Announcement
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT
Author in Conversation: A Book Discussion Event with Prof. Pramod K. Nayar and Prof. Alan Lester
Calcutta Comparatists 1919 is delighted to present an “Author in Conversation” session featuring Prof. Pramod K. Nayar discussing his latest work, India and Imperial Vulnerability: Knowledge, Aesthetics and Subjects in British Discourses of Disaster, 1763-1939.
The author, Prof. Pramod K. Nayar (UNESCO Chair in Vulnerability Studies, University of Hyderabad, and Distinguished Professor, Department of Liberal Arts, IIT Hyderabad) will be in cvonversation with Prof. Alan Lester (Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Sussex and Co-editor of the Manchester University Press Studies in Imperialism series).
Date: 5th June, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM IST
Platform: Zoom Workplace
Join the Conversation
For a stimulating dialogue between two eminent scholars working at the intersection of colonial history, geography and vulnerability studies.
Registrations are open to all.
CC19 Translation Grant for
Non-Scheduled Languages 2026
Calcutta Comparatists 1919 (CC19) is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for the CC19 Translation Grant for Unclassified and/or Non-Scheduled Indian Languages for the 2026–2027 session.
India harbours 1,474 unclassified mother tongues beyond institutional recognition. While support remains confined to 22 scheduled languages, thousands of marginal linguistic communities persist outside scholarly circulation. CC19’s Translation Grant confronts this structural absence, prioritising translation into non-scheduled languages, restoring voice where systems have historically enforced silence.
Grant Amount: Rs. 12,000/- for the 2026–2027 Session
Eligibility: Any Indian individual translator, or a collaborative team of up to two translators.
Application Requirements:
- A one-page sample translation of the proposed text, along with the corresponding source text excerpt.
- A one-page CV per applicant (including address, mobile number, email, languages known, age, gender, mother tongue, and occupation).
- A declaration that the work is original and the translation is unpublished,
- Copyright permissions need not be submitted. CC19 will arrange necessary agreements.
All materials must be compiled into a single PDF and emailed to calcomparatists@gmail.com
Application Deadline: 30th June, 2026
PAST EVENTS
Lecture Series on the Fundamentals of Semiotics : Inaugural Session
The Calcutta Circle for Comparative Semiotics (C3S) and Calcutta Comparatists 1919 jointly present a lecture series engaging core concepts across Western semiotic traditions and Indian philosophical frameworks of signification. The day opens with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations, followed by an inaugural session on Semiotics and Linguistics.
Date: 19th March, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM
Venue: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Government College, New Town, West Bengal 700163
Attendance is free. Register via the QR code on the event poster.
MASTERCLASS on Literary Theory by Prof. Pramod K Nayar
Organised by Calcutta Comparatists 1919
Theory has long been treated as a locked room; jargon-heavy, inaccessible, reserved for the few. This masterclass breaks that door open. Prof Pramod K Nayar, UNESCO Chair in Vulnerability Studies, Senior Professor at the University of Hyderabad, and Distinguished Professor at IIT Hyderabad; brings ten intensive, live lectures to anyone willing to question how literature should be read, taught and understood.
The series is not a survey course. It is a direct confrontation with the fear of theory: what it means, why it matters and how it reshapes the way we make meaning from texts.
- General Participants ₹2,000
- CC19 Triennial Members ₹1,700
- CC19 Life Members ₹1,500
International Women's Day 2026 : Book Discussion
Calcutta Comparatists 1919 celebrated International Women’s Day with a conversation around Pahar Theke Meye Pachar, a compelling account of girl trafficking from the hills. Author Manjira Saha spoke with Shreya Dutta in an evening that brought urgent attention to the lives of survivors and the systems that fail them.
Dates: 9th March, 2026
Time: 8:00 PM
YouTube Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGN4DEdw-fs
Moving Scripts:
The Dancing Body as Text
Bivabaree Centre for Performing Arts, in collaboration with Calcutta Comparatists 1919 invites all to explore how the dancing body carries cultural memory, aesthetic philosophy and social semiotics across generations.
This two-day workshop traces Bengal’s dance evolution as a story of cultural synthesis, from classical traditions to contemporary creative expressions. It will illuminate how movement becomes language, how folk practices encode community knowledge, and how artistic innovation emerges from respectful engagement with tradition.
Dates: 28th February & 1st March, 2026 | Time: 11:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Venue: Bihangam, Naktala (Beside Gitanjali Metro Station)
Convenor: Dishari Mukherjee (Senior Diploma in Bharatanatyam; Trained in Kathakali, Rabindra Nritya, Gotipua, Chau & Kalaripayattu)
Deadline: 19th February, 2026 | 11:59 PM
Maidane Anubade Mahanagar : Translation Workshop and Translators' Meet
Calcutta Comparatists 1919, in collaboration with Goethe-Institut Kolkata and Anubad Patrika, invites you to Maidane Anubade Mahanagar; a unique open-air workshop at Kolkata’s iconic Maidan.
As winter gently fades, budding translators are invited to gather with seasoned practitioners to collectively translate poems on Kolkata, celebrating the city’s rich and living culture of translation in an informal and collaborative setting.
Students, translators, researchers and all translation enthusiasts are warmly welcome to join this celebration of the city and its multilingual imagination.
Come, translate the city together, on the Maidan.
Date: January 25, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Venue: Kolkata Maidan
Application Deadline: January 21, 2026
Internship Alert!
Calcutta Comparatists 1919 invites passionate and motivated individuals to become a part of our vibrant academic community. We are seeking interns who are eager to contribute to the world of comparative literature, literary studies and cross-cultural academic discourse.
Why this Internship Matters?
- Gain hands-on experience in academic event management.
- Develop transferable skills in project management, academic writing, and digital content creation.
- Build connections with academics, researchers, translators and fellow interns in the field of literary and interdisciplinary studies.
Who We’re Looking for
We welcome applications from undergraduate and postgraduate students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals with a strong interest in literature, cultural studies, or related fields. Whether you’re considering a career in academia, publishing, cultural management, or digital media, this internship offers valuable experience that will enhance your professional journey.
6th FOUNDATION DAY
We are delighted to invite all to commemorate the 6th anniversary of Calcutta Comparatists 1919.
Joining us are voiceover artist Deepanjan Ghosh & singer Debdeep Mukherjee.
Date: 6th September, 2025 (Saturday)
Time: 5:00 PM
Venue: Boys Own Library & Youngmen’s Institute
P-28, CIT Scheme, Beadon Street, Kolkata, West Bengal 700006.