English
Dr. Neeta Chakravarty, Associate Professor and Head
A recognized research guide with more than 20 yrs experience in undergraduate teaching and 15 yrs experience in postgraduate teaching, Dr. Neeta Chakravarty’s research interests include Postcolonial Literatures, Identity politics and American Literature. She has worked on genres of novel and drama and has applied theories of Postcolonialism, Postmodernism, Feminism, Cultural theory, New Historicism to different texts. Her Ph.D. thesis was on the topic “Novelists as Historiographers: Personal Representation of History in South Asian Fiction – A Study of Amitav Ghosh, Michael Ondaatje, Adib Khan and Tariq Ali”. She is fascinated by how literature intersects and interacts with varied subjects such as culinary aspects, corporeality, Literature interface with Social Studies and Cultural Studies Etc.
Sharmila Jajodia, Associate Professor
Her areas of interest include all aspects of human life-communication, human behavior, education, environment, social service and translation. She has worked on studying abnormal behaviour in Mahesh Dattani’s plays, existential trauma in Anita Desai’s novels, women’s search for self-identity and discovery in Namita Gokhale’s novels.
Philosophy
Dr. Amita Valmiki, Associate Professor and Head
Like the postmodern thinkers, the problem of ‘marginalized’ is very well tackled by the theistic mystic-saints of medieval India. As they pose relevant questions to ‘structured philosophy’, the gateway is open for marginalized; those who are out-casted due to rationalized, structured philosophy. They seem to be very close to the philosophy of ‘relativism’, ‘neo-Marxism’, ‘neo- pragmatism’ and ‘neo-existentialism’, at a particular juncture even ‘nihilistic philosophy’. They believed in deconstructing the ‘objective’ and ‘universal truth’. Their views are more like theistic existentialists or postmodernists those who open-handedly accepted the so-called marginalized. These mystic-saints criticized the belief that there is a universal subject of thought and history, which also includes the marginalized, those who are put out of mainstream society; those who are suppressed or considered different from mainstream society; and considered “low”. These marginalized comprised of economically backward, politically streamlined, religiously out-caste, socially oppressed, even in realm of gender; so the question is not just regarding women as low; but Dalit-women’s plight has been worst; and the LGBTQ community has not been looked at all.
The research will comprise of the solutions offered by these medieval mystic-saints of India; those who – in fact under the banner of bhakti (devotion) incorporated all the marginalized groups. Can the refugees (especially in contemporary times) be included in the marginalized groups? Can the mystic-saints’ philosophy offer the solution to their problems? What was the background from which the majority of these mystic-saints came from? Did they themselves experienced these problems and took refuge in the path of devotion?
Dr. Amita Valmiki’s research work concentrates on these theistic mystic-saints’ life and philosophy of medieval India and their offering a workable solution to the problem of marginalized people in India and Indian sub-continent in the contemporary times.
Hindi
Dr. Mithilesh Sharma, Assistant Professor and Head
She is a recognized research guide with more than 15yrs experience in undergraduate teaching and 15 yrs experience in postgraduate teaching. My research interests include Indian & western Poetics and Medieval & Modern Literature. She has worked on genres of novel and drama, Impact of Globalisation in Hindi Language, Feminism, Modern Cultural theory to different texts. Her Ph.D. thesis was on the topic “Bhartendu Yugin Kavyapravruttiyon mein Duttdvijendra ke Sahitya ka Anushilan” which has been published. She has also published few books as a co-writer like “Bhasha ke vividh roop aur Sanchar Madhyam’ and edited a book named ‘Ramvilas Sharma ki Sahitya Sadhana.
She has also done minor research projects on the topic ‘Bhumandalikaran aur Hindi’ which was sponsored by UGC and another minor research project ‘Mannu Bhandari ki Kahaniyon mein Naari Vaicharik Asamanjas’ which was sponsored by university of Mumbai. She has also published many research papers on various topics in different Journals and Books.
At present, five students, Ms. Shobha Joshi, Ms. Sarita Yadav, Ms. Reeta Singh, Ms. Rajani Mishra and Mr. Ashok Gupta are registered under her for Research Guidance. Ms. Shobha Joshi’s thesis on “Bhagwan Das Morwal ke Katha Sahitya ka Samaj Shastriya Anushilan” has been submitted in the University. Ms. Sarita Yadav is working on “Narendra Mohan ke naatakon mein Samvedna aur Shilp”. Ms. Reeta Singh is working on “Rahi Maasoom Raza ke upanyason mein Varnit Samaaj”. Ms. Rajani Mishra is working on “Uday Prakash ki Kahaniyon mein Varnit Samaaj”. Mr. Ashok Gupta is working on “Ikkisvi Sadi mein Mumbai ke Hindi Lokvrutt ka bhasik Anushilan”
Mathematics
Dr. Sanket Tikare, Assistant Professor
There are several natural phenomena that are hybrid in time components. Hybrid meaning sometimes continuous and sometimes discrete. For example, the plant grows continuously during the months of spring and summer, and they die at the beginning of autumn while the seeds remain in the ground. Then new plants grow from their seeds in a new season, giving rise to a non-overlapping population. Another example, the insects evolve continuously while in season and die out in winter while their eggs are incubating or dormant, and then hatch in a new season, giving rise to a non-overlapping population. To study such phenomena, dynamic equations on time scales play a vital role. The field of dynamic equations on time scales is a recently developed area. Dynamic equations, as a tool, are much more flexible and realistic in the study of continuous phenomena, discrete phenomena, as well as continuous-discrete time hybrid phenomena. This field has tremendous potential for applications. In fact, It has been found applicable in almost all areas including, economics, biology, physics, engineering.
Researchers are trying to investigate various qualitative and quantitative behaviour of such equations. Among these, the three most important questions that arise are as follows:
- Under what conditions does there exist a solution?
- Under what conditions does there exist a unique solution?
- Under what conditions are the solution stable?
There are various ways to answer these questions. The answer uses the method of approximations, dynamic inequalities, and fixed point theory, etc. Among available techniques, the method based on fixed points is more elegant and powerful. Currently, Dr. Sanket Tikare’s research centres around the qualitative and quantitative study of various dynamic equations on time scales via fixed point theory. In the near future, he is also interested in studying fractional differential equations in time scales setup.
Physics
Dr. Kiran Kolwankar, Associate Professor and Vice Principal
Our nature is full of very complex phenomena, be it the weather which is difficult to predict, or simply the trees swaying in apparently erratic manner or a chain of amino acids folding into a structure (protein) with a specific function. The examples are numerous. Usually, a common theme in these diverse situations is nonlinear and nonequilibrium behaviour of the system involved. Dr. Kiran Kolwankar attempts to understand the origin of the irregularity stemming from the nonlinearity or the deviation from the equilibrium or both.
At present, one student has submitted her thesis in which a nonlinear dynamical modeling was initiated in order to understand the swaying motion of trees. Another student is working on coupled nonlinear systems and the stationary densities arising out of these.
Development of calculus for fractals is another concurrent theme. Fractals are the highly irregular structures occurring in nature for which usual calculus fails to apply. Dr. Kiran Kolwankar is in the process of formulating a local fractional calculus with the aim of applying it to fractal structures and processes.
Dr. Vaishali Raikwar
Research areas: Luminescent nanomaterials, Phosphors for optoelectronic devices, Carbon dots and their composites, Synthesis and characterization
The luminescence phenomenon is found in nature to serve various purposes ranging from self-defence to attracting prey. Artificial luminescence curated carefully by researchers worldwide has various aspects and the utilities are myriad. Dr. Vaishali Raikwar works on luminescent materials, their optical and structural properties, and possible applications as optoelectronic devices. Her second interest is carbon nanomaterial has proven to be a boon in the materials field. To take advantage of their properties, the composites are formed with optical materials, and the feasibility of improvement in properties is studied.
