From Nirala to Chughtai, LU opens door to Indian classics

Lucknow: Students pursuing MA English at Lucknow University (LU) will now study a wider range of Indian literary traditions through English translations under the new National Education Policy (NEP)-aligned syllabus. The curriculum moves beyond the conventional focus on English and American literature, introducing students to texts originally written in Indian languages—Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Punjabi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Sindhi and Bhojpuri—in the Bhasha literature subject, which is a core curriculum of the department and has been introduced to students. The syllabus includes Indian poetry, short stories, novels and drama translated into English. Students will read works such as Suryakant Tripathi Nirala's 'She Breaks Stones', Rabindranath Tagore 's 'Kabuliwalah', Rajinder Singh Bedi's 'Lajwanti', Ismat Chughtai's 'The Crooked Line', Mahasweta Devi's 'Mother of 1084' and Vijay Tendulkar's 'Ghasiram Kotwal'. The MA curriculum also introduces students to Indian classical literature through texts from the Vedic and epic traditions, Tamil literature, Sanskrit drama and contemporary Indian classics. Works include selections from the Rigveda, Kathopanishad, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Tolkappiyam, Kurunthokai and plays by Kalidasa and Bhasa. Professor, department of English and Modern European Languages, LU, Prof RP Singh said, 'Decolonisation of literature does not mean rejecting English literature. It means creating space for our own literary traditions and allowing students to engage with the plurality of Indian literary cultures. Translation makes this vast body of literature accessible to students who may not know the original languages,' he said. MA English student Madhav Agarwal said that the translated texts make regional literature easier to access while also showing how diverse Indian literature is. It is interesting to study these works alongside English literature and compare different cultural experiences. MA English student Riddhima Sharma said, 'Scoring has also become easier as we can relate to our writers and understand the society they write about better than British and American writers.' You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in Lucknow Stay updated with the latest Lucknow news. Download the TOI App.