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Holberg bestowed on Spivak for groundbreaking work in literary theory, philosophy | Kolkata News – The Times of India

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Holberg bestowed on Spivak for groundbreaking work in literary theory, philosophy | Kolkata News – The Times of India


Kolkata: Kolkata-born literary critic and postcolonial scholar Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak has been awarded the 2025 Holberg Prize—the closest equivalent to the Nobel in the field of humanities, social sciences, law or theology research—for her groundbreaking work in literary theory and philosophy.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday congratulated Spivak “on her attaining yet another top international recognition”. Banerjee, in a social media post, said she was “charmed by her (Spivak’s) long and sustained association with pro-poor voluntary services in some remote villages of West Bengal”.
The statement from the Holberg Prize committee read: “Spivak is considered one of the most influential global intellectuals of our time, and she has shaped literary criticism and philosophy since the 1970s. She receives the prize for her groundbreaking interdisciplinary research in comparative literature, translation, postcolonial studies, political philosophy and feminist theory.” The citation also stated she was “committed to an interdisciplinary critique of structures of power and knowledge in an unequal world” and “as a public intellectual and activist, Spivak combats illiteracy in marginalised rural communities across several countries, including in West Bengal, India, where she has founded, funded and participated in educational initiatives”.
About the importance of the humanities as an academic field, Spivak told the Holberg committee that humanities must be supported as they taught the practice of learning rather than necessarily the production of knowledge. “No amount of merely being able to use knowledge as intellectual property can lead to a democratic and just society if we have not gone into training in the practice of learning,” she said.
Spivak completed her graduation in English at Presidency College in 1959, back when the institute was under Calcutta University. She did her PhD from Cornell University in 1967. Since 2007, she had been a University Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, where she is also a founding member of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society.
Professors, Presidency University and Calcutta University alumni and academics felt the award was an acknowledgement of the influence of Spivak’s works on the humanities community across the globe. Historian Dipesh Chakrabarty, postcolonial theory and subaltern studies scholar, said, “She has made us all proud. It’s a big recognition of the various contributions she has made to a variety of fields in the humanities. Her ‘Can the Subaltern Speak??’ will continue to be discussed for the questions it raised. As a fellow academic, I am delighted.”
Political scientist and anthropologist Partha Chatterjee, founding member of Subaltern Studies Collective, said, “Gayatri Spivak is a leading literary scholar of our time. The prize is richly deserved.” Chatterjee is the professor emeritus at the department of anthropology at Columbia University. “As a literary critic and thinker, she is one of the leading lights who have changed our perception of literature, history and society. Her originality is awesome and her influence on us is sans pareil,” said essayist and translator Chinmoy Guha, also CU’s professor emeritus.
Pointing out that not Presidency or Bengal alone but the entire country needed to celebrate the award, Presidency English department professor Sumit Chakrabarti said, “She’s the first Indian to have won the prize. Both as an academic and as a public intellectual, she continues to hone and nurture the spirit of enquiry, dissent and intervention.”
Spivak received DLitt (honoris causa) in 2014 from Presidency University, where she attended the the bicentenary celebration and also delivered a lecture during the celebration of the life and work of Ranjit Guha in 2022. Presidency registrar Debajyoti Konar said, “We are delighted and proud to know that Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak has been honoured with Holberg Prize. This would motivate the faculty members and students alike from the humanities and literature background as they pave the way in future towards achieving excellence.” Presidency alumni association vice-president Bivas Chaudhuri said, “We, with the Presidency English department, plan to celebrate her award by inviting her at her convenient time.”





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HC closes plea to clean water channel that passes through reserve forest

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The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has closed the public interest litigation petition filed in 2019 by Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu who had sought a direction to the authorities concerned to clean a high level water supply channel situated in a reserve forest area.

Mr. Appavu had sought a direction to the authorities to clean the channel that connected Alanthurai river and Suravali dam in the Western Ghats. The petitioner said that the water channel passed through a reserve forest in Kanniyakumari district.

Alanthurai river ran through Kanniyakumari district for most part. In 1969, the State government formulated a scheme for using its water. A small dam was constructed across the river at Kanjipparai. The high level channel connected Alanthurai river and Suravali dam, from where water was distributed to tanks in Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari districts in the ratio of 60:40, he said.

With the channel not having been cleaned up, free passage of water to the village tanks was disrupted, he said. If the channel was not cleaned, the livelihood of the farmers would be affected, the petitioner added.

A Division Bench of Justices G. R. Swaminathan and B. Pugalendhi took note of the status report submitted by the authorities which stated that the works had already been executed and completed. The court observed that nothing survives for further adjudication and closed the petition.



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Karnataka HC clears BBMP engineer of inaction charges, says he followed tribunal order | Bengaluru News – The Times of India

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The Karnataka High Court quashed an enquiry and charge sheet against BBMP Assistant Engineer BC Sandeep, stating that officials cannot be faulted for not acting on unauthorized constructions when a court-ordered status quo is in place.

BENGALURU: An officer of the state is required to abide by the orders of courts and tribunals. If there is an order from such a court or tribunal restraining the officer from performing any particular action, the non-performance thereof cannot be said to be a dereliction of duty, the Karnataka High Court has observed in a recent order.
Justice Suraj Govindaraj made this observation while quashing the order of entrustment of enquiry to Upa Lokayukta in March 2016 and the charge sheet issued against petitioner BC Sandeep, an Assistant Engineer with the BBMP, in July 2016.
The case against the petitioner was that in 2013, he, along with other officials of the BBMP, failed to take action against an unauthorised construction in 7th Cross, Jayanagar 1st Block, in terms of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, despite the issuance of provisional and confirmatory orders in 2013.
Though his name was in the promotion list, it was not considered, citing a pending enquiry taken up suo motu by the Lokayukta.
Challenging the orders issued against him, Sandeep argued that during the three years he worked, there was an interim order of status quo issued by the Karnataka Appellate Tribunal on November 25, 2013, based on an appeal filed by the owner of the said property.
Hence, he and his superiors could not take any further action vis-a-vis the unauthorised construction/deviation in the subject property. He further claimed that he is duty-bound to follow the orders issued by the courts/tribunals as an official.
On the other hand, the Lokayukta argued that the proceedings against the petitioner needed to be continued as no action was initiated in the matter when violations were noticed.
After perusing the materials on record, Justice Suraj Govindaraj noted that both on the date of entrustment of the enquiry to Upa Lokayukta and on the date of issuance of the charge sheet, the interim order of the KAT was in operation. Hence, the petitioner could not take further action in pursuance of the confirmation order issued under Section 321(3) of the KMC Act, and the same cannot be held against him.
Quashing the proceedings against the petitioner, the judge clarified that the court has not expressed any opinion regarding the other seven persons against whom a charge sheet has been filed.





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Korean Cultural Centre India Hosts Enriching Event for Underprivileged Children | – The Times of India

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A live performance of the Korean folktale Sim Cheong, presented by Indian artists from Theatre I Entertainment Trust. The story, centred on a young girl’s devotion to her blind father, was well received by the children.

As part of its ongoing efforts to bring Korean culture closer to underprivileged children in India, the Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) recently hosted a special event for 50 children from Chehel, a Delhi-based NGO. The children, aged between 5 and 15, were treated to a day filled with cultural activities at the KCCI. The experience included trying traditional Korean dishes, wearing the Hanbok (Korean traditional dress), and enjoying Korean games like Jegi, Tuho, and the Stone Tower game. They also visited exhibitions on K-content and webtoons and enjoyed a vibrant Samulnori performance — a Korean percussion music tradition. A Taekwondo demonstration added energy to the event, with children even trying out a few moves themselves.
A major highlight of the programme was a live performance of the Korean folktale Sim Cheong, presented by Indian artists from Theatre I Entertainment Trust. The story, centred on a young girl’s devotion to her blind father, was well received by the children.
Over the past two years, this theatre group has performed Korean folktales at 12 schools across India, reaching more than 2,600 students. They have also staged a musical based on the tale of Queen Heo.
Speaking about their experience of the event, 14-year-old Aradhana said, “This is the first time I’ve witnessed such a cultural performance. Sim Cheong’s courage and love for her father was truly touching.” It was not only the students who enjoyed the performance, but also the volunteers of the Delhi-based NGO. Santosh Kumar, one of the volunteers said, “It is rare for underprivileged children to have the opportunity to gain such holistic experience of a culture that is different from their own. The various activities planned over here made this entire experience very meaningful and diverse.”
Hwang Il Yong, Director of the Korean Cultural Center in India, said, “Rather than offering a one-time material support, we felt our role was to enrich students’ cultural and artistic literacy through education and immersive content. It was truly rewarding to see the joy on the faces of the children and volunteers. I hope this event will provide more opportunities for Indian students to experience Korean culture reimagined through their own lens.”





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