DAinFern College

The year began on a high note with the news of our excellent results. Sharvari Shastry, Gauri Sawant and Shinjini Chaudhary got the three top ranks in English at the B.A. examination, and there were several other high first classes. The department is justifiably proud of their achievement. 

Our Honours programme this year focused on African-American literature and film. We had an introductory session at the American Center, with a talk by Ms. Sandhya Das, one of the consular officers. Later in the year we watched two films, Birth of a Nation and Boys 'n the Hood. These were followed by spirited discussions, and this same liveliness of thought was reflected in the journals and critical papers which the students submitted for credits. For the literature module, we were once again assisted by the American Center which screened documentaries on contemporary women writers. We also had lectures by Dr. Sunanda Pal and Prof. Paromita Chakravarti. We are very grateful to the American Center for their unstinting support. 

Our exciting collaboration with Stuttgart University continued this year with another on-line course on Globalization, the American Effect, and Cultural Spaces. This stimulating and challenging course ran through December and January, and culminated in Project Week, where the German group visited Mumbai for traditional classroom sessions and joint fieldwork. Their arrival coincided with that of a high-powered official delegation to celebrate the sister-city ties between Mumbai and Stuttgart. Among the highlights of the week were the excellent student presentations, which were inaugurated by the Mayor of Stuttgart, as well as a special invitation to a performance by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. 

The English Department festival Ithaka was a success, as always. We had four plays directed by our students: Equus, Look Back in Anger, The Audition, and a stage adaptation of The Lord of the Flies. New this year were Comic Skits, a Poetry Reading, with students reading their own work, and -- the finale to the festival -- Open Mic, featuring performances from the house. Finally, at the end of the year, we brought out the Ithaka journal, Love Actually, which examined representations of love in literature and popular culture. Many thanks to all the students, and especially to the enthusiastic and hard-working organizers, without whom none of these activities would have been possible.