About Me
I don a few hats and you will see me as such here. One is that of an academic/researcher, another as a fond reader of fiction as well as a critical essayist, yet another as a lover of music and its allied arts, and as a translator, teacher and movie-buff. Most often donned is that of the day-dreamer. It is red in color and I dazzle! I am kidding, of course.
I have a PhD in Cultural Studies from Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), Bangalore, India. My PhD dissertation is on the Indian Intellectual Traditions and Feminist Epistemology. Its title-- Akka Mahadevi- a Rebel, Saint and Poet?: A Study in ‘Tradition’ and its Feminist Understandings. In line with the usual things that academics do, I have done 'the conference thing,' have traveled, taught and published.
The challenges of writing my doctoral dissertation had kept me from creative writing and other kinds of writing for far too long. But for a while now, I have been writing and you will find some journalistic pieces, features and reviews on this website, including a few feeble attempts at poetry. I was recently interviewed after I was featured as the best author of the month on Women's Web for one of my features. Read the interview here. The same piece was nominated for the Laadli journalism awards 2018 by Women's Web. And some of my poetry was recently published here and here is my recently revived blog.
I totally enjoy reading both English and Kannada Literature and recently took stock. And guess what...discovered that I had read about 55,000 pages of fiction! Wow-Isn't it? Love my life!
And then, I translate. Now, how did I get into that? I remember the first story I translated: Tagore's "Streer Patra" (A Letter from the Wife) from English. Must have been in my teens then. But no substantial work was done until I was hired at CSCS for an year. I translated complex theoretical essays from the social sciences during this time. I now translate regularly for academia as well as the industry.
Have taught in several colleges and love interacting with students. Masters' students and mostly tete-a-tete, but also an MA Online course and some undergraduate and diploma students. English Literature, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies and Media -- disciplines, in which I have taught courses.
Feedback on any writing is welcome. Write to me at [email protected].
P.S. The "uncrumpled" in the heading has been partly filched from Devdutt Pattanaik's book Myth=Mithya where he describes the Gods, particularly Vishnu, as possessing an uncrumpled chitta. The idea, of course, belongs to the Indian traditions. "Witness," for me, can only be about the "witnessing Self" that Buddhism so nicely explicates, as do the other Indian traditions like yoga, and each in so many interesting ways at that. In my understanding, there are less differences and more similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism if you read the texts of each carefully. So, my little yoking and amalgamation is justified, I hope!
OK. But why such a heading, you ask. Because I hope I am headed somewhere in the direction that these two ideas represent. 'Uncrumpled chitta' and the 'witnessing Self,' that is. Ambitious, you say. Nah! Because, I know that, "In principle, every jiva can potentially uncrumple its chitta..." (Pattanaik, 2006, 46). And yes, as the traditions clarify here and mystify there, even if one is a woman. :)
I have a PhD in Cultural Studies from Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS), Bangalore, India. My PhD dissertation is on the Indian Intellectual Traditions and Feminist Epistemology. Its title-- Akka Mahadevi- a Rebel, Saint and Poet?: A Study in ‘Tradition’ and its Feminist Understandings. In line with the usual things that academics do, I have done 'the conference thing,' have traveled, taught and published.
The challenges of writing my doctoral dissertation had kept me from creative writing and other kinds of writing for far too long. But for a while now, I have been writing and you will find some journalistic pieces, features and reviews on this website, including a few feeble attempts at poetry. I was recently interviewed after I was featured as the best author of the month on Women's Web for one of my features. Read the interview here. The same piece was nominated for the Laadli journalism awards 2018 by Women's Web. And some of my poetry was recently published here and here is my recently revived blog.
I totally enjoy reading both English and Kannada Literature and recently took stock. And guess what...discovered that I had read about 55,000 pages of fiction! Wow-Isn't it? Love my life!
And then, I translate. Now, how did I get into that? I remember the first story I translated: Tagore's "Streer Patra" (A Letter from the Wife) from English. Must have been in my teens then. But no substantial work was done until I was hired at CSCS for an year. I translated complex theoretical essays from the social sciences during this time. I now translate regularly for academia as well as the industry.
Have taught in several colleges and love interacting with students. Masters' students and mostly tete-a-tete, but also an MA Online course and some undergraduate and diploma students. English Literature, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies and Media -- disciplines, in which I have taught courses.
Feedback on any writing is welcome. Write to me at [email protected].
P.S. The "uncrumpled" in the heading has been partly filched from Devdutt Pattanaik's book Myth=Mithya where he describes the Gods, particularly Vishnu, as possessing an uncrumpled chitta. The idea, of course, belongs to the Indian traditions. "Witness," for me, can only be about the "witnessing Self" that Buddhism so nicely explicates, as do the other Indian traditions like yoga, and each in so many interesting ways at that. In my understanding, there are less differences and more similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism if you read the texts of each carefully. So, my little yoking and amalgamation is justified, I hope!
OK. But why such a heading, you ask. Because I hope I am headed somewhere in the direction that these two ideas represent. 'Uncrumpled chitta' and the 'witnessing Self,' that is. Ambitious, you say. Nah! Because, I know that, "In principle, every jiva can potentially uncrumple its chitta..." (Pattanaik, 2006, 46). And yes, as the traditions clarify here and mystify there, even if one is a woman. :)
