Conference Presentations by Arushi Bahuguna
In the works of Bhartrihari (Vakyapadiyam, Nitishatakam, etc), Kalidasa (Raghuvansha, etc), and t... more In the works of Bhartrihari (Vakyapadiyam, Nitishatakam, etc), Kalidasa (Raghuvansha, etc), and the themes illustrated by the Ajanta paintings, there emerges the string of Dharma that binds these intellectual pursuits together. The importance of morality and ethics, be it in the rule of the Raja or in the conduct of a commoner, shines through these works, be it in the caves or in a kavya.
By discussing the worldview presented in the art and literature around 6-7th century CE, the presentation highlights the treatment of the theme of dharma in different genres. I comment on the transmuting of Dharma shastra literature into delightful instruction at the hands of poets and artists. The chosen works in these genres are representative of the aesthetic and socio-cultural taste of the time.
My presentation will focus on Murāri’s Anargha Rāghava (9th century CE) as an intervention in the... more My presentation will focus on Murāri’s Anargha Rāghava (9th century CE) as an intervention in the (re)reading of the Rāma kathā of his era. While commenting on the departures Murāri makes from Vālmīki's text, I analyse the play's preoccupation with the role of politics. I argue that this represents a shift away from spiritual or rasa-laden aspects of the story to more practical and political themes. The 'minor' characters of the play exert profound influence, and their political schemes cast them in a meta-theatrical role as backstage managers or even playwrights of their own actions. I discuss Murari's distinct use of meta-theatrical effect. I conclude by commenting on the play's role in constructing the image of the ideal epic hero in the 9th century CE.
This paper analyses how dominant hagiographies of women saints affect their place in society as m... more This paper analyses how dominant hagiographies of women saints affect their place in society as models for emulation. The paper problematises the construction of the Bhakti movement as an egalitarian space by looking at the challenges faced by women saints from male-dominated bhakti sects and society. The paper explores the hagiographical representation of women saints, with a focus on how authorial intention often diminishes women saints' struggle against societal restrictions. 1 E 4 7 By contrasting Mīrābai and Bahi ābāī's poetry with their hagiographies, the paper endeavours to recover the radical value of their rebellion, which has the potential to offer empowering role models for women. The paper concludes by envisaging a bhakti revival through revised hagiographies that help appropriate bhakti poetry as a means of foregrounding women's issues. A bhakti revival can be empowering for women when hagiographies of women saints focus on the trails they faced and the ways in which they dealt with oppression. A revival of bhakti therefore, provides a way of regrowing our cultural roots, as well as uprooting the rigid systems of gender and caste discrimination.
B.A. Honours (Miranda House, University of Delhi) by Arushi Bahuguna
Derek Walcott's poetry explores the racial, colonial, and cultural tensions inherent in Caribbean... more Derek Walcott's poetry explores the racial, colonial, and cultural tensions inherent in Caribbean history and identity; while doing so it also celebrates the hybridity and cosmopolitanism of Caribbean culture. Discuss with reference to a close study of at least three of his poems.
From "scattered" to "powerful rhyme"
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is an autobiography of a woman's struggle and adventures in a fictio... more Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is an autobiography of a woman's struggle and adventures in a fictional Victorian space. The autobiography, besides being a foil to the traditional Victorian novels in terms of style, form and approach, is also a foil to the very constructs of femininity and masculinity of its time. The 10-year-old Jane's rebellious nature, the 18-year old Jane's trials with passion and reason and the adult autobiographer's assertive "I" foreground agency, freedom and equality as her most valued principles. Through the creation of such a character, Bronte opens up the discourse of questioning the place of an independent woman in an androcentric society. The balance that Jane achieves between the person she is and the woman that the society wants to see her as is her negotiation with the established order.
William Shakespeare"s Othello illustrates the Venetian society"s gender and class hierarchies in ... more William Shakespeare"s Othello illustrates the Venetian society"s gender and class hierarchies in seventeenth century renaissance Italy. The manipulation of stereotypical ideas of race and gender is the foundational basis of the tragedy, exposing the manner in which women are the embodiment of "purity" of the race and mere vehicles of social mobility. The theme of transgression, at both sexual and social levels, forms the basis of examination of gender and becomes the embryo of Iago's "monstrous birth"[1.3.403]. Juxtaposing the andocentric paradigm of the play with the promiscuous atmosphere in Venetian society, reveals how women become the centre of suspicion and the object of not only male desire, but male obsession with the threat of adultery. The analysis of women characterisation in Othello restores the focus of the tragedy to Desdemona, whose character is essential "for the completion of the tragic pattern" 1 of the play.
1682] offers an exhaustive study of his engagement with the genre of satire. To demonstrate Dryde... more 1682] offers an exhaustive study of his engagement with the genre of satire. To demonstrate Dryden's role in influencing satire, the mock epic poem needs to be situated in the larger context of literary and political changes in 17th century England. Dryden's own understanding of satire, expressed chiefly in his Discourse, also informs the evaluation of his satiric skill and influence on satire.
Discuss the theme of the country and the city in Johnson's London.
Arushi Bahuguna 789 "Just as the gods' defining characteristic is their abundance of life, which ... more Arushi Bahuguna 789 "Just as the gods' defining characteristic is their abundance of life, which involves both immortality and superhuman power, so the basic difference between the heroic generation and our own is their greater capacity for self-propelled vigor, which is the essence of excellence in both physical and mental life."
In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe is guided by two considerations-to recreate and represent pre... more In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe is guided by two considerations-to recreate and represent pre-colonial history of Africa, while simultaneously countering the European versions of Africa and African culture. Discuss. Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (1958) narrates the breakdown of African culture through the life of a man, whose struggles within his tribe and against colonial oppression, present a picture of pre and post colonised African society. Achebe attempts to counter the colonial rendition of Africa by reclaiming its past with its thriving culture, which has been denied by the coloniser. Achebe combines Okonkwo's personal tragedy with detailed descriptions of the Igbo tribal culture. This makes the tragedy of the Igbo community a microcosm of the fall of the entire African civilisation as it is subjected to the 'civilising mission' of the coloniser. In depicting how a community with its own belief systems is uprooted, Achebe replants it in the history of man that had been written by the coloniser.
Decolonising the Mind is Ngugi Thiong o's contribution to the debate on the choice of language in... more Decolonising the Mind is Ngugi Thiong o's contribution to the debate on the choice of language in a post-colonial country. In this book he argues that Africa will be able to break free from the clutches of Western control over its resources and culture only when the use of European languages is replaced by native languages. In the section 'The Language of African Literature', Ngugi discusses the way language is a carrier of culture and how the use of a foreign language alienates an individual from his/her own culture. Ngugi explores how alienation from one's native culture is accompanied with a hatred for it, and a reverence for the coloniser's culture. Decolonising the Mind is an attempt to free the natives' minds from the coloniser's control by rejecting his language and adopting one's native language.
Promethean myth is to understand how a female writer works in a male writing tradition with a myt... more Promethean myth is to understand how a female writer works in a male writing tradition with a myth that extols male heroism and creativity, to critique masculine pride in male agency.
This paper aims to demonstrate Adrienne Rich’s preoccupation with language and literature as a ma... more This paper aims to demonstrate Adrienne Rich’s preoccupation with language and literature as a male domain that marginalises female and homosexual interests. The paper illustrates Rich’s urge to bring about a lesbian feminist consciousness through an analysis of her poem sequence 21 Love Poems, aided by her arguments in the essay Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence.
In the short story 'Blackout', Roger Mais addresses the power dynamics of race and problematises ... more In the short story 'Blackout', Roger Mais addresses the power dynamics of race and problematises racial bias through the paradigm of gender.
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Conference Presentations by Arushi Bahuguna
By discussing the worldview presented in the art and literature around 6-7th century CE, the presentation highlights the treatment of the theme of dharma in different genres. I comment on the transmuting of Dharma shastra literature into delightful instruction at the hands of poets and artists. The chosen works in these genres are representative of the aesthetic and socio-cultural taste of the time.
B.A. Honours (Miranda House, University of Delhi) by Arushi Bahuguna
By discussing the worldview presented in the art and literature around 6-7th century CE, the presentation highlights the treatment of the theme of dharma in different genres. I comment on the transmuting of Dharma shastra literature into delightful instruction at the hands of poets and artists. The chosen works in these genres are representative of the aesthetic and socio-cultural taste of the time.