LECTURE SERIES TO COMMEMORATE 75 YEARS OF INDIA’S INDEPENDENCE
BY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, PU
National Tele24 News
Vinay Kumar Sharma
Chandigarh
The first lecture in the series of lectures titled “75 Years of
India’s Independence: Cultural Refractions” launched under the banner of
honourable Prime Minister’s Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav was
delivered online today in the Department of English and Cultural Studies,
Panjab University Chandigarh. Prof. Subarno Chattarji from the University of
Delhi shared absorbing reflections on “English Studies in India”. He
discussed India’s pursuit of global standards of excellence in the English
language that is hampered due to poor infrastructure, teacher variability, and
the influence of free-market ideology resulting in the massification of higher
education. More cheerfully, he highlighted the importance of incorporating
student feedback in teaching English language and literature by sharing
insights from a survey of 600 students studying English across universities in
Delhi-NCR. Commenting on the future of English studies in India, Prof.
Chattarji remarked that standards of excellence must be clearly defined and
should encourage critical thinking. Prof. Akshaya Kumar, Chairperson of the
Department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University while introducing
the distinguished speaker, also spoke about the design and mandate of lecture
series. He informed that the series shall dwell largely on the debates and
intellectual engagements that department of languages in India have been
witness to. The lecture was attended by postgraduate students, research
scholars, and faculty members from various universities who also engaged in a
lively question-answer session with the speaker. Prof. Meenu Gupta gave formal
vote of thanks.
