International Literature Conference highlights contributions of Indian and Indian American Writers in American Society

Writer Anita Nair, Ethiraj College Chairman Mr. A.M. Swaminathan, His Excellency Surjit Singh Barnala, Governor of Tamil Nadu, and U.S. Consul General Andrew Simkin, at the inauguration ceremony of Ethiraj College International Conference

March 12-13. The U.S. Consulate General-Chennai in association with the Ethiraj College for Women sponsored a two-day international conference titled “Defining the Ethos of the New Millennium Literature from the United States of America and the Indian Subcontinent.”  The conference was inaugurated by Governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Surjit Singh Barnala, who was joined in stage by Consul General Andrew Simkin and well known novelist Anita Nair.  Consul General Simkin highlighted the contributions of Indian and Indian American writers to the pluralistic and multi-cultural diversity of the United States, including Bharathi Mukherjee, Vikram Seth, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Meena Alexander, among others.  Dr. Kris Fresonke, Vice Consul, U.S. Consulate-Chennai and former Professor of English at Adelphi University in New York, traced American scholars’ fascination with Indian literature and sacred texts including the Vedas, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvad Gita and their deep influence on the writings of some of America’s most famous authors, including Henry Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman.

More than 70 scholars from all over India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United States presented papers focusing on the four main themes of the conference: Literature and History, Literature and Culture, Literature and Politics, and Literature and Environment.  The conference concluded with a special panel discussion on the impact of the media, culture, human rights, and politics on literature; the panel included dancer and choreographer Anita Ratnam, Mukund Padmanabhan, Senior Associate Editor of The Hindu, Sanjay Pinto, Chief of Bureau at NDTV, Bharatanatyam maestro V.P. Dhananjayan, and Fr. Jagath Gasper Raj, Founder of the Tamil Maiyam.