Seminars in the Department of Humanities and Languages
Department of Humanities and Languages organized the following seminars :
1.Disnarrating the Events of 1857: Reading J.G. Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur, by Kumar Sankar Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Languages, BITS Pilani, on Tuesday, 9th April 2013.
Abstract: J.G. Farrell's Man Booker Prize winning novel, The Siege of Krishnapur, moves away from the narrative of locating the history from the vantage point of power and authority, namely the British, or from the postcolonial revisionist Indian approaches, and delineates the day-to-day affairs inside the British Residency of Krishnapur before and during a four month siege by native soldiers. As Farrell unravels the superficial Victorian mores of the time, he uses disnarration to put them in direct contrast to the British civilizing mission. Farrell's disnarration, evokes the possibility of British withdrawal after 1857 through the Collector's return back to England and his realization of the so-called Victorian codes of civilization and culture as sham. Although historically the British regained control after 1857 and the Empire survived for another ninety years, Farrell's work exposes the receding morality and lack of effective governance that ultimately forced the British out of the subcontinent. In this paper, the author showed how Farrell has been successful in using his disnarrative technique to narrate, “all the events that do not happen but, nonetheless, are referred to” (Prince 3) in The Siege of Krishnapur.
2.Risk to Disaster in Chandni Chowk: A Vulnerability Assessment, by Tathagato Chakraborty, Lecturer, Department of Humanities and Languages, BITS Pilani, on Tuesday, 9th April 2013.
Abstract: Chandni Chowk is the major thoroughfare in Shahjahanabad, the last pre-modern city established by Shahjahan. Chandni Chowk's population and economic activities have increased manifold as compared to the Mughal era, resulting into a chaotic urban landscape. Vulnerability of Chandni Chowk to crime, malfunctioning of infrastructure, fire hazards, building collapse, traffic congestion, industrial hazards and terrorism are major concerns for these days. With the help of a perception survey the study tries to comprehend the vulnerability of Chandni Chowk to different types of risks.
3.On Gandhi’s trail: A Latin American Excursus (An overview of a study in progress), by Hari Nair, Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Languages, BITS Pilani, on Tuesday, 9th April 2013.
Abstract: This presentation was part of an ongoing study of how individuals and communities in the non-English speaking world have engaged with M.K. Gandhi after his death. The presentation however focused specifically on the case of Latin America with a particular emphasis on Hispanic-America. It was an extension of an article on Gandhi authored along with three other colleagues and published in The Hindu in October 2011.
That article is available at the following link
4.Stereotyping of Women in Television Advertising, by Madhusmita Das, Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Languages, BITS Pilani, on Tuesday, 16 April 2013.
Abstract : Advertising is the powerful and universal means of communication, where gender plays an important role. Since gender role is not static, the contemporary ideas of masculinity and femininity are gradually getting refined in society. But advertisements to some extent have failed to recognize these changes. Women are still being portrayed in stereotypical roles either as housewives or sex objects to sell products with an ideal body image, which negatively affects the integrity of women. So there is an urgent need is to channelize the media as an effective tool for promoting constructive changes.