Best Practice: MEET THE AUTHOR

1.    Objectives:
            i.    To create opportunity for the students and teachers to interact with prominent writers, creative authors, artists, critics, etc. 
            ii.    To help the students understand the creative process behind the body of his/her work.
            iii.    To help the students understand the author and his/her work in proper socio-political, cultural and ideological perspective.
            iv.    To motivate the students to meet the authors, and read extensively about these writers and their contemporaries and also to motivate a few of them to embark on their own creative journey.  

2.    Context
M. A. English syllabus prescribes some classics from various Languages and Literatures. Sometime reading of the text and traditional way of teaching of the text have some limitations. The Department believes that by meeting the author in person and the interactions that fallow are far more effective and helpful to them to understand the work and the issues. And hence, the Department makes it a point to invite at least one creative author or an artist or a critic and encourage the students to interact with them. 

3.    Practice
Every year, a renowned personality either a creative writer, critic or an artist is identified for the “Meet the Author” activity.
The students are encouraged to get background information about the author and his literary oeuvre so as to bring about meaningful interaction. The students read the author’s representative works. They are shown related movies/film adaptations that are available on the author and on the text in the Department. The teachers also make it a point to conduct pre-activity discussions on the text and the author. 
On the day of the activity the author delivers his talk and then it is followed by a question-answers session in which students and teachers actively participate.     
After the activity the students are encouraged to remain updated about the author’s creative output. 

4.    Evidence of Success
The activity started in the early 1970s. During these five decade the following authors, writers, linguists visited the Department: