Warp and Weft of Life

Two pillars hold the weight
of society's fragile frame—
Marriage and morality.
Marriage weaves a thread of duty,
binding hearts in the fabric of belonging,
as long as we seek the world’s embrace.
Morality, like an unseen fence,
traces the lines between our lives,
our acts, our tangled ties,
defining what we dare and deny.

        

Silence

Silence speaks its own language,
with a grammar etched in stillness.
It is the deepest conversation,
a quiet force that soothes
conflict and heartache.

In silence, you hear the whispers
of your inner voice,
the pulse of your life’s rhythm.
And it is into this silence
that our souls slip away,
when the heart beats its final note.

Wings to fly

As the years pass by,
they tell you softly,
all you need in life
is peace, calm, stability—
a quiet nest to call your own.

You swallow their words,
savoring their soothing promise,
believing these truths,
woven for everyone,
must surely fit you too.

I pictured myself,
a small bird sheltered,
tucked beneath the tender wings
of everyday comforts,
my world, a gentle bliss.

But only time revealed—
I did not need a nest to rest,
but wings to soar,
to stretch wide into the sky,
chasing the rainbows
my father taught me to draw.

(Counter?)Public Sphere

The concept 'Counterpublic Sphere' is an example of negative ontology as it stands for the absences in Habermasian Public Sphere. In this frame of analysis, 'Public Sphere' controls the conceptual understanding of 'Counterpublic Sphere.'  Moreover, the very notion of public sphere becomes possible only through the bracketing out of private sphere. 

The concept of 'public sphere' has been a pertinent point of debate and discussion in critical theories since the publication of The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere (1962) by Jurgen Habermas. Habermas' concept of the bourgeois public sphere presents an idealized vision of a space where private citizens engage in rational discourse, yet it simultaneously exposes the power dynamics and exclusionary practices that shaped the very fabric of Enlightenment-era democracy. 

Over time, significant critiques of Habermas's concept of the public sphere began to take shape, leading to the rise of Counterpublic Studies, spearheaded by scholars like Rita Felski and Nancy Fraser. This new direction challenged the limitations of Habermas's framework, offering fresh perspectives on marginalized voices and alternative public spaces.Rita Felski contributed to the discussion through the conceptualising of feminist counterpublics in her work Beyond Feminist Aesthetics: Feminist Literature and Social Change (1989). Nancy Fraser reconceived the term 'counterpublic' as 'subaltern counterpublic', bringing together the notion of the subaltern theorised by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and counterpublic proposed by Rita Felsi, in her essay "Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy" (1992).

The conceptualization of the subaltern counterpublic sphere as a challenge to the Habermasian public sphere requires careful examination. The term "counter" inherently suggests opposition. While Felski and Fraser challenge the Habermasian idea of the public sphere, they largely maintain its structure. Their theorization involves creating an oppositional space that counters the exclusionary nature of the existing public sphere, yet still operates within the same foundational framework established by Habermas.

Thus counterpublic sphere is an instance of negative ontology as it is the absences in habermasian public sphere that define the former term. Hence counterpublic sphere also invariably repeats the Habermasian distinction between public sphere / private sphere. A deeper theoretical analysis reveals the fragility of this distinction for two key reasons: (1) the human subject is not an autonomous entity but a cultural construct shaped by language, value systems, laws, and social institutions; and (2) the boundaries between self and other, public and private spheres, and real versus virtual realms are increasingly blurred and unsustainable. 

A comprehensive understanding of social structures depends on framing of new concepts that examine experiences and issues in all spheres of life beyond the public/private divide. 

Gender Equity & Intersectionality

 Though the theoretical and empirical constitution of intersectional feminism in India dates back to the 1990s with the critical contributions of scholars like Sharmila Rege and narrativization of life by women like Bama and Ruth Manorama who belong to marginalised sections of society, the knowledge formation triggered by this theoretical frame continues to be reductive in its approach. It is definitely important to give due attention to the different social vectors like caste, class, religion and so on that together shape experiences of women belonging to marginalised sections. However, in this endeavour to improve the quality of life of these women, by and large, enough attention is not being given to the travails of those women who apparently belong to privileged sections of society. For instance, a highly educated woman belonging to Urban India and employed in the organised sector with a good pay package and a stable family is mostly assumed to be having an easy life compared to those belonging to the underprivileged sections. However, each woman would have her own battles to wage. Being an aspirational, career oriented wife and mother involves explaining yourselves to a whole lot of people together with trying the best not to be apologetic about professional ambitions. Family as an institution is mostly unfair as the normalised expectation is for the mother / wife to take time off from work to do all kinds of domestic chores. The workspace is most often patriarchal that the amount of time spent by the male colleagues at the office is regarded as the norm you have to live up to. Moreover, the number of years women invest in maternity related concerns till the kids are at least around 10 years of age is a huge drag on one’s career. The idea of gender equity is never accounted for in placements and promotions under the excuse that there are many women out there having a tougher time being jobless or struggling in the unorganised sector. Furthermore, as women employed in the organised sector enjoy pay parity with men, equality takes over equity. For true gender sensitivity, intersectional feminism must address the unique challenges faced by women from all walks of life, contextualizing each issue within its specific social and cultural ecosystem.

Riddle of Language

Language is a riddle

we grasp with trembling hands -

to create meanings 

and construct realities;

Little do we realise 

how we are pulled into

the whirlpool of language,

where we wrestle in vain

to avert miscommunication;

With each stumble and falter,

we persist in refining our speech

seeking to mend every rift

and articulate every pause.

Yet, in our quest for perfection 

we fall deeper into language’s vast abysses.

Soup of Life

To realise what one wants from life

involves time and experiences;

But people always tell you

they know the right ingredients

that make happy, all and sundry.

But you exist in your boldest avatar

promising to yourself 

you will write the script 

of the life you want to live.

You jot down the list of items

needed to spice up your life

and tells the world

"this is the story I will live."

Life moves on,

years pass by. 

Others take over your days and ways

as you keep dreaming

that you are living your own story. 

More people make claims 

to your space and time.

The world tells you

you are one of the blessed lot

who has concocted the best life soup.

You feel proud and happy and what not.....!

One day, out of the blue

your inner core feels nauseated,

bitter and weird;

The script of life

which you claimed to be yours

frighten you with 

dark zones and scary pathways;

People label you thankless and crazy,

inebriated with your own successes,

blinded by the copious gifts

life has showered upon you. 

You are told not to be gluttonous 

as there are others who are broke,

those with a starving look

at the ingredients in your soup.

How lucky you are!!!

But, as you cringe in pain and disdain

at your own ingratitudes,

a feeble voice chants within you -

"You Fool! you are living the life

scripted by the world,

stealthily fed into your hubris,

as you were frolicking in the thickets of

unpruned greenery in search of 

obscure ingredients to turn your life

into an exotic cocktail of dreams and rainbows. 

Kerala Studies in English Department

By 2024, offering Kerala Studies within English departments at higher education institutions under the Kerala government has become a common and expected practice, no longer seen as anything out of the ordinary. But there was a time when discussing even those narratives in Malayalam that had English translations was considered an aberration. 

I joined for PhD research at the Institute of English under the guidance of Prof. G. S. Jayasree in 2006. My research involved exploring the making of the new woman in nineteenth century Malabar. To facilitate the reading, two major texts I had chosen were Indulekha (1889) and Parangodi Parinayam (1892). These texts had English translations, by OUP and Samyukta: A Journal of Women's Studies respectively, before the beginning of my research. Yet, I often encountered puzzled reactions when I mentioned my research topic and the department I was doing research in. 

Fast forward to year 2013 - Jayasree Ma'am introduced Kerala Studies as a core paper under the title "Keralam: History, Culture and Literature" for M.A. students at the Institute of English. This marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Kerala Studies as a recognized academic discourse.

As far as Jayasree Ma'am was concerned, the framing of this core paper was just one among her many interventions to nurture Kerala Studies as a thriving area of research in her department. One of her pioneering efforts in this area was the starting of Samyukta: A Journal of Women's Studies in 2001, aimed at exploring Malayalam literature and Kerala culture in English language. This initiative marked the beginning of a significant journey to enrich Kerala Studies, which at the time was largely confined to History or Malayalam departments, at the Institute of English. 

Together with inspiring M.A., M.Phil and PhD students to delve into the fascinating world of Kerala Culture, Prof. Jayasree continued her discussions in the area with UGC funded project titled "Autobiographies in Malayalam: Writing Lives, Writing History" (2016 & 2017) and The Oxford India Anthology of Modern Malayalam Literature (Co-edited with Prof. P. P. Raveendran & published in 2017), a milestone in the discursive formation of Kerala Studies.

What was once an innovative area of academic deliberations in English departments has now become indispensable in higher education institutions across Kerala. I doubt if there can be a more powerful example of decolonising the syllabus offered in English departments than Keralam enjoying the importance that was earlier the sole prerogative of Britain. 

 

 

English Language and Literature OR English Studies

 The 21st century is a whirlwind of rapid changes, where the pace of technological and societal evolution is reshaping the world faster than ever before. One of the greatest challenges in this scenario is to ensure that our educational system continues to be relevant in this world of AI and Space Technologies. Preparing each generation to navigate the unexpected shifts in technology and culture that lie ahead requires a blend of creativity and foresight. The courses we design play a pivotal role in shaping this future. The English Language and Literature course stands at the crossroads of this critical juncture. 

Twenty years back, when I pursued English Language and Literature for my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, the course was at the peak of its academic and professional rigour. Therefore it is all the more disheartening to witness the course struggling to stay relevant in the new curricular framework implemented across the country. 

There are many distorted perspectives that have led to the current predicament of the course. First and foremost, courses in English have been reduced to the stature of language studies where the entire focus is on enhancing the communicative skills of students in English. Furthermore, the naming of the main course in English offered by many universities continue to be English Language and Literature. This is in an age when papers like Kerala Studies and Indigenous Studies are redefining the entire course. 

Hence the discussions towards the sustainability of English departments  in this age of STEM subjects ought to be a larger project starting from the naming of the course. 

We’ve long moved past that era in English Language and Literature Studies when Shakespeare was held up as the unquestioned pinnacle of literary greatness. The intellectual dominance imposed by colonial narratives has been contested in the 21st century, as the reimagining of prescribed texts reshapes how we approach the discipline (for want of a better word as 'disciplines' are always reductive). 

Thus English departments have opened its doors to the ever widening world of literary and cultural narratives, beyond specificities of language, culture and type of text. For example, when an indigenous poem for which no translation into English exists right now becomes a part of the syllabus, the fixation with texts in English Language stands contested. The term 'Literature' usually refers to written or printed materials. Nevertheless, as Cultural Studies has risen to prominence within English departments, even the very act of protest has become a critical 'text' ripe for analysis and debate in the classroom. Here the idea of Literature in the title becomes frivolous.

Thus English Language and Literature departments have transformed themselves into critical spaces to examine diverse expressions and experiences of human beings that are broadly conceptualised as Humanities. Thus English Studies seems a more appropriate term to refer to the "non- hierarchical and creative culture-language negotiation with English as the negotiating language."