Chaithanya Elsa Achankunju
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Mar Thoma College for Women, Perumbavoor
Mob: +91 9567062075
E-mail: chaithanya.e@marthomacollege.ac.in
An optimistic and purposeful individual passionate about life!
EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION
- Registered for Part Time Research at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam
- UGC-NET in 2013
- M. A. English Language and Literature, Madras Christian College (Autonomous), Chennai, 2008-2010
- B. A. English Language and Literature, Madras Christian College (Autonomous), Chennai, 2005-2008
ADDITIONAL COURSES/ DISSERTATION
- NPTEL Online Certification on completing the course on Vulnerability Studies: an Introduction (8-week course), 2025
- NPTEL Online Certification on completing the course on Ecology and Society (12-week course), 2024
- NPTEL Online Certification on completing the course on Effective Writing (4-week course), 2024
- Certificate Course in Intersectionality Studies (60-hour course) offered by Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, 2024
- Introduction to Psychology offered by Yale University via Coursera
- Participated in Queen’s India Welcome Scheme, at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K., and submitted a paper on ‘’Ideologies of Empire in J. G. Farrell’s The Siege of Krishnapur’ in 2010.
- Diploma in Computer Applications offered by MCC School of Continuing Education, Chennai
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Assistant Professor, Department of English, Mar Thoma College for Women, Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, since January 2014
- Assistant Professor in charge of Head, Department of English, Mar Thoma College for Women, Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, from 01 June 2019 -31 May 2023
- Lecturer in English, College of Applied Science, IHRD, Mallappally. 2012-2013
PUBLICATIONS
- Women and Power in Gods, Graves and Grandmother published in Mapping Territories (Critical Insights into Post-Independence Indian Writing in English) ISBN : 978-93-81208-05-2, published by the PG & Research Department of English, Madras Christian College, Chennai, 2012.
MEMBERSHIP IN ACADEMIC BODIES
- Member of Board of Studies, Department of English, U.C. College (Autonomous), Aluva.
- Member, Indian Network for Memory Studies (INMS), the first national network for scholars in Memory Studies in Asia, associated with Centre for Memory Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras under the aegis of the Memory Studies Association (INMS Member ID is INMS_165)
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
- Received Certificate of Appreciation from Institute of Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Kerala for being the Co-ordinator of Model Parliament Competition conducted during the year 2018-19.
- Received N.S.S. Programme Officer (2015-’18) Certificate from M.G. University, Kottayam
- Craig Memorial Prize English Part II in 2007( Madras Christian College).
- Dr. J. Russell Macphail Prize English Part III in 2009 ( Madras Christian College).
- Rev. William Stevenson Endowment English Part III in 2009 ( Madras Christian College).
PAPER PRESENTATIONS
- ‘Politics of Governmentality and Power Amplifying Vulnerability in The Plague Upon Us’ at the National Conference on “At the Faultlines of Survival: Reading Vulnerability and Precarity in Contemporary Indian Narratives’’ organised by the Department of English in association with College Development Council, Mahatma Gandhi University, Mar Thoma Research Foundation and IQAC from 04-05, 2025.
- ‘Re-establishing Ecological Identity: an Intersection of Memory and ecological Restoration in Shella Tomy’s Valli’ at the International Conference on “Memory, Security and Sustainability” organised by the Centre for Memory Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai, from 16-18 September 2024.
- ‘Environment Rights, Political Policies, Women in The Four Winds’ in the two-day International Seminar on “Beyond the Word: Navigating the Frontiers of English Literature” at St. Xavier’s College, Aluva organised by Post graduate and Research Departments of English, St. Xavier’s College Aluva and Sree Sankara College, Kalady on 19 February 2024.
- ‘The Incongruity Between Physical State and Remembrance in The Last Gift’ in the Dan Thottakkara Memorial National Seminar 2022 organised by the Department of English and Centre for Research, S. H. College, Thevara in collaboration with the School of Letters, M.G. University, Kottayam on 26 September 2022.
- ‘The Nexus between food, memories and identity in The Householder’ at the Food, Memory, Machines Workshop organized by the Indian Network for Memory Studies in association with the Centre for Memory Studies and Office of Global Engagement, IIT Madras, 17-20 August 2021.
- ‘The Interface between the local and the global in The Gun Island’ at the National Seminar on “Critical Theory and Ecological Connectedness” at BCM College, Kottayam in December 2019.
- ‘Postmodern dismantling of images of gender in popular television programmes’ at the UGC Sponsored National Seminar at Newman College, Thodupuzha, 31 July 2015.
- ‘Developing Overall Communication Skills’ at the National Conference organized by the Department of Languages, Hindustan University in collaboration with NTS-INDIA, Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, on Testing and Evaluation of Communication Skills at Hindustan University, Chennai, 2013.
- ‘Women and Power in Gods, Graves and Grandmother’ at the UGC Sponsored National Conference at Madras Christian College, Chennai in 2012.
- ‘Eco critical Reading of Emerson’s “The Rhodora’, Bharathi Women’s College, Chennai in 2010.
- ‘Pantheistic Reading of D.H Lawrence’s Snake ‘at the IV International Conference of Organisation for Studies in Literature and Ecology- India, National College, Tiruchirapalli in 2009.
RESOURCE PERSON/ MODERATOR:
- Delivered a talk on ‘Empathy and Respect’ as part of Transitional Curriculum Programme on 13 November 2024 at Nangelil Ayurveda Medical College, Kothamangalam
- Delivered a lecture on An Introduction to Memory Studies in the online Invited Lecture organised by S.D. College, Alappuzha on 30 May 2024
- Chaired an online session of paper presentations in the Two-day International Seminar on Beyond the Word: Navigating the Frontiers of English Literature organised by Postgraduate and Research Departments of English, St. Xavier’s College Aluva and Sree Sankara College, Kalady on 20 February 2024.
- Served as Resource Person for Transitional Curriculum Orientation Class on Empathy and Respecting Conduct for newly admitted BAMS students, at Nangeli Ayurveda Medical College, Kothamangalam on 16 November 2023
- Served as Resource person for Soft Skill Training as part of the Induction Programme Transitional Curriculum 2023, at Nangeli Ayurveda Medical College, Kothamangalam on 03 March 2023
- Delivered a talk on Theatre of the Absurd in an Invited Lecture organized by the Departments of English, Golaghat Commerce College, Golaghat in association with Don Bosco College, Golaghat, Assam on 18 June 2022
- Delivered a talk on Youth Subcultures: A Discourse on Confrontations and Counterblasts in the National Webinar titled Translating Boundaries: Nation, Culture and Bodies organised by Department of English in association with IQAC, Sacred Heart College, Chalakudy on 24 March 2021.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Member, IQAC
- Assistant Professor in charge of Head
- Faculty in Charge, Women Cell
- Senior Faculty Advisor (FYUGP), Department of English
- Coordinator, Snehasparsaham
- Coordinator of NAAC Visit Arrangements
- Staff Secretary
- Coordinator, Readers’ Cub
- Secretary, College Council
- Staff Advisor to College Union
- Faculty in Charge, Student Christian Movement
- Member, Grievance Redressal Cell
- Exam Coordinator
- Secretary, Department Council
- Faculty in Charge, English Association
- Member, Library Advisory Committee
- Coordinator, FDP, organized by Department of English in association with UGC-STRIDE, M.G. University, Kottayam
- Coordinator, Parliament Literacy Club
- Coordinator, Scholar Support Programme
- Mentor, Walk With a Scholar
- Programme Officer, National Service Scheme
PARTICIPATION IN FDPs/ SEMINARS/ CONFERENCES/ WORKSHOPS
- Attended a Seven Day FDP on Environmental Humanities in Practice: Integrating Research and Practice organised by Christ (Deemed to be University), Delhi, from 18-24 June, 2024
- Participated in an online lecture on ‘Mandals of Time: A Conversation with the Poet’ by Prof. Malashri Lal, Professor of English(Retd.), University of Delhi organised by Centre for Memory Studies, IIT Madras in association with Indian Network for Memory Studies
- Online Faculty Development Programme on Outcome Based Education organised by Nirmala College Muvattupuzha in association with Kerala Higher Education Council from 10-17 May 2022.
- Attended an online lecture by Dr. Deepesh Chandrasekharan on Bending the Rules in Academic Writing: The Curious Struggle of a PhD Thesis in South Asia on ELT organized by English Language Studies in South Asia (ELSSA), in collaboration with English Language Teachers’ Interaction Forum (ELTIF), on 19 February 2022.
- Participated in IP Awareness/Training programme under National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission organised by Intellectual Property Office, India on January 18,2022
- Participated in a Faculty Development Programme in English Studies “Re-Energising Research: Interdisciplinary and Transcultural Approaches to Indian Literature’’ held from 1-14 August 2021, organized by Teaching Learning Centre, Ramanujan College under the aegis of PMMNMTT, Ministry Of Education, Government of India
- Participated in the Interactive and the Activity-Oriented 5-day Online Faculty Development Programme on ‘’How Can Teachers Make a Difference?” organized jointly by IQAC, The Cochin College, Kochi and Teaching Learning Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in association with Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam from 26- 30 July 2021.
- Participated in the Faculty Development Programme on Edu. Tech Hands on Online Workshop conducted by the Faculty Development Centre of the Kerala State Higher Education Council, Thiruvananthapuram from 23-28 June 2021.
- One week Faculty Development Programme on Innovation And Entrepreneurship Development organized under UGC – Scheme for Trans – Disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy (UGC-STRIDE), Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala in association with Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Centre (IEDC), K.E College, Mannanam, from 15 to 21 April 2021
- National Webinar on Coming out and Leaving the Closet Behind: Dismantling Gender in the Times of Social Polarisation organised by the Department of English, Mar Thoma College for Women, Perumbavoor, on 02 February, 2021.
- National Webinar on Imagining Justice In Postcolonial Indian Literature conducted by the Research Forum, Department of English, Mar Thoma College for Women, Perumbavoor, on 15 February 2021.
- Webinar on Sophia Nobel Oration in Literature entitled The Nobel Everydayness of Louis Gluck organised by Department of English, Sophia College, Mumbai, under the aegis of RUSA, on 11 February 2021.
- Webinar Series on Negotiating Gender: Critical Perspectives , Session 1: Reading Gender in Literature organised by the Department of English, Government College, Kottayam on 23 January 2021.
- Two week FDP/ Refresher Course on Blended Learning: Alternative Dimensions organised by the Teaching Learning Centre, Ramanujan College, New Delhi under the aegis of PMMNMTT, Ministry Of Education, Government of India from 12-29 January 2021.
- Lecture I Is Love Gendered? in a Webinar series organised by the Department of English Mar Athanasius College, Kothamangalam on 10 October 2020.
- Short- Term Online Course on Intersection of Philosophy and Literary Theory organised by Research and Post Graduate Department of English in association with IQAC, Kalady from 10-26 September 2020.
- Orientation Programme at UGC-HRDC, University of Hyderabad from 27 June to 17 July, 2019.
- E Tools Development Workshop organized by FLAIR Programme aimed at developing e Toolkit for language development from 27th to 28th February 2017 at the Maria Rani Training Centre, Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram.
- Capacity Buiding Workshop for Faculty members of Scholar Support Programme on 07 January 2017 at Nirmala Collge, Muvattupuzha.
- FLAIR Induction Training Programme from 13.10.2016 to 15.10.2016 at Ashir Bhavan, Ernakulam.
- Participated in the workshop for College teachers organized by St. Thomas College, Kozhencherry on 21 May 2016
- Orientation Course (Residential) for NSS Programme Officers at Empanelled Training Institution (ETI) For NSS, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kalamassery Campus from 3 – 9 September 2015.
- Attended the Induction Programme for new teachers on “How to Go Ahead in their Career” led by Dr. Rajan Varughese, Principal, MCMAT, Perumbavoor, on 25 March, 2014.
- Attended Human Values Development Programme at AiSAT.
