Prof. Parul Dave Mukherjee
Dean of School of Arts & Aesthetics
is interviewed by one of our students, Manish.

Manish: Welcome from the JNU News and JNU Community. We would like to know more about your academic work.

Prof. Mukherjee: Thanks I have been working in the area of comparative aesthetics. I compare Indian and Western Aesthetics, and how we negotiate the differences in Indian and Western conceptions of aesthetics. We have our own traditional Sanskrit and regional aesthetics and theoretical framework to understand it. Aesthetics as a discipline is new to India and has been imported from the West, so there are allegation that the discipline has been derived from the West. In my work I have tried to establish Indian tradition in arts and aesthetics, and I have worked on theories of perception in aesthetics in India. I have worked on well known Indian texts on how to make images, Chitrasootra.

Manish: Baroda, Bhopal, Sagar, Allahabad, Varanasi and such cities were centre of arts and literature. Now the everything events move towards Delhi, from periphery to centre. You have also come to Delhi. What do you have to say about this?

Prof. Mukherjee: That's true. In the last two decades this tendency has developed and it is unfortunate for these places. This movement from periphery to centre is part of an ongoing process which has spread all over the world. Reasons are many, which cannot be explained here due to time and space constraints. But this tendency is a serious matter. For me, I could say that I have  come to Delhi for many of my professional engagements. I am associated with the International Association of Aesthetics and we are in the process of setting up of Indian Society of Aesthetics. I chose Delhi to be my base so that I can utilize my time and energies better.

Manish: You have come from Baroda, one of the biggest names in the Arts. How do you compare that with JNU?

Prof. Mukherjee: Yes, Baroda is a good name in Indian Arts; it has contributed to the beginning of new art history in India. It has been there for long time, its an old school. JNU is also the best name in humanities, it is relatively new. But comparisons on absolute terms are not possible. JNU has better students than Baroda, you always don't have to start from the scratch and they are critically engaged. I would like to say that infrastructure in JNU is the best in the field of Arts and Aesthetic. It is one place where visual and film media are under one roof.

Manish: What are your programmes for School of Arts and Aesthetics?

Prof. Mukherjee: We are planning for some Conferences; for long there hasn't been any big  conference in the School. Conference and seminars are integral part of academics; they channelise energies of students in proper direction. Digital Documentation Centre building is under construction and it will probably be ready by this year. It will facilitate the study of Arts and Aesthetics in the University. We are planning to have some short term courses for others students of the University also. It is also open to students of other centres : many students from different centres are attending classes in the School. I will be putting best of my efforts to take it forward as Dean.