastly enriched by the knowledge they gained from the discussion. Belletristic, Shoolini Loves Literature Society, meets every Friday and holds discussions that are streamed live on several Facebook pages and have a very wide reach. The aim is to bring like-minded people together and discuss aspects of literary texts, movements, and writing skills that go far beyond the printed text, bringing people and minds together through a shared love for literature.

Lecture on Post Colonialism

 INVITED LECTURE ON POSTCOLONIALISM

The Department of English, Shoolini University, had a virtual lecture on the topic “Postcolonialism Orientalism and other issues in Critical Theory” by the expert, Aneel Raina. Professor Aneel Raina teaches at Punjab University and is a leading figure in Literary theory. He is also the founder member of MELOW, the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the World..

Professor Aneel Raina covered all the vital aspects of Postcolonialism and Orientalism. He started the lecture by introducing the terms which date back to the late 20th century. He then took into account Edward W. Said’s book “Orientalism” and explained the various connotations of the tem and how it is used in critical theory.

Further, elaborating upon the idea of Enlightenment which is associated with reason, science, and technology, progress, human evolution, Professor Raina said that colonizers try to mould their colonized people like their own selves I an attempt to “civilize” them as they are convinced that they are superior. Said has pointed out that the colonizers present a negative picture of the eastern people in their writings. Prof Raina quoted Kant to clarify his ideas, talked about strategic essentialism, the idea of discourse, structuralism, and other related concepts.

The session was informative, the students were delighted with the knowledge they gained from the session. It was attended by the faculty members and students of the Dept of English, Shoolini University, and some invited scholars.

Undergrad Seminar On Neoclassical Sensibilities

 UNDERGRAD SEMINAR ON NEOCLASSICAL SENSIBILITIES

Belletristic, the literary society of the Department of English, Shoolini University organised an Undergrad seminar on “Neo-Classical Sensibilities” (18th century English literature). The focus of the seminar was on the writers of the 18th century in England.

Final year students from different colleges presented papers on writers, works and themes of the 18th century England.

Dr. Harneet Kaur, Associate Professor at Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Chandigarh, was the chairperson for the session.

Sukriti Pahwa from Guru Gobind Singh College for women, Chandigarh presented her paper titled “Neo-Classical Sensibilities- 18th Century English Literature”. Rutvi Shah from Christ College, Gujarat, presented her paper on “Digging a romantic grave for Neo- Classical Sensibility - A Study of the Paradigm Shift in 18th Century Poetry”. Ajay Kumar from NRS Govt College, Rohtak, presented his paper titled, “Classical age or 18th century English literature”.  Shramana Mukherjee from Benares Hindu College presented a paper on “The Age of Reason”. Najamus Saqib from Shoolini University read a paper on “18th century as an age of prose of reason”.  Vaishali Thakur from Shoolini University on “The periodical essay and it's popularity in the 18th century”,  Aanay Bhatt from Christ College, Rajkot, Gujarat, on “Subservience VS. Independent Spirit: A Comparative Study of Pope and Dryden as Satirists”. Priyanka Kumari Zala from Christ College, Rajkot, Gujarat presented her paper titled, “Locating the Anthropos in the Great Chain: Reading Pope's Essay on Man through the Enlightenment Philosophy”. Yotasha from Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women, Chandigarh presented a paper titled, “The Rape of The Lock as a Social Satire” and Avi from the same College spoke on “The Politics of Satire  in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels”. 

Dr. Harneet Kaur, congratulated the department and the university for organizing the seminar, and praised the performance of the participants. Prof. Tej Nath Dhar also shared his valuable insights with the participants and the audience.  Sakshi Sundaram and Neeraj Pizar, faculty members from Shoolini, congratulated the presenters and concluded the session. 

The next Belletristic session will be held on 21st May 2021. It will be a talk on Salman Rushdie with special reference to his works “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” and “Midnight’s Children”.

Until then stay connected and keep sharing.

Session On Chamba Achamba, Women Old narratives

 “CHAMBA ACHAMBA” AT SHOOLINI UNIVERSITY 

Belletristic, the literary society of the Department of English, Shoolini University, organised a session wherein the tradition and the oral narratives of District Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, were discussed. This discussion proved to be a high point in the history of Belletristic which has been holding outstanding sessions on literature and culture. The chief panelist for the session was Prof. Malashri Lal, a former professor and chairperson at the department of English, Delhi University, an author and a member of national Sahitya Akademi.  She was in conversation with Prof  Meenakshi Paul, Himachal Pradesh University, and Priya Sharma, Assistant Professor from Central University of HP, Dharamshala. Apart from the invited guests, panel included the faculty of English Department, Shoolini University namely Manju Jaidka, Tej Nath Dhar, Purnima Bali, Neeraj Pizar, and Sakshi Sundaram.

The discussion  took place between Profs. Malashri Lal and Meenakshi Paul, who discussed in detail about their project “Chamba Achamba” which focused on the collection of oral histories, narratives, stories, songs, lyrics and the traditional lifestyle of the areas of Chamba and village Bharmaur. They were a team of 10 members which was further joined by the noted lyricist, Gulzaar Sa’ab. Their main agenda was the women of the region and the basic idea was to bring out the traditional wisdom which women in the village had and to record the history and practices of the region. 

The team prepared questionnaire for their research. Some interviews took place in village of Bharmaur and some in Chamba. There was discussion on the rural embroidery of Chamba, their deities, Cheli (one who was possessed by goddess and had prophetic powers), the gaddi community, etc. On the basis of their research they published a book 'Chamba Achamba' in which they gathered the information collected during their research. The book has opened the doors for further research on such histories and traditions of villages like Chamba.

In the course of the discussion, Priya Sharma rendered a few folk songs of Chamba which added a musical charm to the exciting ongoing session. An animated Q&A session concluded the event. 

Belletristic meets online every Friday and holds live sessions that are streamed on various Facebook pages and have a very wide reach. The aim is to bring like-minded people together who share their love for literature and texts.

Next Friday Belletristic will hold another seminar for Undergraduate students from different educational institutions. The topic will be “Neo-Classical Sensibilities,” focusing on English literature of the 18th Century.

Session on the Literature Nobel Laureate, Louise Gluck.

Belletristic, the literary society of the English dept, Shoolini University, organized a panel discussion on this year’s Nobel Laureate for Literature, the American poet, Louise Glück.

The panelists were Prof. M.L. Raina formerly of Panjab University, and Prof. Sanjukta Dasgupta from Calcutta University. 

Louise Elisabeth Glück, born on April 22, 1943, is a poet and essayist who, apart from this year’s Nobel Laureate, has won various other awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, a National Book Award, the National Humanities Medal, and much more. She is often described as an autobiographical poet and her major works are praised for their emotional intensity and for frequently drawing on mythology or nature imagery to meditate on personal experiences as well as modern life.

Prof. Sanjukta Dasgupta drew attention towards various brief interventions made by Glück, which are rather fascinating: she does not wish to be defined on the basis of her gender but as a lyric poet. She portrays herself not only as a poet who feels but also as one who thinks, contradicting the notion that a man thinks but a woman only feels. 

Prof. Sanjukta also made cross-references to other poets like Bob Dylan and Sylvia Plath, comparing Gluck’s work with that of her contemporaries. 

Prof. M.L. Raina added to the discussion, drawing attention to the sense of kinship between mythological references in Glück’s poems, and the lack of adjectives in the poetry which makes it more direct and appealing. Plus, the sense of closeness she creates with her readers through her words is commendable.

The session concluded with an announcement that next week’s Belletristic Friday would have a discussion on “The Love for Literature”. Stay tuned.

"Gumshoe calling: Detective fiction down the ages." -Report of Session I

A spell-binding session on detective fiction was organized by Belletristic, the literature society of Shoolini University. Ms. Barnali Saha from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, and Mr. Anup Sharma from Ashoka University, Haryana, were the main speakers for the session. 

Through their wide array of  knowledge, the speakers delivered their presentations titled, 'The Sidekick asthe Reader: The detective and Sidekick in Popular Crime Fiction'  and 'The Purloined Letter: A Lacanian Literary Analysis' respectively. 

Overall the session was very knowledgeable and interactive. 

Professor Pratip Mazumdar enlivened the discussion bringing in a witty take on Satyajit Ray. Students, Charu and Tashi were also among the panelists along with faculty members Neeraj Pizar, Purnima Bali, and Manju Jaidka. 

The discussion was animated and, as always, Belletristic promised to be back next Friday with another interesting session for all the literature lovers.

It was announced that another session on detective fiction,  focusing on gender issues, would be organized next week.

 Stay tuned!

"Popular folk tales: The Panchtantra and Akbar- Birbal stories" - Report by Ritika

A very interesting session by Dr. Harpreet Dhiman was organised by Belletristic, the literature society of Shoolini University. Dr. Harpreet took everyone down the memory lane, remembering how as kids they would come across these tales through different mediums. 

        She narrated various little tales and beautifully related their learnings with the present world. The session was very interactive and ma'am even shared her insights with the students on becoming a successful story teller. 

        No matter how old we grow these little stories will always remain an important part of our lives, because as they rightly say, "Dil to bacha hai ji." 

        Belletristic promises to be back next friday with some new speakers and topics. Stay tuned.

Report: The interactive session with Mona Verma, Writer by Rsvika

“If you find something missing in your creation, just reverse your story,” such a beautiful insight on creative writing was today delivered by the exceptional writer Mona Verma. We Shoolinians were fortunate to have an interactive session with Mona Verma organized by “Belletristic,” the literature society of Shoolini University.

Ma’am Mona initiated her session with a brief description of her novels. From her first book, A Bridge to Nowhere launched by Ruskin Bond to her latest book, Lost and Found in Banaras, all are breath-taking, but The  Other was the book that intrigued us the most. She was very subtle with her explanations on creative writing and used many short yet perceptive examples. “The only thing that holds us back from being a great writer,” she said, is “the fear of being judged.” And that is so true! She also gave us the remedy to this problem, saying that “it’s okay to make stupid, beautiful, glorious mistakes; But just MAKE THEM.” “Give your imagination a free reign” was the beautiful mantra she gave us. She summed everything up by explaining that, in order to get a good output (of speaking and writing), we should put a good input of reading and listening.

In a nutshell, it was a very useful and knowledgeable session. Now not only did we get a correct understanding of creative writing, but we also got the motivation to read and write more. We can’t thank her enough for this wonderful session. 

Belletristic will organize more literary events on a regular basis. Watch out for them. Stay tuned!

Shoolini TV :Report of the Virtual International Literature Seminar

Shoolini TV : Report of the international Virtual Symposium on Literature organised by the English Department of Shoolini University.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAowDyNhOoG/?igshid=1dy65c5bx5c89

Final Report of the International Seminar, 15-23 May 2020

The Dept of English, Shoolini University, Solan, successfully concluded a 9-day online International Literature Seminar in which 40 delegates from five different countries presented their papers. The main theme was “A Century in Retrospect: Literary Signposts and Watersheds of the Last Hundred Years.” Spread across six sessions, including an Inaugural and a Valedictory session, the seminar focused on different aspects of twentieth-century poetry, drama, fiction and theory.

The sessions were chaired by senior academicians like Profs Mukesh Williams from Soka University in Tokyo, Japan, Nasser Dasht Peyma from Azad University in Tabriz, Iran, Roshanlal Sharma from CUHP, Manpreet Kang from GGS Indraprastha University Delhi, Neelima Kanwar from HPU, and Dipankar Purkayastha from Assam University, Silchar. Begining with traditional texts and authors like WB Yeats and TS Eliot, the discussions cut across a vast literary spectrum to conclude with the contribution of Edward Said and Simone de Beauvoir. Overall, the discussions were animated and thought-provoking.

Welcoming the delegates at the Inauguration were MS Avnee Khosla, Vice-President of Shoolini, and Ms Nishtha Shukla Anand, a Trustee of the university. In the Valedictory session Prof Atul Khosla, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, interacted with the delegates and invited them to visit the campus in real time.

Talking about the outcomes of the seminar, Manju Jaidka, Professor of English at Shoolini, announced that as an offshoot of this literary event there were several workable ideas in the pipeline. The present event may be taken as the first in a series of similar events that would “Bring back Our Basics” (abbreviated to BOB) and help us re-vision the literary landscape that has been somewhat obfuscated by theoretical jargon over the past decades. Soon, perhaps, the department will hold another seminar on “Popular Forms of Literature” which would again focus more on texts than theory. Secondly, living in these difficult Covid 19 times, there is a plan to bring together stories of the Covid experience, the hardships, struggles, and also heroism that people have displayed in the these pandemic times. These stories would be compiled under the heading “Covid’s Metamorphosis” (reminiscent of Ovid’s Metamorphosis), implying that the Corona experience has brough about a radical change in human nature, in the way we look at life and the manner in which we will proceed from this point. Finally, there is a plan to host a major International conference in Shoolini before the year end, in collaboration with MELOW, an academic association that has been holding such conferences since 1998.

Approving of these ideas, Prof Atul Khosla assured the delegates that Shoolini would extend all possible help. He further invited the delegates to the campus whenever the lockdown is eased and interstate movement becomes possible again.

The seminar concluded successfully with all the delegates expressing their satisfaction with the literary roller-coaster ride experienced by them over the past nine days.

Valedictory Session

Valedictory Session

International Seminar

Department of English, Shoolini University

23 May 2020

          The valedictory session of  "A Nine-Day Wonder " Virtual International Literature Seminar organised by the Department of English, Shoolini University began on 23rd May 2020. Professor Manju Jaidka introduced Professor Atul Khosla, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Shoolini University and briefed everyone about the proceedings of the past few days of the seminar. She added, "COVID or No COVID, we will have seminars, we will have intellectual, academic activities and will carry on."

Professor Manju Jaidka informed the audience that this Virtual International Literature Seminar is going to be a part of a series of seminars called, 'BOB- Back to our basics.' She also expressed her desire to bring together a collection of stories related to COVID Crisis and experiences of people who have suffered, gone through, survived and grappled through this pandemic.

                A society headed by Professor Manju Jaidka has been conducting International Conferences since 1998, and she proudly announced that next such an event will be organised in collaboration with Shoolini University.

                 The chairpersons and the speakers of the seminar introduced themselves and their topics of discussion and expressed their gratitude to Shoolini University for organising such an illuminating event.

                  Professor Atul Khosla, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Shoolini University, welcomed everyone warmly. He shared his encounters with literature during his engineering days and how a lot of Indian authors influenced him. Professor proudly highlighted his affiliation with the Jaipur Literature Festival and also mentioned his favourite text 'A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry' and its influence on his life. He expressed his passion for bringing the best professors inspiring people to Shoolini University. Along with this, he also invited all the speakers to visit Shoolini University post the COVID crisis.

Professor Manju Jaidka informed the audience that more than 40 participants have presented their papers from different parts of the world in this seminar.  Further, she announced that the e-certificates will be given to all the participates.

                 "A Nine-Day Wonder" came to an end by bidding goodbyes, expressing gratitude and desires to meet again

With Warm Regards

Lata Negi

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”

T.S. Eliot

Please follow link

https://www.facebook.com/164195647074076/videos/194400015002777/

THE VIRTUAL SEMINAR

DAY-2

At the inauguration of the seminar on May 15th, Prof Mukesh William, from Soka University, Japan, spoke to the delegates, giving the overview of the 20th century. On the day-2 of the seminar, it was what we called the first day of the technical session, discussing about  "The Wasteland" and "The Outsider.

Alongside, some discussions over poetry also took place, this was a two hour long discussion, which was seen by a number of Literature enthusiasts, link to the same:

https://www.youtube.com/c/shooliniuniversityindia

There was a session organized, after this seminar, along with the students of  Shoolini University where also a feedback and discussion session took place, which gave an insight about these virtual seminars being helpful to the students.

We got some feedbacks on these seminars by professors of various universities, glimpses of which are as follows:

VIRTUAL SEMINAR BY SHOOLINI UNIVERSITY

DAY-1

Shoolini University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh initiated its first virtual seminar on May 15'2020,towards their another significant step in virtual education, the English department of the university began an eight day long international literature seminar. The theme of the beginning seminar is "A century in retrospect: Literary signposts and Watersheds of the Last 100 Years".
about 40 speakers, including one eqach from Japan, Iran, Nepal and Bangladesh are participating in the seminar.
Vice-Chancellor Prof P.K Khosla inaugurated the session. Vice-President Shoolini University Ms Avnee Khosla welcomed the guests and appreciated the department’s effort in the tough period of the pandemic. On the occasion Ms Nishtha Anand, Trustee of Shoolini University said, “it’s a good initiative and more such seminars would be organised”.
The inaugural address was delivered by Mukesh Williams, Professor of English, Soka University, Japan and session was chaired by Dipankar Purkayastha Former Professor of English, Assam University, Silchar.
 
Dr Manju Jaidka, Prof of English at Shoolini University said " this is just one step forward in our attempt to take Shoolini to the world and bring the world to Shoolini".
The sessions would be held daily ‪from 2 pm to 4 pm‬ ‪from Monday 18th‬ to Friday 22.
Interested persons may see it livestreaming on Facebook page of Shoolini University and on this YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/c/shooliniuniversityindia
The first ever virtual seminar created a talk among students not only from the same niversity but from the literature enthusiats around different places.
Some newspapers covered the same news, glimpses of which are: