Dr. Ketaki Datta's Review of Prof. Dr. K. V. Dominic & Dr. Mahboobeh's (eds) Multicultural Studies on Three Nobel Laureates: Rabindranath Tagore,Toni Morrison and Alice Munro

Prof. Dr. K.V. Dominic & Dr. MahboobehKhalegi, eds. Multicultural Studies on Three Nobel Laureates: Rabindranath Tagore, Toni Morrison & Alice Munro. New Delhi: Authorspress, 2016, 327 pp. Price: Rs. 1200, $ 60. HB. ISBN: 978-93-5207-217-0.

Dr. Ketaki Datta

This book is a novel attempt in the arena of ‘criticism’, focusing on the works of three Nobel Laureates like Rabindranath Tagore, Toni Morrison and Alice Munro at one go. Tagore’s versatility and his contribution to various genres of literature stands unquestioned, is beyond doubt. And again, the critical domain is swamped by numerous articles on his multifaceted talents. Tagore winning Nobel Prize in 1913 was not just a matter of pride for Bengal or India as a nation or Asia, by and large, but, his literature and philosophy, his poetry and music stand unique with universal appeal till date.

          This book contains eight thought-provoking research articles on Tagore [1861-1941] making us think anew about his multifarious creations. All articles are unique in their own way but Nalini Nambiar’s “Rabindranath Tagore, the Transcendental Ecologist,”   “Classic Representatives of Womanhood: A Critical Examination of Tagore’s Heroines in Short Stories” by K. V. Dominic, one of the editors of the book, are quite contemporary in their dealing with the topic, as modern tools of critical theory like Ecocriticism and Feminism came handy for them. Six other articles are also good, no doubt.

          Writing on Toni Morrison [born 1931], a Nobel Laureate in 1993, is not at all easy as  the ‘black identity’ which she emphasizes in her novels and short stories lies embedded in her growing-up years in rural belt of Ohio. The local touch of the soil, the conceit of the ‘colour of skin’ all find considerable place in her writings. Apart from Nobel Prize, she had also bagged Pulitzer Prize, American Book Award and Presidential Medal of Freedom at different times. Thus, to justify critical analyses of her works, it is essential to have a thorough knowledge of the deprivation of the Afro-Americans in those times, role of a ‘black’ woman writer to raise her voice in protest against all inequalities based on race, identity and colour. Eleven papers on Morrison are there in this volume and five of them are on The Bluest Eye, the most widely read novel by her, which already has been able to carve a niche in the syllabus of Afro-American studies in quite a few universities, here and abroad. And all these five essays judge the novel from five different thought-provoking angles. Though the six other essays are no less scholarly in merit, Swati Samantaray’s “The Search for Identity: An Appraisal of Toni Morrison’s Novels” and Mohammad Roshan’s “Postcolonialism and Identity Crisis in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” embrace wider aspects in respective fields of discussion and analysis.

          Alice Munro’s [born 1931] short stories are read widely in the West, but in India, she is not yet so popular among the literature-lovers. Naturally, all the four essayists have done a commendable job by highlighting different perspectives of Munro’s writing. J. Pamela’s “Elective  Solitariness in Alice Munro’s Dear Life” is a pleasant read apart from its scholarly appeal.

          One must read the book thoroughly to get a solid taste of literary articles  on three Nobel Laureates  from three different parts  of the globe. Kudos to Dr. K. V. Dominic and Dr. Mahboobeh Khalegi for their untiring effort to make this joint editorial endeavour a success. The publisher has brought out the book in a smart jacket and legible fonts. 

Dr. D.C. Chambial's Review of S. Kumaran's (ed) Philosophical Musings for a Meaningful Life: An Analysis of K. V. Dominic's Poems

S. Kumaran, ed. Philosophical Musings for a Meaningful Life: An Analysis of KV Dominic’s Poems. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (USA): Modern History Press, 2016. Pp. 219. USD $29.95.

Review by:

Dr D. C. Chambial: Editor Poetcirt, Maranda – 176 102 (HP)

Email: editorpoetcrit@gmail.com

(Published in 29.2 (July 2016) issue of Poetcrit)

Dr. Kumaran has done great service to the contemporary Indian English poetry by editing this book on our contemporary poet, Dr.  K. V. Dominic. The book has 24 articles by various critics and one interview with the poet that throws light on his poetic philosophy and creative art. He tells his interviewer: “The main objective of our life is happiness and we can attain this happiness best by serving others” (210); besides, “Man has to learn a lot from Nature, especially from the animal world” (211). In his introduction, PCK Prem observes that “Workers, farmers, laborers, and the exploited encourage him to write and write” (15), and in his article on Winged Reason, he observes that Dominic’s poetry manifests “a humanitarian view of men in distress” (53). Kumaran traces Dominic’s humanism in Winged Reason and observes: “the analysis reveals the poet’s faith in didactic poetry and ascertains the relevance of his writing” (23). Sudhir Arora also explores Winged Reason critically and affirms: “The poet in Dominic is an angel who searches for the angelic qualities in men” (29). In Multicultural Symphony, Dr. Arora finds that the poet “is grieved when he sees the present India that has now become ‘a hell of intolerance and religious fundamentalism’”, and the poet is resolved “to win the hearts of his readers by virtue of his ‘content’” (39). Chambial studies Dominic’s book, Write Son, Write, and infers, in his study, that his poetry is full of “humanitarian philosophy steeped in contemporaneous societal consciousness” (45). TV Reddy, in his study of Winged Reason and Write Son, Write, argues that “his poems are a strong testimony of his socialistic ideas, to his leanings toward communistic ideology, and to his earnest zest as a social reformer” (61). Sugandha Agarwal opines that Dominic’s poetry addresses “the entire humanity about its prevailing issues and problems in society . . . and [he] believes that the real wealth of a nation is its citizens” (78).

Rob Harle, in his paper on Dominic’s poetry concludes that his “poems are important additions to literature and to the growing global movement to bring about positive change and equality for all individuals” (84). In her article, Dr. J. Pamela holds that “His requiems are therapeutic, for they console the losers; they are philosophic, for they impart truths of value; . . . which inspires the reader. . .” (94). Bhaskar Roy Barman has discussed some poems in his article from Multicultural Symphony, Winged Reason, and Write Son, Write  and finds these poems as Dominic’s “representative poems” (105). Dr. S. Ayyappa Raja also studies the same three volumes in his analysis; he comments that “the readers could understand the social consciousness of the poet. He is very much concerned about the evils of the society which affect millions of people” (115). For Arbind Kumar Choudhary, who compares Dominic with several contemporary poets in a passing reference, “His forceful voice will remain ever ringing in the womb of time” (122) and also studies his poetry from the perspective of ecology and social issues (197). “Dominic’s poems have a strong philosophical base, as his mind is steeped in the doctrines of Advaita Vedanta philosophy,” (123) observes Anisha Ghosh Paul in her article; and, then, says that he “never romanticizes Kerala nor aggrandizes his fellowmen, but gives us a rather realistic portrayal of his home State” (186). Joe Palathunkal interprets Dominic’s poetry with reference to Pablo Neruda’s definition of poetry as “rebellion”. Dominic’s poetry “is an all-encompassing world view . . . [where] reticence will be a corollary of rebellion because you cannot really rebel against the other as the other is part of you” (136). For Patricia Prime, his “books reveal Dominic’s curiosity about the things people do and say,  . . . ” (143). “Through his poems, Dominic motivates humans to realize the value of God’s gifts. Man should preserve nature instead of destroying it” (153), observes Mahboobeh Khaleghi.

Sangeeta Mahesh feels that his “poems are full of feelings and emotions and directly touch the heart, compelling the reader to think and act” (155) and that he “is the poet of humanity, peace and harmony” (165). Radhamany Sarma is of the view that Dominic establishes oneness with the society “by projecting the primary, the necessities, pitfalls to be ameliorated and redeemed” (179). S. Barathi explores his poetry from eco-critical perspective and points out that Dominic “looks at men as ego-centric and wants them to become eco-centric” (189). Rincy Mol Sebastian also examines his poetry from the same perspective and says: “Here the poet’s purpose is to convey the inner and outer connection between nature and humanity” (194). According to Kavitha Gopalakrishnan, Dominic stresses the “need of coexistence and the need of cultivating empathy and benevolence for a harmonious, peaceful life” (208).

The book is a milestone in the evaluation of KV Dominic’s poetry. 

Dr. Sulakshana Sharma's Review of K. V. Dominic's Who is Responsible? (A Collection of Short Stories)

Review of Who is Responsible: A Collection of Short Stories

Dr. Sulakshna Sharma

(Published in 29.2 (July 2016) issue of Poetcrit)

K. V. Dominic’s book, Who is Responsible? (2016) is his maiden collection of fifteen short stories. Many of these stories, according the author, “have been published periodically through . . .  [his] own edited journals as well as through other international refereed journals, both print and online” (Preface). Dominic has “used several themes and focused on many issues which are universal and at the same time frequently occurring in . . .  [his] own State, Kerala” (Preface). The themes are mainly socio-political and socio-economic. The tone is satirical and, at times, didactic.

            The author has enlisted a number of themes in the preface to his book on which his stories are based. Succinctly, the various themes can be put under the following main headings: unemployment, Diaspora and its repercussions, devaluation and the frustration of highly educated youth in the highly literate State like Kerala; superstitions, immorality and modernity, discrimination on the basis of caste and social status, the follies in the Indian marriage system, communism versus democracy, corruption and political exploitation of the weak and the downtrodden, plight of the poor, wild life and its conservation, the Hindu religious philosophy of karma et cetera.

            The characters and their social milieu are plausible and interesting. Every story brings into light a bunch of fresh problems and themes are explored and realized by its characters to the fullest. Every story leaves a stinging question that forces its reader to rethink his/her role and contribution towards the society. For example, at the end of his short story, “Ammu’s Birthday” (35), an English Professor, Dr. Sankar asks his class about the story he had just read for them. The students, referring to the story as an ordinary one, insisted that they wanted “to hear something merry and pleasant” as “tragic incidents” are rife in newspapers (38). Perturbed by such responses, Dr. Sankar tries to explain the need of such a “tragic” story, thus:

“My dear students, I honour your reactions. What Joseph said is true. This is just an ordinary story. I am not revealing the author’s name. And what relevance has an author in a work as per New Criticism? The author has mentioned as a footnote that the story is based on a tragedy at a village in North Kerala. As Meera has complained we are reading such tragic lives every day. Dear students, don’t forget the fact that our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thoughts, as Shelley has written. The more we read such things the more compassionate and humane we should become. Such literature purges our mind and we get karunyam (compassion) rasa. We should not turn our faces to miseries and tragedies of others. Such tragedies are part of the flow of the system and as participatory beings we should flow with the system. Mysterious are the ways of the Creator and our little intelligence can’t find justifications for the multitudinous activities of the Almighty. Hope you are satisfied with my answers,” Dr. Sankar ended his lecture (39).

Clearly, the aim of the author as a “social critic” has always been the betterment of his society, State and nation.

            Most of the stories have a somber tone. They exhibit various socio-political-economic vignettes and are brimming with moral implications: ‘Who is Responsible?’ (11), ‘A Good Samaritan’ (19), ‘Best Government Servant’ (25) ‘Ammu’s Birthday’ (35), ‘An Email from Senthil Kumar’ (40), ‘Joseph’s Maiden Vote to the Parliament’ (50), ‘Matthews, the Real Christian’ (56), ‘Our Dear Bhai’ (66), ‘Sanchita Karma’ (73), ‘Selvan’s House’ (85) and ‘Twisted Course of Destiny’ (103). In comparison to the above mentioned short stories, the following stories put forward the message of the significance of rational thinking, morality, compassion and humanity in a more jovial and a light-hearted manner: ‘Fire Your Horoscope!’ (45), ‘School Entrance Festival’ (78), ‘The Twins’ (104) and ‘World Environment Day’ (112).

            In conclusion, the book is a true mirror of the society that writhes under the burden of economic insecurities and lack of good governance. Most of the stories in the book can be adapted for small plays, skits, and eve TV serials—aiming to spread social awareness on the burning issues and rampant evils in the Indian society and the Indian political system. Moreover, the stories can be easily incorporated in English textbooks of any school or college. Its copies in the school and college libraries will contribute towards nurturing the young minds of India and making them more humane, considerate and socially aware citizens. I congratulate K. V. Dominic for the success of his noble pursuit.

Dr. Sulakshna Sharma is Associate Editor as well as Review Editor of Poetcrit, an international refereed biannual journal on literary criticism and contemporary poetry edited and published by Dr. D. C. Chambial, Maranda, Himachal Pradesh, India.

BROCHURE OF GIEWEC'S 5TH COLLABORATIVE NATIONAL LITERARY FESTIVAL AT JKC COLLEGE GUNTUR ON 11-12 NOVEMBER 2016

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL ON MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE 6.2 JULY 2016--CONTENTS

Contents

RESEARCH ARTICLES

Portrayal of Man-Woman Pairs in the Fictional World of D. H. Lawrence: An Analysis

--S. Chelliah

Feminism and Feminist Literary Theory: A Brief Note

--C. Ramya

Portrayal of Feminine Spaces and Sensibilities in the Short-fiction of Alice Munro

--Syed Mir Hassim & M. Revathi

Violence, Memory and Identity in Indian English Fiction

--Barinder Kumar Sharma

Relevance of Neo-Slave Narrative Technique in Toni Morrison’s Beloved

--Jaya Singh

‘Mangalamkali’ of Mavilan Tribe: An Ecocritical Reading

--Lillykutty Abraham & Sr. Marykutty Alex

What do Stories Look Like: Cover Matters in Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide

--Pothapragada Sasi Ratnaker

Beyond the Contours of Shame: Female Body and Experience in Nawal El-Saadawi’s “The Picture”

--Shaista Taskeen & Syed Wahaj Mohsin

“Quidditch”- A Game of Life: An In-depth Insight into J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone

--C. Veeralakshmi & C. Gangalakshmi

Individual vs. Society: A Thematic Study of K. V. Ragupathi’s The Invalid

--S. Vishnupriya

REVIEW ARTICLE

A Critical Appraisal of S. Kumaran’s, (ed.) Philosophical Musings for a Meaningful Life: An Analysis of K. V. Dominic’s Poems

--Patricia Prime

BOOK REVIEWS

Smita Das’s (ed.) Ramesh K. Shrivastava: Man and His Works

--Anisha Ghosh Pal

Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya’s Interpretation of Write My Son, Write: An Exercise in Close Reading

--Mahboobeh Khaleghi

T. V. Reddy’s Golden Veil: A Collection of Poems

--Patricia Prime

GENERAL ESSAYS

Multiculturalism in India: A Wonder to the World

--K. V. Dominic

Parnassus As I see it

--Manas Bakshi

Poets as Visionaries

--Rob Harle

Sab Pass Policy

--Kaptan Singh

ESPLICATION OF POETRY

Explication of K. V. Dominic’s “Parental Duty”

--Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

SHORT STORIES

Together We Live

--Ramesh K. Srivastava

Just a Human Being

--Roswitha Joshi

POETRY

The Digging

--Bimal Guha (Trans. Prof. Kabir Chowdhury)

Ravens

--Bimal Guha (Trans. Prof. Kabir Chowdhury)

We stay hugging this earth

--Bimal Guha (Trans. Prof. Kabir Chowdhury)

The Eternal Truth

--Manas Bakshi

Parnassus of Revival

--Manas Bakshi

World Cup Opening

--Mark Pirie

Prince Harry’s Visit

--Mark Pirie

Hand-in-Hand

--Nandini Sahu

Ritual

--Nandini Sahu

Lines to My Son

--Nandini Sahu

Night Musings

--Patricia Prime

This Place Called Home

--Patricia Prime

In Memory (For Glenys)

--Patricia Prime

Storm Wrack

--Patricia Prime

The Opening Ground

-- Mai Văn Phấn (Trans. Nhat-Lang Le)

The Soul Flew Away...

 --Mai Văn Phấn (Trans. Nhat-Lang Le)

Variations on a Rainy Night

 --Mai Văn Phấn (Trans. Nhat-Lang Le)

Eco-feminism

--Saji Krishna Pillai

Transcend…end…end…endal Love

--Saji Krishna Pillai

To my coy mistress

--Saji Krishna Pillai

Life

--Saroj Bala

Beginning

--Saroj Bala

No One Questions

--Shaista Taskeen   

Fifty Minutes from New Delhi

--Sweta Srivastava Vikram

Contributors

Multiculturalism in India: A Wonder to the World

Multiculturalism in India: A Wonder to the World

K. V. Dominic

(paper presented at K L University, Vijayawada, A.P. India on 29th March 2016 which won great applause from the entire enlightened audience)

The concept of multiculturalism originated in the 1970s and was used in Canada for the first time to tackle the problem of immigrants. Then it spread to other countries like Australia, USA, UK and some countries in the European Union where immigrants of different countries of the world lived and settled. Since assimilation and homogenization failed, multiculturalism has become inevitable and thus the governments adopted it as an official, political policy.

Multiculturalism is defined as the state of co-existence of diverse cultures. Culture includes, racial, religious, linguistic, etc. which may have differences and distinctions in customary behaviours, cultural assumptions and values, patterns of thinking and communicative styles. It also aims at the preservation of different cultures and their identities within a unified society as a state or nation.

‘Multiculturalism’ is now used not only to define disadvantaged and maginalised groups like tribals, linguistic-cultural-religious minorities, LGBT, disabled, etc., but also immigrants who may come under ethnic, religious minorities as well as minority nations and indigenous peoples.

Multiculturalism is applied by the government, philosophers, politicians, writers, critics and scholars for human society alone, but to me it includes non-human beings, plants and the planet itself. As we say that human beings in a society or nation should live as members of a family irrespective of their race, religion, caste, language or gender, it is necessary that we should live in harmony with other beings, both animals and plants. To me this universe is a big concert or symphony, a harmony of diverse notes. All creations play their role in concordance, but man tries to play discordant notes--stands against the rhythmic flow of the system. Let me quote a few lines from my poem “Multicultural Harmony” published in my poetry book Multicultural Symphony:

Multiplicity and diversity

essence of universe

From atom to the heavens

multiculturalism reigns

This unity in diversity

makes beauty of universe. (Dominic, Multicultural Symphony 15)

As man is the latest evolutionary being, he should respect other beings and plants which have greater legacy to claim in this universe. Human beings can’t live independent of non-human beings or plants. Hence when we try to eliminate or destroy non-human beings and plants we are eliminating ourselves from this planet. Let me quote again from “Multicultural Harmony”:

You may live here

Let other things also live

Since you are selfish and greedy

you take more than

what is due to you

Other beings struggle for necessities

whereas you are after

comforts and luxuries

You become rich

pushing hundreds of your neighbours

to the abyss of starvation.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

your greed for delicacies

extinguishes other beings

Your greed for luxurious shelters

exterminates trees and forests

Your construction mania

defiles the sky and

topples the climate

You turn your villages to towns

and become more and more civilized

but less and less cultured

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Your indiscriminate felling of trees

chased away all birds

Many have become extinct now

In place of cuckoos and nightingale

which lulled you to sleep

mosquitoes disturb your slumber

through injections and drone. (Dominic, Multicultural Symphony 20-22)

Now coming to the second part of my paper—Multiculturalism in India. India is the best example of multicultural society where people speak 122 major languages and 1599 other languages. Unity in diversity is the beauty of India and the Indian Constitution assigns equal rights, privileges and duties to all people irrespective of gender, caste, class, community, language and religion. The Indian society has been multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic from time immemorial. At the same time our country has been confronted with forces of divisiveness. Hence the biggest challenge before major multicultural countries like India is to preserve the pluralistic tradition and to bring the various communities into the mainstream society by promoting the spirit of multiculturalism.

Unlike multicultural nations like Canada, Australia, USA, UK and European Union countries, where people of different cultures look very much like in their physical size and facial features, dress, language, food habits, religious practices, way of life etc., people of India show clear distinctions in their physique, dress, language, food habits, religious practices and rituals. This unique unity of India in the midst of multicultural diversity and enjoying unlimited freedom as the largest democracy in the world is the beauty of India which is a wonder to the world. But as we see around us now there are real tests for our multiculturalism.

Threat to multiculturalism comes when a group starts thinking in a narrow way, considering themselves as superiors to others and show discrimination and animosity to other groups. In fact can any group—racial, religious or linguistic—claim to be original or chaste? I have dealt with it in me poem “Multicultural Harmony”:

Dear my fellow beings

you boast of your culture

you boast of your language

Is there any culture

which is not hybrid?

Is there any language

which is not mixed?

How many millions have been killed

in the name of culture?

Look into the pages of history

Most of the wars have been waged

for the supremacy of culture

Conquest of cultures over cultures

amalgamated to multicultural world

How much Indian is an Indian?

None can give any answer

Same who boasts of any nationality. (Dominic, Multicultural Symphony 22)

Considering the multicultural society of our country, the Indian Constitution has included innumerable Acts by which the marginalized sections of the country are given sufficient protection and special privileges. Thus the scheduled tribes and castes and other backward communities get reservation in education as well as employment. Strangely enough only 25% of the Indian population is in the forward communities. In addition to these reservations two major minority religious sections—Muslims and Sikhs enjoy special rights in our country. Even though absence of common civil code creates some problems the government of India ensures that each religion and its customs are protected in the society.

When we analyse the recent religious and communal trends in our country we are greatly alarmed to find that people give undue importance to their religious beliefs and rituals. National feelings and patriotism are being devoured by the monster of religion. The present generation seems to forget the fact they are citizens of the country—the land which gave them birth and sustain and protect till they go back to the very same land. Thus national feelings and affiliation shall be uppermost of all other narrow feelings of religion, community, language, region etc. Just imagine that when we are comfortably sitting here and sleeping well in our houses without any fear, millions of solders are patrolling on our borders fighting with extreme climate and even risking their lives to keep us all safe. Haven’t you recently read of the tragic news of ten Indian soldiers killed by huge avalanche at Siachen?  These thoughts are sufficient enough to make us patriotic and loyal to our country.

Language plays a prominent role in multicultural unity. Languages are the special gifts of man which make him distinct from other animals. They are manna from heaven and, people, irrespective of space and narrowness of nation, are permitted to use them as they like. We become more learned and wise as we learn more and more languages. There is a tendency among our vernacular writers to boast of their language and literature. True, we should be proud of our mother tongue and promote it at any cost. At the same time India being a multicultural, multi-lingual country we should respect other languages and their literature. Very often vernacular writers complain that existence and use of English is a hindrance for the growth of regional languages. Such an antagonistic attitude to English is never fair as English is the only lingua franca which knits all Indians together. Of course Hindi is our national language but its function is less in the South. It’s only through English we can communicate to the world. English is never a foreign language now, and Indian literature in English is accepted as one of the literatures of our country. Hence rather than censoring or attacking English we should promote it and try to get maximum number of regional literature books translated into English and thus disseminate Indian ethos and culture to the entire world.

In fact this world is like a tightly knit nuclear family. As Maha Upanishad says, 'Only small men discriminate. . . . For those who live magnanimously the entire world constitutes but a family' (“Vasudaiva Kutumbakam”). The multicultural unity of the world should ultimately lead to the concept of Vasudaiva Kutumbamkam which means that the world is certainly one family. Hence the goal of every country and people in this world should be to live as a member of this big family. Let me wind up my paper quoting once again from the last section of my poem “Multicultural Harmony”:

Dear my fellow beings

break away all fences and walls

Fences of your petty minds

Compound walls of your houses

Walls of your religions and castes

Boundaries of your native States

And ultimately borders of your nations

Let there be no India, Pakistan or China

America, Africa, Europe or Australia

But only one nation THE WORLD

where every being lives in perfect harmony

as one entity in multicultural world.  (Dominic, Multicultural Symphony 22-23)

Works Cited

Dominic, K. V. Multicultural Symphony. New Delhi: Gnosis, 2014. Print.

“Vasudaiva Kutumbakam.” Web. 15 Dec. 2014. http://www.enlightenedleadershipnow.com/Home/power-of-unity-or-oneness/what-is-spiritual-leadership/vasudhaiva-kutumbakam-vasudhaiva-kutumbakam.

  

CONTENTS OF WRITERS EDITORS CRITICS (WEC) 6.1 MARCH 2016

Contents

Feedback of WEC 5.2 September 2015

RESEARCH ARTICLES

Expression of Motherhood in Shashi Deshpande’s A Matter of Time

--Anita Sharma & Vishal Kumar

Manju Kapur’s Difficult Daughters: A Deconstructive Feminist Reading

G. Baskaran

“Women can Make and Women can Break”: Dalit Feminism in India through Select Texts and Contexts 

--Jaydeep Sarangi

The Search of the Past in Bharati Mukherjee’s Leave It To Me

--Shubha Mukherjee

Worldview of Interconnectedness in the Songs Mavilan Tribe

--Lillykutty Abraham

Redefining the Spiritual and Ethical Harmony of a Human Being through GB Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra

--Md. Afrozuddin

Marital Dissension in the Novels of Manju Kapur

--Nirjharini Tripathy

Violent Relationship of Shashi Deshpande’s Male Characters with Female Characters

 --A. Padmavathy

The Unheard Symphony: A Reaction against Blatant Sexism in Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls”

--Syed Mir Hassim

Multi-dimensional Vignette in the Poetry of K. V. Dominic

--Manas Bakshi

Treatment of Colourism in Toni Morrison’s God Help the Child: A Gynocritical Perspective

--Sebin Justine

Patriarchal Elements in the Feminine Desire in Song of Songs

--Nisha K. Thomas

Exploring Trauma and Representing the Voiceless: A Critical Study of the Selected Poems of Jayanta Mahapatra

 --Sibasis Jana

Cultural Materialism in the Selected Short Stories of K. V. Dominic:  A Critique

--S. Barathi

REVIEW ARTICLES

T. V. Reddy’s Minor Gods as a Chronicle of Rural Life

--Joshua Horton

Depiction of Anger in Poetry: An Analysis of Vijay Vishal’s Anger in Contemporary Indian English Poetry

  --T. V. Reddy

Live Life with Hopes and It Turns a Blessing, Tells Whispers in the Wilderness

--P C K Prem

Poetess Mary John Thottam: Her Life & Poems

 --Fr Varghese Paul, SJ

BOOK REVIEWS

Smita Das’s (ed.) Ramesh K. Srivastava: Man and his Work (A Collection of Critical Essays)

-- Alka Rani Purwar

Nalini Sharma’s  The Strange Equations

--S. Barathi

K. V. Dominic’s Who is Responsible? (A Collection of Short Stories)

--Patricia Prime

REPORT

Rendezcussion on Michael Madhusudan Datta

--Bhaskar Roy Barman

SHORT STORIES

The Price of a Vote

--Chandramoni Narayanaswamy

The Photograph

--Jayanti M Dalal (Trans. Rajshree Parthivv Trivedi)

You are a Flop--a Miserable Flop

--Nalini Sharma

A Dumb Show of Lovers

--Ramesh K. Srivastava

Spinning the Thread of Life

--Jaydeep Sarangi

POEMS

Tribute to Siachen Martyrs

K. V. Dominic

Spring Flies Too Soon

O. P. Arora

You Buy His Tunes

O. P. Arora

Living in Patterns

 P C K Prem

Imagination

Bhaskar Roy Barman

Mulberries off the Mulberry

Jairam Seshadri

Winter’s Pickings

Jairam Seshadri

Left over

Manas Bakshi

If, At All, Kolkata Could be

Manas Bakshi

I am a Cop’s Wife

Nalini Sharma

Prisoner of War

Nalini Sharma

O! Divine Mother
Ram Sharma

Ode to the Farmers...                                                                                  

 Sibasis Jana

Green Philosophy

Sibasis Jana

Eliminate Pangs from Globe

Sugandha Agarwal

The Crucifixion

Talluri Mathew Bhaskar

True Religion

Vijay Kumar Roy

The Creator is One

Vijay Kumar Roy

Our Esteemed Contributors