1. Art and Diseño

Osmania University Centre for International Programmes
International Seminar
on
“Religion and Literatures”
29 – 31 JANUARY 2015
Osmania University Centre for International Programmes
Osmania University Campus,
Hyderabad – 500 007 Telangana, India
Ph: +91-40-27098609, 27079914 Fax: +91-40-27070137
Website: www.oucip.in
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Call for papers
It is a matter of common knowledge that Religion plays a major role in regulating
the human behavior on a day to day basis. Primitive societies acknowledged the
supremacy of nature and they therefore devised the mystical ways and means of
taming the wayward natural forces in favor of the human progress and
development. Primitive folks began to worship nature to propitiate the mysterious
powers of nature in the form of primitive gods and goddesses. Thus the organized
religions came into existence in different forms in various societies of the world. Man
as a product of nature shared the same natural waywardness in his behavior,
actions, and motivation. As a unique embodiment of these elemental forces, he
found himself not only a threat to his society but also to himself. It led the organized
religions to not only contain the natural furies and forces by ritual propitiations but
also to control the wily human instinct. The purpose was to regulate the human
behavior so that it was conducive to his spiritual growth and material prosperity and
to stability and peace in his community or society. It would induce an overall
progress of people in spiritual, moral, ethical, and biological spheres. The intention
of our ancient ancestors to create such ideal conditions was to elicit the best out of
the humans and to expedite the great march of nature toward the ultimate goal to
shape up an ideal human—a paragon of all human virtues.
The original aim of the religion as a harbinger of human growth on the spiritual and
material levels slowly began to inherently clash with each other within the human
self. This clash between spirituality (soul) and materiality (body) slowly reached its
zenith in the second half of the nineteenth century in the world over in general and
in the Western world in particular. With the rise of Scientific Rationalism and
Industrial Revolution the European society was deluded by a wave of skepticism
and atheism. Money took a sudden precedence over the moral intent of man. People
began to question the basic tenets of Christianity and the very existence of God:
“Who is God? … Where is God? Darwin, Freud, Bergson, Marx and many others
added further to people’s disbelief in the supernatural reality. It gave rise to social,
theological, and spiritual chaos in Europe which finally terminated into a crass
material competitiveness among the powerful nations. The result was the First War
and later the Second World War. The two wars in the first half of the twentieth
century totally transformed the human psyche and bred a deep element of
empiricism in the human mind. Religion, God, Devil, Salvation and Sin became
debatable issues. The religious “unbelief” seemed to prevail upon the sense of
metaphysical belief. Under such circumstances people looked for the alternate
means of spiritual replenishment and moral sustenance for personal peace and social
harmony.
At this critical juncture in the history of Christianity in particular and world religions
in general, the writer occupied the central stage as messiah of the new age. He drew
people’s attention as the alternate source of their salvation and spiritual peace. Such
role for a writer actually cannot be taken as a misnomer for the simple reason that
literature rises from the depths of the writer’s soul and appeals to the reader’s spirit
for his moral and ethical upliftment. And, this is precisely what a religion does to the
seekers of salvation. Literature portrays a life-like world keeping in view the world
he lives in. He imitates this world inhabited by living men and women. But, he does
not portray it as it is. He improves upon it, redeems it of its faults and follies, refines
and reframes it to suit an all round growth of the humans. The writer demonstrates
not what the world is, but what the world “ought to be” for the inclusive growth of
the humanity. His primary concern is indeed not so much the material and scientific
progress of humanity as the moral and spiritual one. In that respect, his literary
creations provide an alternative route to man’s moral, ethical, and spiritual growth
whereby one can tame one’s animal instinct for an improved human life. By virtue of
the writer’s moral concern in our age of the metaphysical unbelief, literature works
as a possible means of spiritual salvation for contemporary humanity.
The Osmania University Center for International Programs (OUCIP) proposes to
hold a three day International Seminar on “Religion and Literature” with a view to
examining the role of literature as an alternative means of moral replenishment and
spiritual salvation for contemporary humanity which is currently in the grip of an
obdurate wave of religious skepticism and unbelief. The discourse of the seminar
would veer around the interface of Religion and Literature at different levels. An
attempt would be made to ascertain the ways in which the two dominant aspects of
the human society interact with each other. It would help the students, teachers, and
writers of literature to approach literature with a new awareness—the awareness of
literature as an alternative or substitute or surrogate religion in the contemporary
period of metaphysical unbelief. The papers will deal with the following aspects of
the subject of the seminar:
Literature as Critique of Religion
Religion as Source of Literature
Literature and Belief
Primitive Religions and Modern Literature
Literature as an Alternative to Religion
Christianity and Literature
Hinduism and Literature
Judaism and Literature
Islam and Literature
Buddhism and Literature
The Center would later bring out an Anthology of selected papers for the benefit of
the students, scholars, and others.
Paper Presentation
Abstract on about 250 – 300 words should reach on / before 15th December 2014, to
[email protected] MS Word 97-2003 format with Times New Roman, 12 Font,
along with Title, Authors names, Address, email.
Presentation facilities: Multimedia projectors for Power Point presentations (MS
office) will be made available.
Conference Important Dates
1. Abstracts Confirmation
2. Registration
3. With Late Fee
:
:
:
30th December 2014
05th January 2015
20th January 2015
Registration Fee (Includes Boarding & Lodging and Conference Kit):
S.
Category
Without Late
With Late Fee
No.
Fee
1
2
Osmania University Teachers
& Scholars
National Delegates including
Research Scholars outside
Hyderabad
Foreign Delegates
Spot Registration
1500
2000
2,500/-
4000/-
4500/-
5500/-
USD $300
USD$350
USD$400
USD $180
USD $200
USD $300
1,800/-
2,100/-
2500/-
2,000/-
2,500/-
3,000/-
Accompanying delegate
3
4
Research Scholars in
Hyderabad
Accompanying person***
***Conference material will not be provided to Accompanying person.
Mode of Payment:
Bank draft in favor of “Director, Osmania University Centre for International
Programmes” payable at Hyderabad, AP, India.
Visa
All overseas participants require a valid passport and entry visa for India. Please
consult your travel agency or nearest Indian Embassy/ Consulate Office. Kindly
intimate us once your travel plan is ready give us details to inform the Ministry of
External affairs, Home ministry, Govt. of India, DST govt. of India, Home ministry,
Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and security agencies.
Insurance
The registration fees do not include insurance for the participants regarding
accidents, sickness or loss of personal property. Participants are requested to make
their own arrangements with respect to health and travel insurance.
Osmania University
With a sprawling campus of nearly 1600 acres and buildings of majestic beauty and
architectural splendor, Osmania University, is perhaps, the largest higher education
system in the Country. It is a home to nearly 300,000 students pursuing their higher
studies in its Campus, Constituent, Affiliated Colleges and District Centres. Its
faculty and staff number nearly 5000. It is a multi-faculty and multidisciplinary
university, offering rich and varied courses in the fields of Humanities, Arts,
Sciences, Social Sciences, Law, Engineering, Technology, Commerce and Business
Management, Information Technology and Oriental Languages. The University’s
strategic planning, teaching-and-learning policies and research direction have
always emphasized respect for the concerns of the society and the need to address
the issues that challenge it.
In recognition of its excellent academic achievements, Osmania University had the
distinction of being awarded the 'A' Grade status by the National Accreditation and
Assessment Council (NAAC) of the University Grants Commission, Government of
India in the year 2008.
OUCIP
Osmania University Centre for International Programmes came into existence in
September 2006 after the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of
India, handed over the management and administration of the American Studies
Research Center (ASRC) to Osmania University. It is housed in the building complex
of the ASRC and has inherited its academic and infrastructural strengths. However,
OUCIP has broadened its scope and added new fields of study from humanities and
social studies to American Studies. This was done with the realization that a single
discipline Centre with a single source of funding was neither possible nor feasible in
the context of the growing need for multi- and inter-disciplinarity within the
academia. It was also felt that Osmania University located in the city of Hyderabad,
needed to reflect the multi dimensional growth and reach of the city that has been
evolving as a major hub for the new knowledge’s emerging in different fields.
OUCIP was thus conceived to complement the special status of the City in which it is
located while retaining its strength in the disciplines of American Studies and
International
Relations
acquired
over
four
decades.
General Information about Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the pearl city of India developed on the banks of Moosi River by the
Nizam dynasty. This 400 year old city was named after Hyder Mahal wife of the
ruler Quli Qutab Shah. Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana and is a cosmopolitan
city on the fast track. The elegant buildings, marbled temples and monuments stand
testimony to it. It shows cases a unique convergence of tradition with modernity.
The city is dotted with various tourist attractions like Salarjung Museum,
Charminar, Chowmahalla palace, Golconda Fort, Nehru Zoological Park, Birla
Mandir, Birla Planetarium/Science Museum, Shilparamam, Hussain Sagar Lake,
Lumbini Park, Ramoji Film City, Mount opera and Jalavihar etc. The city is sure to
provide a myriad of experiences and delight to the visitors with its splendor and
magnificent palaces that enchant past glory.
Time: GMT+5 hours 30 minutes
Electricity: 230 - 240V, 50HZ
Weights & Measures: Metric
Weather:
During the period of conference, the climate of Hyderabad will be cool and pleasant.
The day temperatures range from 25 to 30°C and night temperatures from 8 to12°C
with clear sky. Light winter clothing is required during month of December.
Currency Exchange:
Indian rupees is the currency used at Hyderabad and the exchange rate is
approximately 57/- Indian Rupees for one US$. All countries major currency can be
exchanged at Hyderabad. One can get the currency exchanged at Airport/ Star
Hotel.
ATMs are Available for all major International and National banks.
Credit cards: Credit cards viz., American Express, Diners Club, Master Card and
Visa are widely accepted.
Communication hub:
Prof. A. Karunaker,
Convenor,
I/c Director, OUCIP
Osmania University, Hyderabad 500 007
Telangana State, India
Contact Cell Phone No
+91- 9849302145
For General query
: [email protected]
For Abstract submission : [email protected]
For Accommodation request
: [email protected]
Osmania University Centre for International Programmes
International Seminar
on
“Religion and Literatures”
29 – 31 JANUARY 2015
Registration Form
1. Name In Block Letters
2. Designation
3. Country / Nationality
4. Mailing Address with PIN Code and E-mail
(Entire correspondence will be through e-mail)
5. Contact Number with country & local code
Mobile
:
Office
:
Residence
:
6. Demand draft No.
Amount
Date:
Bank:
7. I am interested in contributing the paper
If Yes send the abstract to [email protected]
YES / NO
8. Title of the paper
9. I am interested in reserving accommodation for
which advance payment is made If Yes mail to
[email protected]
YES / NO
Date
Place
Signature of the Participant