DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

Background

The department, which was the Languages Department since the establishment of the college in 1952, came into existence as a separate English Department in 2017. Dr. Mohini Mathur, Dr. Neelima Atre, and Dr. Nalini Chaturvedi have been the pillars of the department.

Objectives

  • To provide qualitative academics
  • To hone communication skills of students
  • To organise activities which develop students into integrated and well-informed citizens

Faculty Members

Dr. Deepa Vanjani

(1998-)

Presently Head of English Department

Qualifications: MA, M.Phil., PhD, PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass communication

Online Courses:

  1. Life and Works of Shakespeare- Harvard X (with certificate)
  2. Poetry- Berkley X (with certificate)
  3. Buddhism and Modern Evolutionary Psychology- Princeton (without certificate)
  4. Green Entrepreneurship- UNDP (with certificate)
  • D. supervisor (DAVV):

Awarded :05       Pursuing:06

  • Books Published: 02
  • Papers Published: 22
  • Papers Presented: 17
  • Newspaper/ Magazine articles and Poems Published: around 50
  • Books Edited: 02
  • Scripts for Gyan Vani, short films and documentaries (written and translated)
  • Online publication of word contributed in ‘In Other Words (IOW): A Contextualised Dictionary to Problematise Otherness’
  • Affiliations:
    1. Member, European Society for Transcultural and Interdisciplinary Dialogue [ESTIDIA]
    2. President, English Language Teacher’s Association [ELTAI], Indore chapter.
    3. Member, Board of Studies, Kasturbagram Rural Institute, Indore
    4. Working Committee Member, State Women’s Press Club of Madhya Pradesh
    • Awards and Honours:
    • Nari Shakti Ko Pranaam by Brij Bhumi Foundation, Mathura
    • Senior Journalist Award by Women’s Press Club [M.P.]
    • Nation Builder Award by Rotary International Indore Chapter
    • Senior Journalist Award by Anand Mohan Mathur Trust, Indore
    • Senior Journalist Award by Indore Press Club , Indore
    • Invited for reading of the entry that was published in the anthology at the Kubrick Poetry Reading, Kowloon, Hong Kong in 2018.
    • Won the 1st prize in All-India Essay Writing Competition organized by Association of Indian Diplomats, New Delhi in 2005
    • Judge, Resource Person, Keynote Speaker in various events
    • Interviewed by Radio and Television, Hong Kong in 2016 for the show ‘Morning Brew’, which was broadcast live
    • Interviewed by All India Radio, Jaipur during the Jaipur Literature Festival, 2019.

Extension Activities:

  • Founded and run literature group Shabd Shilp under the aegis of which local, national and international events have been conducted.
  • Animal welfare activist

     2.  Prof. Kusum Joshi

  • Qualifications: M.A., Pursuing Ph.D.
  • Experience: 6 years
  • Paper Publications: 04
  • Paper Presentations in Seminars/Conferences: 03
  • Seminars/Workshops/Conferences attended: 10
  • Convener/Member in College Committees : Perihelion & Knowledge Gallery (Convener) , Magazine Committee, Press-Note Committee, Admission Committee, Cultural events

RESEARCH WORK

Name of Faculty Designation Area of Research Paper Presented Paper Published Research Guidance
Reg. Sub. Awarded
Dr. Deepa Vanjani, HOD Asst. Professor A Study of Thematic Patterns & Themes in the short stories of Ruskin Bond 25 24 06 02 02
Ms. Kusum Joshi Asst. Professor Kazuo Ishiguro as a Postmodern Novelist: A Critical Analysis 03 04 –

Subjects in the Foundation Course Group: The department engages UG students of B.Sc. I, II, and III years.

  1. English Language is a common subject for all three years
  2. Entrepreneurship Development in I year
  3. Environmental Studies in II year
  4. Basics of Computer in III year

Activities Organised

  1. Workshops
  2. Inter college Debate Competition
  3. Creative and Entrepreneurial Skills Development Workshop
  4. Talks by invited experts
  5. Students’ Presentations
  6. Group Discussions
  7. Informative posters and newspaper articles displayed on departmental notice board

MoUs of the Department:

1.      The Nature Volunteers: The MoU aims to promote exchange of knowledge and activities that promote an ecological awareness between The Nature Volunteers, with Mr. BhaluMondhe as its president, and the department.

2.      Jwala: With the intent of creating a platform for instilling values and sensitivity towards issues related to women, the department has signed an MoU with Jwala founded by Dr.Divya Gupta.

The MoUs have relevance also from the viewpoint of the course as   Environmental Studies and Women Empowerment are subjects included in the syllabi of I and II years respectively as per the NEP.

Departmental Activities: (July to Dec. 21)

Online Certificate Programme ‘Finesse’

The department conducted its annual certificate workshop Finesse in the online mode from 16 to 20 July 2021. The topic was An Introduction to Linguistics and it was open for research scholars, faculty members and PG students. The participants were from across India and the galaxy of resource persons and their topics included:

 Language, Politics &Identity :Dr.JaspalNaveel Singh, Open University, United Kingdom.

 Use of Technology in Linguistics: Dr. Rakesh Damir, Gujarat University, Ahmadabad.

Speech, Language, Hearing and the Brain: Prof. Rahul Mahashabde, DAVV, Indore.

 Dr.Vanjani was the convener of the activity, while Prof.Kusum Joshi was the co-convener.

Talk on Mind Control

The department organized a talk on Mind Control on 30/11/3021. The talk was delivered by Swami Amrit Gaur Das from ISKON in the Electronics lab and was attended by students, faculty and non teaching staff.

2022-23- Departmental Activities

1.      Finesse: The Communication Skills Certificate Workshop

The Department organised the certificate workshop Finesse 2022-23 from19 to 23 September 2022 in association with English Language Teachers’ Interaction Forum (ELTIF),Kerala.

The inaugural was marked by lamp- lighting at the hands of the Principal Dr. Kiran Dixit in presence of heads of departments, faculty members and participants. Dr.Bhaskaran Nair, Founder President of ELTIF and retired Professor from Central University of Puducherry delivered an online inaugural speech on the occasion.

The sessions were as follows:

1. Phonetics and Syntax

A. Constituency in Syntax: 19 September

B. Sense of English-Is Celtic Seltic or Keltic: 20 September

Expert:  Prof. Rahul Mahashabde

 2. Creative Communicationon 21 & 22 September -Basics of Creative Writing

Expert: Mr. Rupesh Pathak

 3. Grammar for Everyday Use: Dealing with Common Errors of English on 23 September

Expert: Dr.LaxmiIyenger

Valedictory– Guest of Honour: Mrs. RachnaJohri

The participants included in-house faculty members and those from other institutions, research scholars and students. Dr.DeepaVanjani was the Convener while Mrs. Kusum Joshi was its Organising Secretary.

 

2.      Online lecture on the topic Constitutional Rights and Laws for Women by Ms. Anushka Tiwari on 22nd November 2022. This is part of the Women Empowerment paper syllabus prescribed for IInd year students.

3.      The poster-based activity on Sustainable October Challenge Calendar concluded with submission of the poster by the students. The calendar had been floated amongst students in the last week of September in which they had to tick parameters of sustainability which they could apply in the whole month of October.  The purpose was to create an awareness towards small actions that can be a step towards a sustainable future.

4.      On International Day of Happiness 21/03/2023, posters were sent to all departments for display on the respective notice boards to spread the message of reducing stress by following a simple regime. The posters were also displayed in School of Comparative Languages,DAVV, EMRC, DAVV, IPS Academy, and given to Dr. Shravan Kumar from Uttaranchal University, Dehradun.

5.      Stickers related to health awareness and environmental consciousness were distributed

6.      Book Publication: One act play Jane’s Robin by Dr DeepaVanjani published by Whruts Publisher, Mumbai.

 

Involvement in College Activities:

Dr.DeepaVanjani was part of the organising committee of the activities organised in the college to mark Teacher’s Day from 5th to 9th September 2022.

Ms. Kusum Joshi is co-convener of college magazine and newsletter committee.

Involvement in Other Activities:

·         Dr.DeepaVanjani was invited as judge of the inter-school debate competition at LokmanyaVidyaNiketan, Indore on 1/08/2022.

·         She was invited as guest during the inauguration of the certificate course organised by the Department of Humanities, IPS Academy, Indore on 22/08/2022.

Involvement in Examination Work:

A.    Paper Setting

·         Dr DeepaVanjani and Mrs. Kusum Joshi set papers for DAVV exams.

·         Dr DeepaVanjani did paper setting for BSc I year ATKT exam of Holkar Science College, Indore.

B.     External Examiner

·         Dr.Vanjani was external examiner in Communication Skill practical exam of B.Pharm. I year on 14/07/2022.

C.    Paper Checking

·         Dr Vanjani corrected Personality Development answer sheets of Rani Durgavati University,Jabalpur.

·         Mrs. Kusum Joshi did evaluation of English answer sheets of Mata Jijabai Govt. Girls PG College, Indore and RDVV, Jabalpur

 

Academic Collaboration: Dr.DeepaVanjani’s entry for the online dictionary In Other Words. A Contextualized Dictionary to Problematize Otherness, a joint project Dr. Paola Giorgis from Italy and Prof. Andrea Valente from York University has been accepted and is now online.

 Dr.DeepaVanjani conducted a creative writing workshop tilted Craft and Draft on 15 December 2022 at Acropolis Institute of Management and Research. Her book discussion based on Jane’s Robin, her play for children to create environmental awareness was also held the same day. Both these activities were part of the literature festival organised by The Great Indian Book Tour, Jaipur. 

Highlight of the Department

Finesse: The Communication Skills Certificate Programme

About Finesse: The programme was initiated in the academic session 2014-15. It is an add on certificate workshop for UG and PG students which is free of cost. Renowned resource persons such as Mr. Arish Nandedkar, Ms. Parul Wagh , Mr. Sameer Chinchwadkar, and Dr. Alka Tomar have been invited to the college to interact with students.

 

Objectives:

  1. To develop leadership qualities in students
  2. To refine spoken and writing language skills
  3. To provide exposure to students

‘Ánimal Farm’ screened and discussed during ‘Finesse’.

Enrichment Activities During Lockdown

   Online Finesse@Covid 19

From 6 May to 16 May 2020 an online version of the course was conducted by the department. In it ,college students, alumni, students from UTDs of DAVV and professionals from outside Indore participated. Apart from interactive platform,Google Classroom was used for the course. E Certificates were given to the participants.

Online Finesse@Covid 19 (II)

   The Finesse Certificate course for the academic session 2020-21 was organised virtually on the topic ‘Ecocritical Elements in Literature and Literary Adaptations’. It was open for faculty members from other institutions, research scholars, students from our college and other institutions,as well as alumni. Dr. Rimika Singhvi ,head of the English department,IIS University,Jaipur was the keynote speaker in the inauguration. Dr. B.G. Geetha, Associate Professor, Central University of Tamilnadu, Thiruvar, was the speaker during the valedictory. The department collaborated with The Nature Volunteers and Vak Productions and had two eminent resource persons namely Mr. Dev Kumar Vasudevan and Mrs. Rachna Johri. The play Greenheart and the Dragon Pollutant by Cressida Miles was prepared by college students and alumni under the guidance of Dr Shweta Patidar and Dr Meghna Raikar. E certificates were given to participants. Dr Deepa Vanjani was the convener and one of the resource persons as well.

Covid-19: Overcoming Stress and Anxiety with Alpana Awasthi

The department organized a session on stress during the pandemic lockdown for students and faculty members. Mrs. Alpana Awasthi,Counsellor and Psychotherapist was the expert who guided the participants.

Cyber Security Seminar

Mr. Sunny Wadhwani, cyber security expert,conducted an online seminar on cyber security. The activity was organized due to the rise in the number of cyber crimes during the lockdown.

Honours, Recognitions and Awards: Dr. Deepa Vanjani

 

  • Nari Shakti Ko Pranaam 51 Most Influential Women of the city award by Brijbhoomi Foundation ,Mathura in September 2019
  • Senior Journalist Award by Anand Mohan Mathur Trust,Indore in March 2018 for freelancing as a columnist in Hindustan Times and Times of India
  • Nation Builder Award by Rotary Club International in September 2018
  • Senior Journalist Award by MP Women’s Press Club in March 2017
  • First prize in All India Essay Writing Competition organised by Association of Indian Diplomats ,New Delhi in 2005
  • Poems shortlisted for publication in Proverse International Poetry Prize Anthologies Mingled Voices in 2017 and 2019
  • Articles and features on art and culture have been published in Confluence : South Asian Perspectives published from London
  • Member,Editorial Board , Vidharthi Vigyan Manthan https ://vvm.org. in/ academic_committe_members. php
  • Resource Person in seminars , conferences, and workshops
  • Chaired sessions in national seminars
  • Keynote speaker in national seminars and conferences
  • Paper presentations in national and international seminars and conferences( https://youtu.be/Q9KmQzVikSo )
  • Poetry reading in the release event of Proverse Poetry Prize Anthology in April 2020( https://youtu.be/E42hIy1AsZA ).

Involvement in Extension Activities

Dr Deepa Vanjani has been running a literature society named Shabd Shilp since 2012. She is the founder of the society,which is engaged in creative literary activities. Our college students and faculty members have been actively involved in the group. At present Dr Shweta Patidar,faculty member of the department is an active member.  ( http://www.shabdshilp.com/)

As a social responsibility the group made a video dedicated to Corona warriors ,the lyrics were penned by Dr Vanjani ( (https://youtu.be/Jbngju1NCDw).

She has done translation, scripting for short films, reporting for UHRC, Lepra Society, State Resource Center, Vak Productions, Doordarshan, and independent film makers.

Some Notable Enrichment Activities

National Workshop on Basics of Linguistics

 

A one day national workshop on Basics of Linguistics was arranged by the department on 29 February 2020. The workshop was open for faculty members of English departments of various colleges and research scholar. The resource person was Mr. Rahul Mahashabde who has done PG Diploma and PG Certificate courses from EFLU, Hyderabad and a certificate course in Applied Linguistics from IIT, Madras. Participants were given certificates in the valedictory by Dr. Manisha Pandey, Prof. of English from Mata Jijabai Govt. PG College, Indore. Dr Deepa Vanjani was its convener while Ms. Kusum Joshi was the organizing secretary.

Glimpses of the Linguistics Workshop

Inter-College English Debate Competition

 

On 22 February 2019, the department organised an inter college English debate competition on the topic “Virtual Reality is the only Reality Today”. Dr. Ashok Sachdeva,Professor of English, Mata Jijabai Girls PG Government College and retired Professor of English Dr. Laxmi Iyengar were the esteemed judges. Renowned colleges of the city as Holkar Science Autonomous College, Renaissance College, IPS Academy and others participated in the competition.

Winners of the Inter-College English Debate Competition with Judges and Faculty

Creative Avenues:The Entrepreneurial Skill Development Workshop

 

As a step in the direction of developing entrepreneurial skills of students with the objective of using their creative skills as a means of revenue generation for them, the department organised this workshop on 13 and 14 September 2019. After being guided by an expert during the workshop,students displayed their creative expertise by making items which were sold in stalls put up in the college on 27 & 28 September 2019. Activity convener was  Prof. Kusum Joshi and it’s Co- convener was  Prof. Shweta Patidar.

Creative Avenues: Stalls put up by Students Being Overviewed by Principal and Staff Members

   Essay Writing Competition

 

Under the aegis of the programmes being organised to commemorate the 130th birth anniversary of Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru as per the directions of the Higher Education Department, the English Department organised an essay writing competition on 20 January 2020. Nehru and Socialism, Nehru and Secularism, Nehru and Education,Nehru and Inculcation of Scientific Temper were some of the topics given. Certificates were given to participants.

Participants of Essay Writing Competition after Receiving Certificates

Peer learning Activities

A Peer-Learning activity was arranged for students of B.Sc. I year.  Ankit Verma of M.Sc. Botany I year, engaged the English class and dealt with a lesson and its various aspects.  Some students of B.Sc. II year were taken to attend the talk by wildlife expert Mr. RS Murthy, IFS, Member Secretary/APCCF MP State Biodiversity Board at Pritam Lal Dua Sabhagraha on 5/10/ 2018organised by  The Nature Volunteers. Based on this talk, a power point presentation by Ms. Tanvi Ghamad, B.Sc. II year student was arranged on 13/12/2018. Peer learning activities have been part of the departmental activities.

Students Attending the Peer Talk by Tanvi Ghamad
Students Attending the Peer Talk

 Group Discussion

 

Group Discussion on Aspects of Indian Constitution with Mrs. Garima Mudgal, Faculty, Prestige Institute of Management and Research as the facilitator was arranged on 25/01/2020. Group discussions are also organised in the Communication Skills sessions with the aim of making students develop a viewpoint, and confidence.

Ms. Garima Mudgal with Participants of the Group Discussion

Safal Yuva- Bharat exam

 

Safal Yuva- Bharat exam, conducted by Vivekananda Kendra, is organised in the college for the UG students who register for the same. Dr. Deepa Vanjani is the activity coordinator of the college and therefore the exam is arranged by the department. Information regarding the online exam being organised by the Kendra due to the Corona pandemic has been circulated on the WhatsApp groups of students.

Safal Yuva Exam Conducted by the Department

Poster Making Competition

 

As a tribute to the four DPS souls, victims of the tragic bus accident, the Department organised a Pamphlet- Making Competition on the topic “Road Safety or Death: Choice is Yours”. Ms. Rachna Johri was the honourable judge. Prizes were distributed to the winners. Hazra Sheikh of MB6 got the I prize , Akansha Soni of MB6 stood II , Ankit  Verma of B6 was III, while Jayendra Singh Sisodiya of C3  got the consolation prize. Twenty seven students participated in the activity. An exhibition of these pamphlets was also held during the Career Guidance Seminar in Central Hall on 16/02/2018. Dr. Poonam Nagar and Ms. Kusum Joshi were coordinators of both these activities.

Poster Making: the winners with the Judge & Faculty Members
Students Making Posters on Road Safety

Departmental Blog

 

The department initiated a blog for students in 2019 so as to encourage them to write and share original content.

 

Literature Quiz: The department and Shabd Shilp got together to organize a literarture quiz for students . the quiz master was college alumnus Ankit Verma and hosted by Arya Munshi,another alumnus of the college,both being Shabd Shilp members. The judge was Ms. Parul Wagh from Katha Kathan,Mumbai.

Participants of the Literature Quiz with Ms. Wagh and Faculty Members

The Art of Entrepreneurship

 

The departments of English and Hindi organized an entrepreneurship seminar for B.Sc. I year students on      The expert was Mr.Sunny Wadhwani,young entrepreneur, who is founder and owner of Wadhwani Enterprises.

Online Finesse (2021-22)- The Communication Skills

Certificate Program on Basics of Linguistics: Dr. Jaspal Singh from Open University, UK delivering his lecture

Finesse 2022-23 Brochure, Keynote address by Dr.Bhaskaran Nair( ELTIF President) from Chennai, and Valedictory: Dr.Laxmi Iyengar (Resource Person), Mrs. Rachna Johri (Guest), Dr. Rashmikant Sanghvi (Administrative Officer)

Talk on Mind Control by Swami Amrit Gaur Das from ISKON, 30/11/21

X