UG English Students’ Seminar on ‘Literature and Adaptation’

On 16th December, 2023, the fourth chapter of the Students’ Seminar was organised by The Department of English, The Bhawanipur Education Society College, in the Concept Hall from 11AM to 4 PM. The theme for the seminar, “Literature and Adaptation”, was selected for the students of UG semesters III and V and a Call for Papers was circulated.

The art of animating literature from word to visuals has greatly enriched interdisciplinary research and diverse creative pursuits. Films, theatre, television, OTT and video games have greatly relied on literary sources.  An authentic reproduction can positively transform the source text, aptly contextualise it and encourage meaningful conversations. The primary objective of the seminar was to enable the students to independently explore the varied dimensions of literary adaptations and to initiate a forum for dialogue, discussion, and debate.  Paper presenters were encouraged to submit original papers critically deliberating on the nuanced layers of literary adaptations, assess the range of adaptations and figure out the limits of adaptability distinguishing good from poor retellings. All submissions had to go through a synchronised process of anonymous review and detailed feedback was shared with the contributors before the papers were accommodated for the final presentation.

Ms. Neetisha Jha and Ms. Chitrangada Deb of the Department of English, convened the Students’ Seminar with enthusiastic support from the teachers and the students of the department. The Head of the Department, Dr. Gargi Talapatra declared the Seminar open with her encouraging welcome note. A total of 21 student speakers were judged by a panel of in-house judges comprising Prof Ananyya Banerjee, Dr Jashomati Ghose and Prof Sonal Kapur. There were four sessions, with a Q/A round at the end of each session.The fourth volume of ‘Thoughtspell’, the students’ magazine of the English department was also introduced. The seminar concluded with the prize distribution ceremony and the Valedictory session.

The seminar motivated reflective thinking, application of theories to analyse texts, constructive criticism as well offered the exuberant minds a platform to demonstrate their presentation skills and defend their works. The use of engaging PowerPoint Presentations largely enriched their reading. Additionally, aligned with the Programme Outcome of the department of English, the consistent practice of students’ seminar has instilled a spirit of enquiry, honed the communication and analytical skills and encouraged the students to expand their horizons by going beyond the perimeters of their syllabi.