DR. TARANGINEE GUPTA
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Scholar of English Literature.
University educator.
Founder of Literature Lab Asia Pacific.
15+
Years Teaching
11
Years of Doctoral Research
10+
Academic Publications
20+
Conference Presentations
3
Keynote
Addresses
Doctoral Research
My doctoral research was devoted to the study of postmodern theory, exploring the philosophical and literary frameworks of thinkers such as Jean-François Lyotard, Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler and Linda Hutcheon before examining their resonance within twenty-first century Indian English fiction.
Through the lens of mythography, historiographic metafiction and deconstruction the research investigated how contemporary writers dismantle grand narratives, recover marginalised voices and continually renegotiate the relationship between myth, history and identity.
THE HOUSE OF LITERATURE LAB
THE DISCIPLINE
My relationship with English Literature began early, when my mother first introduced me to the poetry of John Keats and William Wordsworth. What began as a fascination with poetry soon became a private world of reading and writing; as a teenager, I wrote poems constantly and found myself drawn to language as a way of understanding both the self and the world.
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At fifteen, during a visit to the ISKCON temple in Mumbai, a book titled Thoughts and Synthesis on Science and Religion caught my eye in their collection. Around the same time, my school’s Scholastic book fairs opened another doorway into reading.
These early encounters shaped the beginning of a lifelong relationship with books, ideas and interpretation, one that eventually became the centre of my academic life.
THE CLASSROOM
For nearly a decade, I taught at Mithibai College, Mumbai, where my classrooms included M.A. English, World Literature, Theatre and Communication for undergraduate students. Some of my most formative teaching years began at seven in the morning, in classrooms of sixty students from across India, each bringing their own language, background, confidence, hesitation and strong opinions.
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Those years were rigorous and deeply alive. They involved lectures, exam preparation, paper correction, intense classroom discussions and the daily challenge of thinking quickly, defending a point, clarifying an argument and convincing students through the strength of an idea. They tested my promptness, my patience and my ability to make complex thought accessible without diluting it.
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I loved those days.
THE HOUSE OF LITERATURE LAB
Literature Lab Asia Pacific began in a very organic way. It started with B.A. students who wanted to understand Linguistics, a complex grammar paper that many found difficult at the time. What began with one paper soon expanded to other B.A. English courses, as more students came seeking clarity, structure and serious academic support.
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While I was in my first year of M.A. English, I was already teaching B.A. final-year students. By my second year, I began mentoring students just a year below me. As a college topper and medalist, and later as visiting faculty at Mithibai College, the work continued to grow through word of mouth. Students from different colleges across Mumbai began coming to me for English Literature classes.
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There was no formal launch, no grand announcement and no commercial plan at the beginning. Literature Lab grew because students kept coming, learning, recommending and staying connected. Many of those early students remain part of my academic circle, well-wishers and, in some cases, core members of the Literature Lab team today.
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In that sense, LLAP was built not as a business first, but as a community of learning, one shaped by trust, intellectual seriousness and the enduring relationships that good teaching creates.
Academic Contributions
Published Work
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Protesting the Metanarratives: Mythography in the Works of Devdutt Pattanaik and Anand Neelakantan
International Journal of Innovative Knowledge Concept · Special Issue on Literature and Protest · UGC-recognised journal · 2018. -
Reiterating Mythology: Indian English Writing’s Inclination Towards Mythography in the 21st Century
Published in the proceedings of the National Conference on Languages and Literatures of India · Somaiya Vidyavihar · 2018. -
Un-veiling the Peripheries in Persepolis: Marginalisation in Marjane Satrapi’s Graphic Novel
Published paper on Persepolis, subalternity and marginalisation. -
Saptak to Clef: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — Impact of Globalisation on Indian Classical Instrumental Music
Published paper on literature, globalisation and Indian classical instrumental music. -
Beat the Drum Again: Revisiting Grass’s The Tin Drum Through a Postmodern Lens
Published paper presented at the International Conference on Innovations in Social Sciences, Interventions, Challenges and Future Trends · 2021. -
Through the Lens of Violence: An Inquiry into the Personal and Political Dimensions in Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis and Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus
Ahad Lok · UGC-CARE Listed, Peer-reviewed Journal · 2023.
Conference Presentations
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Reiterating Mythology: Indian English Writing’s Inclination Towards Mythography in the 21st Century | National Conference on Languages and Literatures of India · Somaiya Vidyavihar, Mumbai · 2018
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Protesting the Innovative: Mythography in the Works of Divakaruni and Neelakantan | International Seminar on Literature and Protest · University of Mumbai · 2018
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Un-veiling the Peripheries in Persepolis: Marginalisation in Marjane Satrapi’s Graphic Novel | International Seminar on Literature and Marginalization · University of Mumbai · 2018
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Saptak to Clef: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — Impact of Globalisation on Indian Classical Instrumental Music | International Seminar on Literature and Globalization · University of Mumbai · 2018
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Beat the Drum Again: Revisiting Grass’s The Tin Drum Through a Postmodern Lens | International Conference on Innovations in Social Sciences, Interventions, Challenges and Future Trends · 2021
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Breaking Boundaries and Defying Conventions: A Postmodern Study of the Subversion of Genre in American Born Chinese | One Day International Seminar on English Language, Literature and Culture · 2023
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Through the Lens of Violence: Personal and Political Dimensions in Persepolis and Purple Hibiscus | International Multidisciplinary Conference on Representation of Violence in Literature and Media · Reva University · 2023
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#Hashtag, Now Trending: Myths and Mythologies | National Seminar on Socio-Cultural and Political Perspectives in Indo-Anglian Fiction · 2021
Keynotes & Invited Talks
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Resource Person / Keynote Speaker | National Webinar on Myths and Mythology
Dr. Ambedkar College, Nagpur · 2020 -
Myths and Mythology in Indian English Novels | Recorded academic webinar / YouTube session
Dr. Ambedkar College, Nagpur · 2020 -
Invited Academic Session | First Glance at Research
Mithibai Research Club · 2022
Professional Development & Academic Engagements
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HarvardX / edX
Hinduism Through Its Scriptures -
Waseda University / edX
Japanese Literature and Culture -
IB Professional Development Workshops
International curriculum and assessment training -
Approaches to Teaching Contemporary Poetry
Academic webinar participation · 2020 -
Relearning Shakespeare
National webinar participation · 2020 -
Use of Indian Myths in Select Plays of Girish Karnad
Academic webinar participation · 2020 -
National Level Literary E-Quiz on George Orwell
Certificate of Merit · 92%