Resource Persons and Plenary Talks | IKS and English Studies | 23-24 March 2026

The seminar brings together scholars working across diverse areas of English Studies, literary theory, translation studies, and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). The resource persons will deliver lectures examining how classical Indian intellectual traditions can inform contemporary research, pedagogy, and curriculum development in English Studies.

Prof. Atanu Bhattacharya

I/c Vice Chancellor, Central University of Gujarat | Prof. & Head, Dept. of English Studies, CUG, Kundhela, Vadodara, Gujarat

Topic: IKS and Language Studies

Abstract

This lecture explores the rich traditions of language studies within the Bharatiya intellectual framework and considers their relevance for contemporary English Studies. Classical Indian reflections on language, meaning, and knowledge provide sophisticated insights into the relationship between speech, thought, and interpretation. By examining these traditions, the talk will highlight how Indian linguistic philosophies can contribute to expanding the scope of language studies in English departments. The lecture will also reflect on how such perspectives may open new pathways for interdisciplinary research and teaching in linguistics, literary interpretation, and cultural studies.

Prof. Sachin Ketkar

Professor, Department of English, Maharaja Saiyajirao University of Baraoda, Vadodara, Gujarat

Title: Translation and IKS in English Studies

Abstract

Translation plays a crucial role in making Indian knowledge traditions accessible to wider audiences. This lecture examines the relationship between translation studies and Indian Knowledge Systems within the framework of English Studies. It will reflect on Indic theories of translation as well as the significance of translating classical Indian texts into English. The discussion will also consider how translation can function as an intellectual bridge between languages, cultures, and knowledge traditions, enabling English departments to incorporate IKS perspectives into teaching, research, and curriculum design.

Prof. Dushyant Nimavat

Professor, Department of English, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Topic: Indian Research Methodologies: An Alternative Approach to Inquiry in English Studies

Abstract

Research in English Studies in India often relies on theoretical frameworks such as structuralism, postcolonial theory, and narratology, while methodological insights from Indian philosophical traditions remain largely unexplored. This lecture examines how classical epistemological frameworks can contribute to literary research methodologies. Drawing on the knowledge systems articulated in the Nyaya Sutras, the linguistic philosophy of Bhartrhari, and interpretive concepts such as arthapatti, the talk demonstrates how these frameworks can function as practical research tools. Engaging these traditions alongside existing critical approaches may offer scholars greater clarity regarding the epistemological assumptions underlying literary interpretation.

Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay

Associate Professor, Bankim Sardar College, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal

Topic: Pedagogical Approaches for Teaching IKS through English Literature Courses

Abstract

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's mandate to integrate Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) across disciplines presents a pivotal pedagogical challenge and opportunity for English Literature departments in India, traditionally anchored in Eurocentric frameworks; this talk will critically examine methodological approaches for a deep and intellectually rigorous integration of IKS into undergraduate and postgraduate curricula, proposing to weave philosophies like Nyaya and Vedanta, classical aesthetics such as Rasa and Dhvani, and epic narrative frameworks into the very fabric of literary interpretation. I will explore specific pedagogical strategies, including the use of IKS as a hermeneutic tool for textual analysis, the fostering of comparative dialogues between Western theories and Indian shastras, and the incorporation of translated vernacular sources to expand the discipline's boundaries. By analyzing existing curricular models and outlining key challenges, I will propose new interventions in curriculum design, dialogic teaching, and assessment to address issues of canon formation and epistemological translation, ultimately arguing that this integration not only decolonizes the English studies classroom but also repositions it as a vital site for reinterpreting India's intellectual heritage within a global discourse, thereby fostering a more culturally rooted, critically engaged, and globally relevant literary scholarship. 

Dr. Kalyani Vallath

CEO & Founder, Vallath Education, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Topic: Landscape, Emotion and Ecological Meaning: Re-reading Tinai Aesthetics in Global Literary Contexts

Abstract

This lecture revisits Tinai aesthetics, a classical Tamil poetic framework articulated in Tolkappiyam and elaborated in Sangam literature. Tinai organizes poetic meaning through a structured relationship between landscape, emotional experience, and cultural practice. The talk explores how this ecological mapping of emotion anticipates several concerns of modern ecocritical scholarship. By placing Tinai aesthetics in dialogue with English Romantic poetry, Indigenous literatures, and theoretical frameworks associated with scholars such as Claude Levi-Strauss, Roland Barthes, and Northrop Frye, the lecture demonstrates how classical Tamil poetics contributes to global discussions on ecological literary thinking.

Prof. Ashok Sachdeva

Principal, Mata Jijabai Government Postgraduate Girls’ College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Topic: British–American Literature and Indian Knowledge Systems

Abstract

This lecture explores the intellectual intersections between Indian philosophical traditions and British–American literary thought. Several writers in the Western literary canon have engaged with ideas drawn from Indian philosophy and spirituality. By examining such interactions, the talk reflects on how Indian knowledge traditions may illuminate new interpretive perspectives in English literary studies. The lecture also considers how comparative approaches can enrich the study of Anglo-American literature and create productive dialogues between Indian intellectual traditions and global literary scholarship.

Dr. Amrita Das

Independent Researcher, PhD - Veer Narmad Sourth Gujarat Uni, Alumna - Univeristy of Calcutta

Reclaiming the Divine Femininity of Indian Women through the French Theoretical Lens of Luce Irigaray

Abstract

This lecture examines the concept of the Divine Feminine in Indian cultural traditions through the theoretical framework of the French feminist philosopher Luce Irigaray. Drawing on contemporary Indian women’s writing, including The Girl and the Goddess by Nikita Gill, the talk explores how goddess traditions are reinterpreted to articulate female subjectivity and identity. By placing Indian mythic and spiritual ideas in dialogue with feminist theory, the lecture highlights the possibilities of cross-cultural intellectual engagement in understanding gender, spirituality, and literary representation.