The Department of English, University of Hyderabad, unveiled the first web resource for Indian Writing in English on 5th April 2022.
IWE Online is being executed under the Institution of Eminence project of the University, by Anna Kurian and Pramod K Nayar of the English Department. The web resource has literary and visual texts, author critical biographies, survey essays on key themes and genres, and features like poets reading out their work. Eventually, it will include archives from IWE, interviews with authors, essays on English by Indian literary figures, and teaching resources. Designed to cater to teachers, students but also the general reader, IWE Online has contributors from all over the world, and texts from leading publishers reproduced with due permissions.
Prof BJ Rao, Vice-Chancellor unveiling and exploring IWE Online
Unveiling the website at the first Symposium under IWE Online, Prof BJ Rao, Vice Chancellor said such an innovative project would get more people interested in the mosaic of IWE. The Vice Chancellor said, when Indians write in English, they lend it a different style and substance, and such a web resource would capture this.
Prof Rao congratulated Prof Anna Kurian and Prof Pramod Nayar for the conceptualization of the project and wished it all success.
The Director, Institution of Eminence project, Prof S Dayananda, noted the innovative nature of the project, and said he expected it to grow.
The officiating Dean of the School of Humanities, Prof J Prabhakar Rao said he expected nothing less than such a unique project from the Department of English.
Prof Anna Kurian, introducing IWE Online, drew attention to the fact that despite Indian Writing in English being one of the largest literary canons in postcolonial academia, there is no authoritative web resource for the field, whereas there are several for American, English and European literatures. Noting that students and faculty go to any and every online text, she emphasized the need for a peer-reviewed and rigorous web resource for the field. The web resource, scheduled for launch by end-2022 being launched early, noted Prof Kurian
Thanking all contributors the reviewers, the Vice Chancellor, the IoE, the Dean the Registrar and others who made this project possible, Prof Pramod Nayar specifically thanked the Rayaprol family, Professors Vinod Pavarala and Aparna Rayaprol which has long been associated with the Department of English, the various publishers for permissions, the friends of the Department, and friends within – Dr Sireesha, Dr Lama and Dr Bhattacharya.