Conference on the New Indian Voices: Interrogating Tradition, Embracing Contemporaneity in Indian Literatures in English

The landscape of Indian literature is undergoing a significant transformation shaped by the ongoing negotiation between tradition and contemporaneity. As Bill Ashcroft notes in On Post-Colonial Futures, postcolonial cultural production today extends beyond the nation-state, deeply influenced by global capitalism and transnational networks. This shift is evident in contemporary Indian writing, where authors such as Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Amitav Ghosh, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Kiran Desai situate literary expression within global circuits of publication, readership, and diaspora. Translation plays a crucial role in this evolving literary terrain, particularly in a multilingual country like India, where linguistic intersections shape cultural discourse. International recognitions such as the Booker International Prize for Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand and Banu Mushtaq’s Heart Lamp highlight the growing global engagement with translated Indian texts. In Tamil Nadu, translators including Lakshmi Holmström, Dr. C. T. Indra, and Gita Subramanian have been instrumental in carrying Tamil literary voices into wider literary spaces, enabling the global reception of writers like Bama, Imayam, Salma, Perumal Murugan, and Thamizhachi Thangapandian. Within this dynamic space, emerging Indian writers are actively reinterpreting cultural narratives, language, and memory. The proposed conference seeks to engage with these shifts and critically examine how contemporary Indian voices are redefining selfhood, nation, and narrative in the twenty-first century.

The conference aims to critically explore contemporary Indian literature as it negotiates tradition and modernity, with particular focus on transnational contexts, translation, and emerging voices that are reshaping narratives of identity, culture, and nation in the twenty-first century.

• Exploring new forms and genres in India (e.g., graphic novels, speculative fiction)
• The impact of digital media and social platforms on literary expression
• The intersection of regional politics, history, and literature
• Urbanization, consumerism, and the changing Indian psyche
• Reimagining myths, epics, and folklore in modern narratives
• Representations of rural life, small towns, and tribal communities
• The politics of language and identity in translating regional experiences into English
• Exploring “glocal” narratives – how local stories achieve global resonance
• The World Through Regional Eyes: Indian Literatures in Translation and Global Reception

Recommended Reading List (including but not limited to)

• Salman Rushdie- Victory City
• Amitav Ghosh – Gun Island
• Arundhati Roy- The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
• Jhumpa Lahiri – The Lowland
• Aravind Adiga –Amnesty
• Kiran Desai –The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
• Jeet Thayil  –The Elsewhereans
• Geetanjali Shree –  Tomb of Sand  translated by Daisy Rockwell
• Banu Mushtaq – Heart Lamp translated by Deepa Bhasthi
• Indira Parthasarathy- The Legend of Nandan translated by Dr. C.T.Indra
• Ambai –  Red Necked Green Bird translated by G.J.V.Prasad
• Imayam – She and I translated by D.Venkataraman
• Perumal Murugan –Firebird  translated by Janani Kannan
• P.Sivakami – Cross Section translated by Dr. C.T.Indra & Prema Jaganathan
• Thamilachi Thangapandian – Internal Colloquies translated by Dr. C.T.Indra

• Abstract must contain the name of the participant, complete college address, Email ID and mobile number.
• Abstract should be in Times New Roman, font size 12 and 1.5 spacing, with a maximum length of 250 words and a list of 5 Key Words.
• Abstract should be submitted via Email to [email protected] by December 20, 2025.
• Abstract and full paper can be sent via email to [email protected] by December 30, 2025.
• Full paper should not exceed 4000 words, with 9th Edition MLA Style sheet formatting.
• The presentation should be restricted to 5-7 minutes with an optional PPT.
• Outstation participants can present their papers online.
• No TA/DA will be provided to the participants.
• Participants may join the WhatsApp group after registration.
• Further details will be conveyed through an individual email.

Payment Details

Bank Name: State Bank of India
Beneficiary Name: C.T.T.E. College
Branch: Perambur, Chennai
Account Number: 10313551041
IFSC Code: SBIN0002256
Address: 1/110, Madhavaram High Road, Perambur, Chennai-11

The registration fee can be paid through NEFT (or) G-pay using the bank transfer option.

Dr. Manju Jaidka
Former Chairperson and Professor of English, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
Former Chairperson, Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi
President, MELOW, the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the World

Dr. Adenuo Shirat Luikham
Poet, Educator and Illustrator