Nishtha Desai

 Hello Learners.. This blog is part of  BA syllabus of the play Hayavadana by Girish Karnad. Let discuss it. Introduction Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana (1971) is one of the most intellectually stimulating works in modern Indian drama. Drawing on multiple cultural sources—particularly Thomas Mann’s The Transposed Heads and the Kathasaritsagara —Karnad reconstructs an ancient myth into a modern philosophical allegory. Through this reworking, he examines the politics of desire, the duality of human nature, and the existential condition of incompleteness . The play becomes a site of tension between tradition and modernity, reason and emotion, completeness and fragmentation. Each character’s crisis—Devadatta’s spiritual yearning, Kapila’s physical vitality, Padmini’s divided desire, and Hayavadana’s quest for identity—serves as a metaphor for the postcolonial Indian subject’s fractured selfhood . 1. Duality as the Structure of Human Identity The central paradox of Hayavadana li...

 Hello Readers..This blog is part of   Bhav Gunjan Youth Festival 2025. Let discuss about it. The Bhav Gunjan Youth Festival 2025 became an unforgettable occasion to immerse myself in art, music, and the pulse of student creativity, providing the perfect environment to connect literary theory with live artistic practice. Through my journey as an audience member, participant, and art enthusiast, I experienced the festival’s diverse events, spanning performance, fine arts, and group celebration. Western Song Performance: The Spirit of Young Voices One major highlight as an audience member was the Western Song event ([attached_image:yo-9.jpg]). Here, student performers, clad in coordinated outfits, enlivened the audience with contemporary melodies. The interplay of sound, style, and youthful exuberance created an atmosphere of unity—where music became a bridge between tradition and modernity. In literary theory, this performative art connects to aestheticism: the spontaneous...

 Hello Learners.. This blog is part of The Absurdity of War: Satire and Paradox in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 novel. Let discuss it. Introduction Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 stands as one of the most innovative and scathing critiques of modern warfare in 20th-century literature. Set during World War II, the novel transforms the horrors of war into a darkly comic narrative, where logic collapses under the weight of absurdity. Heller’s portrayal of bureaucratic madness, moral confusion, and existential despair exposes the irrationality of the systems that govern human lives in wartime. The Central Paradox: Understanding “Catch-22” At the novel’s core lies the infamous Catch-22 —a paradoxical military regulation that traps soldiers in an inescapable logical loop. The rule states that a soldier can be excused from flying missions if he is insane, but if he requests to be excused, it proves he is sane enough to continue flying. This self-canceling logic symbolizes the broader absurd...

 Hello Learners..This blog is part of Marriage and Social Class in Jane Austen's 'Emma' novel. Let discuss it. Introduction Jane Austen’s Emma (1815) stands as both a sparkling comedy of manners and a profound social commentary on Regency England. Beneath its surface of romance and wit lies Austen’s sharp observation of class divisions and the economic realities governing social life. Marriage, in Emma , is not merely an affair of the heart but a crucial institution that reflects one’s position within the rigid hierarchy of Highbury. Through her nuanced portrayal of courtship and class mobility, Austen exposes the tension between love and social ambition in a society where economic security often outweighs emotional fulfillment. Marriage as a Romantic Ideal and a Social Contract Austen envisions marriage as both an emotional union and a social contract—an intersection where personal desires meet societal expectations. Through Emma Woodhouse and Mr. Knightley, Austen presen...

 Hello Learners..This blog is part of Doll's House Play by Henrik Ibsen Feminist View. Let discuss it.  Introduction: Feminist Importance of the Play Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House (1879) is a landmark in modern drama and feminist thought, challenging the deeply ingrained gender hierarchies of 19th-century Europe. Written in a period when women were legally and socially confined to domestic life, Ibsen’s play exposed the false morality that governed Victorian marriage and womanhood. Through Nora Helmer’s journey from dependency to self-realization, Ibsen questioned whether women could truly be free in a world ruled by patriarchal authority. The play’s final act—Nora’s decision to walk out of her home—became an enduring symbol of female emancipation, signaling the birth of feminist consciousness on the modern stage. Feminist Reading of the Plot Set in a bourgeois Norwegian household during Christmas, A Doll’s House portrays the seemingly happy life of Nora and Torvald Helmer. ...

 Hello Learners . This blog is part of an Assignment of paper Cultural Studies. Let's discuss it. Personal Details: Name: Nishtha Desai Batch: M.A. Semester 3 (2024–26) Enrollment No: 5108240024 Roll No: 19 Paper & Subject Code: Paper 203 – Postcolonial Studies Submitted to: Smt. Department of English, MKBU Date: 7 November 2025 Topic :The Role of Power and Media in Shaping Cultural Identity: A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Cultural Practices Table of Contents Introduction Power, Knowledge, and Media: A Foucauldian Framework Constructing Identity: From Essence to Discourse Media, Globalization, and the Cultural Economy of Power Community Media: Counter-Discourses and Decolonial Resistance Digital Media and the Youth: Between Empowerment and Commodification Representation, Hegemony, and the Politics of Visibility Contemporary Cultural Practices: Negotiation in the Third Space 9. Conclusion Introduction In the contemporary world, cultural identity no longer emer...