Chandigarh July 27, 2021

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.