I am happy to inform my friends that I will be the special guest of honor at the international conference of Khairgarh University in Chattisgarh, India, to be held from February 26 to February 28, 2012. It would be an ideal occasion to meet my friends from different parts of India and the world. If you are interested in any aspect of the conference, to present a paper or your poems, etc., please get in touch with the organizing committee to be a registered delegate.

I am also happy to inform that I will be at the Khairgarh University till the 25^th of March.

For complete information about the international conference, please copy and paste the following address to your browser. When the window of Writer’s Lifeline appears, please go to the first news item towards the beginning and click :

http://www.stephengill.ca/Writer'sLifeline.htm

FOR REGISTERATION AS A DELEGATE:

--Professor I.D. Tiwari, Head, Faculty of Arts:

Mob. + 91-9406239525, Office: +91- 7820-234768

Conference Address: E-mail: conferenceiksvv@gmail.com

Website of Khairgarh University: www.iksvv.com

Greetings from Canada

Stephen Gill

www.stephengillcriticism.info

www.stephengill.ca

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INDIAN ART FORMS

(With Special Reference to Theatre and Literature)

26–28 February 2012

Organized

Faculty of Arts

Departments of English, Sanskrit & Theatre

Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya,

Khairagarh, Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh, India – 491881

PATRON

Hon. Prof. (Dr.) Mandavi Singh

Vice-Chancellor, IKSV, Khairagarh, C.G., India

CONVENER

Prof. I. D. Tiwari

Dean, Faculty of Arts

Head, Dept. of English, Sanskrit & Theatre

IKSV, Khairagarh, C.G., India

ORGANIZING MEMBERS

Dr. Manoj Kumar, Dept. of English

Dr. Purnima Kelkar, Dept. of Sanskrit

Dr. Yogendra Choubey, Dept. of Theatre

CONTACT PERSONS

Prof. I. D. Tiwari, Dean Faculty of Arts

Mob: +91-9406239525, Office: +91-7820-234768

Dr. Manoj Kumar, Mob: +91-9753382953

Dr. Purnima Kelkar, Mob: +91-9098128395

Dr. Yogendra Choubey, Mob: +91-9589975101

E-mail: conferenceiksvv@gmail.com

Website: www.iksvv.com

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

Participants are besought to send the abstract of their research papers latest by 15 January 2011 in the following format:

Text: 150-200 words only

Font: Times New Roman (For English)

Kurti Dev 10 (For Sanskrit & Hindi)

Font Size: 12 with single space

Copies: 1 Soft Copy & 1 Hard Copy

Soft copy can be sent through the e-mail on conferenceiksvv@gmail.com. Participants (Whose abstract will be accepted) are also entreated to submit the full-length paper for the publication in proceedings latest by 31 January 2012.

REGISTRATION FEE

For the Participants of India

` 1000/- for Research Scholars

` 1500/- for Teachers

For the Participants out of India

US$ 100

The Registration fee should be submitted in the form of Demand Draft. DD should be drawn in favour of Convener, International Conference payable at Bank of Maharashtra, Branch Number -(1103). Khairagarh, Chhattisgarh, India.

REACHING KHAIRAGARH

It provides us immeasurable joy to invite you to participate in the International Conference sponsored by UGC New Delhi. The Conference will provide a podium for discussion and a platform to interact with eminent academicians from India and abroad.

Established in 1956 Indira Kala Sangeet University is one of the oldest Universities of India. The university offers Degrees in various Indian Art forms including literature and folk music. It is situated in a peaceful and musical town Khairagarh, 40 Kms away from the district Head Quarter Rajnandgaon. Khairagarh University is well connected with Railways and Airports.

University is 40 Kms from Rajnandgaon and 42 Kms from Dongargarh, 60 Kms from Durg and 110 Kms from Raipur. The nearby Railway stations are Rajnandgaon, Dongargarh, & Durg.

Nearest airport (Mana) at State Capital Raipur (110 KM from Khairagarh). The climate remains pleasant in February at Khairagarh.

CONCEPT NOTE

Indian culture-the oldest living culture on this planet witnessed many upheavals during last many millenniums and in those process Indian art forms. The oldest objects unearthed in Harrapan civilization as well as at other sites are of religious as well practical purposes and display human interest in mundane and metaphysical things. The same is true about Indian art forms also. With a gap of a few centuries, an unbroken stream of thought about literature and art forms survive till today. The roots of Indian painting can be traced to Indus Valley civilization. The paintings on pottery found at the sites reflect deep understanding of the citizens of this ancient civilization.

On the other hand the Indian Theatre known as the fifth Veda was created by Brahma to entertain gods. The “Natyasashtra” still remains the reservoir of Indian theatre. It recognises many styles and forms of Indian theatre that existed and flourished before it was codified into a treatise. Since then Indian theatre has metamorphosed as a global phenomenon and has successfully made its presence felt on the global stage. The “Natyasashtra” needs fresh appreciation to guide us in 21^st century. Bharat Muni, Plato, Aristotle Anandvardhan shall always remain relevant to all nations. They are cultural heritage of humanity. 21^st century must explore these great minds afresh to meet the future challengers.

In fact f

rom pre-historic to modern times, Indian art forms have continuously been evolving to suit the creative expressions of generations. The process helped in accumulating certain noble principles of aesthetics that may mesmerise even 21^st century intellectuals and critics. Indian art forms share many aspects of other art forms of other cultures that survived in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, China and Rome. Art forms of these great cultures have many commonalities as well as contradictions. Indian arts including Indian theatre emphasise on spiritual gains, have their own precepts, which are conditioned by their own medium. They share with one another the underlying spiritual beliefs with varied symbols, while art forms of other cultures are mostly worldly in content and nature. An in-depth analysis of the oddities of new art forms and their end aim along with future directions shall require intellectual interaction among the scholars coming from various parts of globe.

The conference will also try to find out the answers to the relevant questions like how aesthetic judgments are unified across art forms including literature? How for aesthetic judgments are culturally conditioned? Is postmodernism still relevant to us or we need new tools and techniques to create and appreciate named and unnamed post-modern art forms? What principles evolve these art forms and what is their aesthetic? What is the future of literature in the age of Internet and nanotechnology?

Sanskrit is the oldest while English is the youngest language of Indian subcontinent. One is the language of our cultural heritage while the other defines India’s commerce and connectivity. Contemporary Sanskrit literature and Indian English Literature touch upon larger issues of our global life style and human needs. True it is that today there are more Sanskrit scholars than there were in ancient times and India publishes greater number of books in English than they are published in the countries where English has the status of mother tongue. The proliferation is not confined to any particular form of these two literatures. While these traditional forms are being mastered and recognised world-over, the new forms are getting shape to meet the unexpected challenges. The conference will weigh the value and strength of the writings of last century and make an assessment of future challenges and directions.

SUB THEMES

English Literature

· Indian Middle Class and English Language

· New Geners in English Literature and Internet

· Indian Poetry- A Global Phenomena

· Indian Fiction- Challenges of Creative Expression

· Indian Aeasthetics and Indian English Literature

· Literature in Translation

· Language Culture and Society

Theatre

· An Assessment of Indian Theatre in 20th century

· An Assessment of Hindi Theatre in 20th century

· New Experiments in Indian Theatre

· Institutions of Theatre and Theatre in Tradition

· Folk Theatre

· Tribal theatre and Tribal Art of Chhattisgarh

· Challenges and Responses in Modern Theatre

· Future Critique in Theatre

· Theatre and Literature

Sanskrit Literature

· An Assessment of Sanskrit Literature in 20th Century.

· New Forms in Sanskrit Poetry

· New Forms in Sanskrit Prose

· Sanskrit Theater-Its History and Modern Context

· Sanskrit Language and Modern Challenges

Music, Dance and Visual Arts

· Aesthetics and Indian Art Forms in 21st century

· Indian Art forms and Western Art forms

· Sociology of Indian Art Forms – Dance, Music and Painting

· New Art Forms and Internet

· Indian Art Forms and Globalization

The above sub themes provide merely an outline of the broad theme. The scholars can attempt at any allied subjects of their interest as well.

REGISTRATION FORM

International Conference on Indian Art Forms:

(With Special Reference to Theatre and Literature)

26-28^th February 2012

Name: ____________________________________________

Designation:_______________________________________

Age:____________ Sex: Male/Female:__________________

Institution Mailing Address___________________________

__________________________________________________

Pin Code:_________________ Telephone:_______________

Mob:_____________________________________________

E-mail:____________________________________________

Title of the Paper:___________________________________

__________________________________________________

Demand Draft No._____________Date:__________________

Rs./US$ _______________Rs. 500/Rs.1000/Rs.1500/US$100

Expected Date of Arrival:_____________________________

Expected Date of Departure:___________________________

Accommodation Required: ___________________________

Signature with Date_____________

(Photocopy can be also used of this form.)