SXUK event bridges through innovation

Department of English at St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) in collaboration with the Centre for Global Networking Initiative (CGNI), SXUK and American Centre, Kolkata organised an event entitled “America 250: A Legacy in Innovation” on April 7, 2026 at the university campus.

Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, SJ, Vice-Chancellor, SXUK had a conversation with Ms. Elizabeth Lee, Director of the American Center, Kolkata and Public Affairs Officer (PAO), US Consulate Kolkata. The session offered valuable insights into diplomatic relations, cultural exchange, and the evolving dynamics of India-US partnerships in diverse fields.

A panel discussion on “Innovation in AI and Entrepreneurship: The Future of US-India Partnership” also took place. The panel brought together experts from diverse fields including science, entrepreneurship, media, and industry.

The event witnessed participation from postgraduate students of SXUK across multiple disciplines. The discussions provided a platform for interdisciplinary learning and fostered awareness about global innovation trends and collaborative opportunities.

Dr. Manish Prasad

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The Department of English of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata conducted a Two-Day “Industry Awareness and Corporate Exposure Seminar” on 28th and 29th of August, 2025, facilitated by Ms. Akhi Bose, Global Digital Marketing Lead at Capgemini, and Ms. Carmel De Rosario, Senior HR Executive at Infiflex Technologies Pvt. Ltd. The seminar was organised for the Postgraduate semester 3 and Undergraduate semester 5 students.

The seminar helped the students in gaining exposure to career opportunities in the corporate world and guided them on strategies to enhance employability. It was particularly important for the final year students who will be soon seeking employment in the corporate sectors.

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17 February 2026: In the month of February, 2026, The Department of English, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata in collaboration with DAG (Delhi Art Gallery Museums) organized a certificate course on ‘Unpacking Indian Modern Art’ for the final year postgraduate students. The course was conducted over a period of two weeks including a 4-day lecture series at the University campus, a visit to the Alipore Museum, a 2-day intensive workshop, and an art exhibition combined with student presentations on the final day. Throughout the course, the students interacted closely with paintings and were encouraged to engage critically with the style employed by artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and others. On 16th February 2026, an exhibition was organized at the University campus with the original artwork brought in by the DAG Museum, Delhi. The event was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Vice- Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Dr. John Felix Raj, Respected Registrar, Rev. Fr. Dr. Xavier Jeyraaj, and The Controller of Examinations, Dr. Indra Kanta Maitra and the Dean of Arts and Social Studies, Dr. Susmita Halder.

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On March 1, 2025, The Department of English of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata hosted an academic event, XavInkspire, “Performing Modernism: Mrs. Dalloway, A Century Later” in the Fr. Albert Huart Hall. The event encompassed a creative interpretation of modernist texts through the performing arts. The event helped in fostering academic engagement beyond the conventional classroom teaching. It helped in developing nuanced understanding of texts that complemented the syllabus of the students and also helped them gain exposure to different performing arts.

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On July 25, 2025, The Department of English of St. Xavier's University, Kolkata in association with St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata Alumni Association conducted an Interdisciplinary Feminist Photography Workshop “Feminist Frames: Gender and Pixelated Politics” facilitated by Ms. Millo Ankha, the internationally acclaimed documentary photographer, educator and founder of the AAMA Collective.

The workshop featured critical discussions regarding the history of photography and feminist visual theory. It also touched upon the importance of consent in photography. The second half of the event showcased the perspectives of participants, as captured by them through the camera lens, in a photobook.

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Department of English of St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a workshop on March 1, 2025 at the university campus. The theme was ‘Learning to Speak/Write "in Other Words": A Writing and Translation Workshop’.

60 participants from across the country participated in the workshop. Prof. Ashis Mitra, Registrar of SXUK inaugurated the event.

The workshop was divided into two halves. The first half of the workshop was conducted by Prof. Aritrik Dutta Chowdhury of Acharya Girish Chandra Bose College. He shared the merits of writing skills and importance of effective communication, followed by an activity of short letter writing. He also asked participants to create an advertisement about an existing brand.

The second half of the workshop was conducted by Prof. Ashok Mohapatra of SXUK and Prof. Abhijit Sen of Visva Bharati. Participants were asked to translate Hindi and Bengali scripts into English.

The vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Medha Bhadra Chowdhury, followed by the distribution of certificates to all participants.

Dr. Anish Bhattacharyya

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On the 1st of September, 2023, an enlightening and thought-provoking special lecture took place, led by the esteemed Dr. Nandini Bhattacharya. The subject of this lecture delved deep into the intriguing topics of “Humanism and Posthumanism”. The lecture had a clear objective: to unravel the complex journey of humanism from its inception rooted in Stoicism, through its flourishing in the Renaissance period, and finally, its culmination in the Enlightenment humanism theory of Immanuel Kant. This intellectual journey offered attendees a profound exploration of human thought, tracing the evolution of humanistic ideals from their ancient philosophical origins to their enduring impact on contemporary discussions about the nature of humanity and ethical considerations in an ever-changing world.

On the 8th of September, 2023, an enlightening and captivating special lecture marked an intellectual milestone, led by the distinguished Dr. Pinaki De. The lecture was a deep dive into the captivating realm of "Comics and Graphic Novels," a medium often underestimated but profoundly rich in artistic and narrative possibilities. Dr. De's objective was clear: to unravel the intricate tapestry of storytelling within the world of comics and graphic novels, with a particular focus on the seminal works of Craig Thompson and Marc-Antoine Mathieu. This intellectual journey offered attendees a profound exploration of the artistic and philosophical dimensions of graphic storytelling, shedding light on how comics challenge traditional narrative conventions and explore profound existential themes, enriching the world of literature and art in the process.

As part of an interactive session organized by the Department of English at St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata, students and research scholars of the department had the pleasure of attending a talk on Gender Studies by Prof. Niladri Chatterjee, Professor of English at University of Kalyani on 22nd September, 2023. Drawing on his lifelong interest in Feminism and Queer theory, Prof. Chatterjee, a noted academician and author gave a lively talk on the history of feminism, its myriad variations and its political turn that shaped the major part of the twentieth century academic discourse and beyond.

On the 15th of November 2023, the classroom was abuzz with intellectual anticipation as Dr. Souvik Mukherjee, a renowned expert in the field of Digital Humanities, delivered a thought-provoking special lecture on "Introduction to Digital Humanities." The event marked a significant juncture for research scholars, as Dr. Mukherjee aimed to unravel the transformative potential of digital tools within the realm of academic research. His objective was clear: to demystify the concept of Digital Humanities and illustrate how cutting-edge technologies can be seamlessly integrated into the scholarly pursuits of research scholars.

On 20th September, The Editor of The Telegraph, Mr. R. Rajagopal, along with the CHRO, Mr. Suman Banerjee, interacted with the students at an English Department event called “Working in Journalism.” The final year students from Master for English and Mass Communication were in attendance along with a few interested students from the undergraduate semesters. Mr R. Rajagopal provided anecdotes from his life to explain the work structure in a media house and the day-to-day life of journalist. He elaborated on the roles and positions of a journalist including Editor, Chief Editor, Principal Sub-Editor, Associate and Principal correspondent, and other positions along with the work styles and working hours of the specific role.

Department of English of the St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata (SXUK) organised a two-day National Conference on ‘War and Literature’ in collaboration with the Father Lafont Centre for Excellence in Research and Innovation (LCERI), the research wing of the university on January 17-18, 2024 in the university campus.

While delivering the inaugural speech, Rev. Dr. John Felix Raj, S.J., Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of SXUK said, “I am happy to find that the Department of English is organising the conference on such a pertinent theme. I believe that the conference will witness the outcomes of quality research articles by renowned academicians and scholars.”

The keynote speaker was Dr. Kalidas Misra, former Professor, Department of English, Sambalpur University, Odisha. The plenary speaker was Prof. Sumit Chakrabarti, Department of English, Presidency University, Kolkata.

The inaugural ceremony, keynote speech and plenary sessions took place at the Fr. Albert Huart Hall. The other parallel sessions took place at the LCERI Conference Room and LCERI Open Classroom.

The conference witnessed the participation of a huge number of research scholars and academicians from SXUK and many other colleges and universities from different parts of the country.

The conference aimed to address pertinent issues on war from myriad perspectives, with reference to the 20th and 21st centuries. The corpus of work in the ambit of war themed literature took a wide variety of approaches to comprehend the experience through different genres- drama, short stories, novels, journals, diaries, oral histories, memoirs, and letters.

The subject was thought-provoking and relevant given the ongoing conflicts across the world. The conference had been able to successfully address them, engaging mostly faculty members, scholars and students of esteemed institutions.

The convener of the programme was Dr. Indira Chakraborty Bhattacharya and the vote of thanks was delivered by Dr. Ananya Saha.

Dr. Indira Chakraborty Bhattacharya

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