Seminar: Two Uses of Poetry: Sanskrit Literary Theory Beyond the Canon: Dr. Srinath V.S. 19-August-2021

Report Talk Series 1- Two Uses of Poetry: Sanskrit Literary Theory Beyond the Canon Department of English Sacred Heart College, Thevara 19-August-2021 

 Introduction Recent years have seen innovative formulations of the flows of influence in transnational and diasporic cultural configurations and developments. In the wake of this novel approach across the globe, the English department of Sacred Heart College, Thevara has initiated a talk series, exclusively for Postgraduate students on ‘Thinking Global South’. The head of the English Department Dr Rajesh James introduced the audience to the relevance and objective of lectures series wherein students can explore various emerging topics to discover their passion and interest in various literary areas. It also aims at formulating new perspectives and open up various avenues in research especially for the post-graduate students who plan to pursue a career in research. The first lecture in the series was conducted on 13th August 2021 at 7.00 pm on the topic ‘Two Uses of Poetry: Sanskrit Literary Theory Beyond the Canon’ by Dr Sreenath V S, Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IISER Bhopal. Around 50-60 participants, including MA students, PHD scholars and faculties took part in the session. Discussion Professor Sreenath instigated his lecture by contextualising the importance of Sanskrit literary tradition by tracing the history of the Sanskrit language and the evolution of Kavya or Sanskrit poetics. He further threw light on the politics of the concept auchithya which gave the apparent model for creative writers as a yardstick to determine whether it belongs to the noble or inferior category. After laying the background and context, Prof Sreenath explained the practical applicability of Sanskrit literature by elucidating two uses namely, the use of Sanskrit poetics in the Early and Medieval phases when it was used as a tool to condition the reader, author and the literary text and its role in the postcolonial period to ‘decolonize’ the field of criticism in India. The two uses mentioned by Professor Sreenath points to the balance between Indian aesthetics as a tool by hegemonic forces and as a nativity tool in pre-colonial and post-colonial scenarios respectively. The session went on to be more informative as he continued to talk about the reconstructive approach to a text which can generate new meaning in every reading and his non-canonical approach to text to overcoming the ossification of ideas in this field of study. Representing the participants, Malavika P Pillai of 2MA English responded to the talk by pointing out how Professor Sreenath's talk on ‘Sanskrit Literary Theory Beyond the Canon’ elucidated the need to reconfigure Indian aesthetics in contemporary cultural design in a scenario where literariness is increasingly getting intervened and altered by the confluence of multiple cultural nuances. Participants raised many questions regarding the scope of Indian aesthetics in the globalised and technologized era of art. Faculty members of various institutions responded to the talk by putting forth the mission of further extension of the concept of the’ global south’. Finally, on behalf of the audience, Ashitha Raj of 2MA English expressed gratitude towards Professor Sreenath for the enriching session. She further thanked for the exemplary efforts in providing such insightful platforms to the Principal, the Department of English and other faculty members to help the students reach great heights of success. Conclusion The lecture was insightful and effective as it adds up to the academic knowledge and helps students to know the practical aspects of the subject area. The session rekindled the interest in seemingly "archaic" Indian aesthetics and the importance to explore the larger politics of this field of knowledge. The session was successful in its attempt to identify the formal devices that create ‘literariness’ in a work of literature and the spatio-temporal aspects of Sanskrit poetics for various pragmatic purposes. Recommendations Students expressed their gratitude and interest in such opportunities to move beyond the constricted syllabus to know scopes of various subject areas. They suggested to conduct more seminars, especially on fields like Film Studies, Eco-literature.