Bridging Traditions: Core Learning Outcomes from the National Seminar on IKS and English Studies
- Revised Introduction :
"As a second-semester M.A. student at the Department of English, MKBU, my academic foundation has largely been built upon Western critical traditions. While European and American theories provide essential tools for analysis, the two-day National Seminar on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and English Studies, supported by the Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat (KCG), served as a catalyst for a significant shift in my perspective.
This seminar challenged the notion that English literature must be viewed exclusively through a Western lens. It highlighted how Indian intellectual traditions offer profound frameworks for interpreting culture and life, encouraging a synthesis between ancient wisdom and modern literary studies. In this blog, I reflect on the key learning outcomes from the inaugural session, the plenary lectures, and the paper presentations—an exercise assigned by Prof. Dr. Dilip Barad to help us critically engage with how these two days have reshaped our understanding of knowledge."
- Setting the Stage: A New Way of Thinking
The seminar began with an inauguration that set the direction for all the discussions that followed. Our Head of Department, Dr. Dilip Barad, explained that bringing Indian Knowledge Systems into English studies is not about rejecting English or blaming colonial history. Instead, it is about going beyond the simple idea of “East versus West.”
He used the idea of yin and yang to explain that different knowledge systems can work together instead of competing. This idea helped me understand that both Indian and Western approaches can complement each other.
He also made an important point: English is no longer just a foreign or colonial language. Today, it has become a part of Indian culture, shaped by our own ways of speaking and thinking.
Adding to this, Principal Dr. Vishwash Joshi gave a very balanced view. He warned us not to blindly praise everything from the past. India’s history is complex and vast, so we need to think carefully. We should not reject everything as superstition, but at the same time, we should not accept everything without questioning it.
This balanced thinking became the foundation for the entire seminar.
- Key Learnings from the Expert Talks
The seminar included several detailed talks by scholars, and each one introduced a new way of thinking. These sessions were very useful for me as a student because they gave me fresh ideas for future study and research.
- Unpacking the Expert Sessions: Major Takeaways
The heart of the seminar lay in the plenary talks. For an M.A. student like me, these sessions provided the "how-to" guide for using Indian frameworks in literary research.
1. Reclaiming Research with Prof. Dushyant Nimawat
Prof. Nimawat hit on a very relatable point: often, we try to force Western feminism or Marxism onto Indian regional texts, and it just doesn't fit quite right. He suggested we look at our own Pramanas (the ancient Indian systems of logic and proof) as a research methodology.
Pratyaksha (Direct Perception): This is essentially the "close reading" we do in English class, but rooted in Indian logic.
Anumana (Inference): A way to build solid, deductive arguments.
Vada: A tradition of healthy, open-minded debate where the goal is truth, not just "winning" an argument. This showed me that we have a 2,000-year-old toolkit for science and logic that we’ve been ignoring.
2. The Soul of the Land: Dr. Kalyani Vallath on Dravidian Aesthetics
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| Dr. Kalyani Vallath presenting on Dravidian Poetics and Tinai Aesthetics |
This was one of the most eye-opening sessions. Dr. Vallath introduced us to Tinai aesthetics from ancient Tamil Sangam poetry. The idea is that human emotions are physically tied to the landscape. She explained the two worlds of poetry: Agam (the inner world of the heart) and Puram (the outer social world).
She broke down the five landscapes (Tinais):
Kurinji (Mountains): The place for secret love.
Mullai (Forests): The setting for patient waiting and hope.
Marudam (Plains): The backdrop for domestic arguments and tension.
Neidal (The Coast): The zone of anxiety and loss.
Palai (The Desert): The space for intense separation and grief.
What was amazing was how she applied this to Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native. Seeing Egdon Heath through the lens of Palai showed that ancient Indian theories can explain global literature just as well as (or better than) modern Western ecocriticism.
3. Fixing the Classroom: Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay’s New Vision
Dr. Chattopadhyay spoke about the "Macaulay legacy" that still haunts our schools—the idea that students are just empty buckets to be filled with British knowledge. He proposed Samvada (dialogue) as the cure. This is the kind of back-and-forth questioning we see between Krishna and Arjuna in the Gita.
He also gave us practical tips:
Instead of just analyzing a plot, use Anumana to figure out a character's hidden motives.
Instead of always using Freud to talk about the mind, use Vedantic ideas like Atman (the self), Brahman (universal reality), and Maya (illusion) to look at a character’s existential journey.
4. Finding the East in the West: Prof. Ashok Sachdev
Prof. Sachdev explained how Indian philosophy has influenced Western writers. He showed that Western authors did not just borrow ideas from India—they used them seriously.
For example:
- T.S. Eliot used ideas from the Upanishads in The Waste Land
- Shakespeare’s Hamlet can be compared to Arjuna from the Mahabharata
Both Hamlet and Arjuna struggle with moral decisions, duty, and action. This comparison helped me see that literature from different cultures can be connected in meaningful ways.
5. The Power of Word: Prof. Atanu Bhattacharya
Prof. Bhattacharya argued that Indian knowledge didn't just "stop" during colonial times; it flowed like a river (Dhara). He talked about Panini, whose ancient grammar was so logical it almost looks like modern computer code. He explained that in the Indian view, Shabda (the word) isn't just a tool for talking—it is a way of creating knowledge. This is very different from the colonial view which treated language like a mechanical skill for office work.
6. Translation as Interpretation: Prof. Sachin Ketkar
Prof. Ketkar changed my understanding of translation. He said that translation is not about finding exact meanings between languages.
Instead, translation is:
- An act of interpretation
- A creative process
- Sometimes even political
He gave the example of Sri Aurobindo translating the Rig Veda. Aurobindo interpreted the text in a spiritual way, challenging colonial views.
This session taught me that translation is not simple—it shapes how we understand texts.
7. Feminine Power and Identity: Dr. Amrita Das
Dr. Das discussed the idea of the divine feminine using both Indian and Western theories. She explained that Western feminism often focuses on equality, but some thinkers emphasize the importance of difference.
She connected this with Indian goddess traditions, showing how they empower women. She also talked about ideas like:
- Breath (Prana)
- Maternal lineage
- Sisterhood
This session showed me a different way of understanding female identity and power.
- Research in Action: Scholars and Presentations
The seminar wasn't just about big lectures; it was also about seeing how younger scholars are using these ideas right now.
Dr. Ruchi Joshi did something very clever: she compared the modern Western idea of Aporia (being stuck in a linguistic puzzle) with the Upanishadic concept of Neti Neti ("not this, not that"). It turns out our ancient philosophers were asking the same deep questions about the limits of language that Derrida asked centuries later.
Dr. Vijay Mangukiya looked at the Bhakti Movement alongside American Transcendentalism. He compared Saint Kabir to Ralph Waldo Emerson, showing that both men, despite being from totally different worlds, believed in a direct, personal connection to the divine without needing a priest in the middle.
- Final Thoughts: What I Learned Overall
After attending this seminar, one thing became very clear to me: bringing Indian Knowledge Systems into English studies is not about going backward. It is about moving forward in a more balanced and inclusive way.
We learned that:
- Indian methods like Pramanas can be used in research
- Tinai aesthetics can help us understand nature and emotion
- Translation can be seen as interpretation
- Indian philosophy can help us read global literature differently
As a student, I now feel more confident. I realize that I do not have to depend only on Western theories. I can use my own cultural knowledge as well.
This seminar has inspired me to look at literature with a new perspective—one that is more open, more balanced, and more connected to my own roots.
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