Reported on: 2024-09-28

The Forum for Research in English, under the PG & Research Department of English at Farook College (Autonomous), Kozhikode, conducted a Two-Day Multidisciplinary Online National Seminar on September 27th and 28th,titled “Eco-Spectrum: (Un)Settling the Real the Imagined and Beyond”. The seminar was inaugurated by Dr. Aysha Swapna K A, the Principal of Farook College. Dr. Zeenath Mohamed Kunhi, Assistant Professor of English and coordinator of the Research Forum, welcomed the gathering, while Dr. K. Rizwana Sultana, Head of the Department, presided over the inaugural session. Ms.Muneera KT, Research Scholar and Secretary of the Forum for Research in English; concluded the inaugural session with a vote of thanks.

The first plenary session was conducted by Dr.Swarnalatha R, Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras on the topic “In the Shadow of the Anthropocene: The Eco-Ontological Imperative and the Greening of Theory”. The session was moderated by Dr.Moncy Mathew, Associate Professor of English, Govt.Arts and Science College, Calicut. Sr.Swarnalatha walked us through the history and contemporary developments of literary ecocritical ventures elaborating terms like anthropocene, eco-ontology, and solastalgia.

The second plenary was delivered by Dr.Rohith P, Associate Professor, School of Letters, MG University. His talk was titled “The Silent Valley and Literary Environmentalism in Kerala”. The session was moderated by Dr.Shamla K.M, Associate Professor, Department of English, University of Calicut. Dr.Rohith delved into the history of the Silent Valley project and the challenges after which it came into being.

The second day of the seminar began with the third plenary session moderated by Dr.Surya K, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Providence Women's College, Kozhikode. Dr.Avishek Parui, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras spoke on the title “Memory Ecology in a Post-Digital Age” Dr.Parui delivered a critically engaging discourse around the intersections of ecology and memory in a postdigital age. The session witnessed a vibrant Q&A session with Dr.Parui answering scholarly queries.

The Keynote Address, titled “Why Are We Not Having Fiction About Our Early Ancestors?” was delivered by renowned ecologist and environmental consultant Dr.S.Faizi. Dr.Faizi had everyone bewildered with his lecture deconstructing the interpellation of western ecological thought and terms like anthropocene and ecological justice. He went on to quote regional writers like Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan to elaborate on regional ecological thought. He questioned the idea of nature’s revenge to human exploitation of nature where in fact only the 1% of world population amount to this nature’s exploitation. Dr.Faizi introduced everyone to a more nuanced and critical ecological thinking.

The seminar featured more than fifty paper presenters from across India hosted via Google Meet. Presenters enriched the niche of ecological discourses with new schemata of ecological perspectives ranging from texts ranging from movies and animations to material human projects Indeed a plethora of Eco Spectrums were engendered, reflected and illuminated. The seminar concluded with resource persons and attendees sharing generous review of the seminar for having witnessed critical eco-cultural exchanges