Centre For Comparative Literature
Bhasha-Bhavana
Visva-Bharati
In keeping with Rabindranath Tagore’s motto ‘yatra visvam bhabatye ekanidam’, Centre for Comparative Literature was established in the year 2013. At present, the Centre offers MA and Ph.D. courses and Minor and Multidisciplinary Courses in the UG level. Major thrust areas of the Centre include Rabindranath: Texts, Contexts and Inter-texts, Translation Studies, Journey of the Rama Narrative, Bhakti and Sufi Trajectory; Forms of Colonies, with special focus on Latin America, Africa, Canada; Indigenous Studies, Literature and the Other Arts, with special focus on Dance, Film and Theatre.
Activities of the Centre
The Centre has organised two international conferences in 2015 and 2016, and XII CLAI Biennial International Conference in 2017. The international conference titled “Exploring the Home and the World: Rabindranath and Comparative Literature” on February 6-7, 2015 tried to explore the contours of Comparative Literature and the contribution of Rabindranath Tagore to it. The second international conference titled “Comparative Literature: At the Crossroads of Culture and Society” on January 16-17, 2016 was organised in collaboration with Comparative Literature Association of India, ICSSR, CIIL, UGC and Rabindra Bhavana, Visva-Bharati.
A Four-day Translation Workshop was organised to translate Rabindranath’s Prachin Sahitya into English and other Indian and Non-Indian Languages from January 12-15, 2016 in collaboration with Rabindra Bhavana, Visva-Bharati and CENTIL, Jadavpur University. A symposium titled “Afsana-e Chughtai” was organised by the Centre on March 19, 2016 at the Audio-Visual Room, Bhasha Bhavana. the Centre organised an international conference on “Comparative Literature: At the Crossroads of Culture and Society” on March 6-8, 2017 in collaboration with Comparative Literature Association of India, UGC, Sahitya Akademi and Rabindra Bhavana, Visva-Bharati.
The Centre for Comparative Literature collaborated with Sarsuna College, West Bengal, to organise an International Webinar on “Organised Higher Academics in South Asia: Changing Perspectives” on February 25-26, 2019. The event was sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research, and there were several other academic collaborators who had participated from their own institutes.
The Centre for Comparative Literature organised a one-day Symposium titled “Comparative Literature Today: The Indian Scenario” on March 25, 2019 with the aim to bring together Comparative Literature departments across West Bengal to discuss the state of the discipline in India. On March 5, 2022, The Centre organised a workshop on “National Education Policy (NEP) and Comparative Literature” which brought together several academicians in the relevant field. It was followed by another workshop titled “National Education Policy (NEP) and Comparative Literature: A Follow-up Workshop” on July 27, 2023.
February 13, 2023, the Centre organised a lecture by Dr Roberto Morales Harley (Director, Department of Philology, University of Costa Rica). The lecture was organised in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Costa Rica in India and Indo Hispanic Language Academy, coordinated by Dr Nilanjana Bhattacharya. The Centre for Comparative Literature, with the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Embassy of the Republic of Panama in India, arranged another lecture on February 20, 2023, by Rodolfo de Gracia Reynaldo on the poetry of Rogelio Sinán. The lecture, coordinated by Dr Nilanjana Bhattacharya, was a part of the commemoration of 60 years of diplomatic relationship between India and Panama.
On May 10, 2023, The Centre organised a talk titled “My Experiments with Nature and Life: A Poet’s Perspective” by British poet and journalist Richard C. Bower. Centre for Comparative Literature has introduced 'Carca: Exercise in Comparative-isms' (A Monthly lecture series) from the year 2016. The Centre has been publishing its E-newsletter E-Barta from 2019. The students of the Centre for Comparative Literature publish an annual magazine named Tumulayan on the occasion of Anandabajar. In 2023, the Centre celebrated its ten-year anniversary with a special supplement of Tumulayan
The Centre for Comparative Literature held an International Conference titled “Interrogating ‘National’ Literatures: Cultural Responses of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and India (2000-2020)” from February 19-20, 2024. The conference was conducted in a hybrid mode and saw participation from across the globe from both invited speakers and paper presenters.
Faculty Members
Dr. Nilanjana Bhattacharya (PhD)Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature(nilanjana.bhattacharya@visva-bharati.ac.in ) |
Area of Specialisation: Literatures of Latin America, Literatures of India, Translation Studies, Feminist Literary Criticism |
Dr. Soma Mukherjee (M.Phil, PhD)Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature(soma.mukherjee@visva-bharati.ac.in) |
Area of Specialisation: Literatures of Africa, Rama Katha, Indian Literatures, Comparative Literary Studies, Feminist Literary Criticism |
Dr. Dheeman Bhattacharyya (PhD),Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature(dheeman.bhattacharyya@visva-bharati.ac.in) |
Area of Specialisation: Literatures and Culture of Canada, Native Studies, Translation Studies, Performance Studies |
Minor and Multidisciplinary Syllabus
We are located at:
Centre for Comparative Literature Room No.116 (Ground Floor)
Bhasha Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan 731235
You can also reach us at:
cclvbu@visva-bharati.ac.in