Essay: The Making and Unmaking of an English Teacher- A Memoir by Himansu S. Mohapatra

Academic, critic, and translator Himansu Mohapatra writes a powerful essay capturing his journey and tryst with literary study as it has evolved over four decades intertwined with the history of literary studies in provincial India.

Introduction

When the subject that has served as one’s vocation as well as passion is perceived to be in a state of crisis, it makes one think about how it came to be this way and what went wrong. With an opportunity for some sustained reflection on the situation, as happened on me at a recent seminar on ‘Literary Studies at the Crossroads’ at a college in my state, one begins to understand that the path English has taken has been zigzag rather than linear. It has changed course every time its path has been blocked, resulting in a renewal of its vision and mission.