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Bindu Puri

Bindu Puri
Bindu Puri
Professor
Centre/School/Special Centre
Centre for Philosophy,
School of Social Sciences
Room No
309, SSS-I
Off. Phone
011-26704580/8996/8971
Residence
011-26741084
Email
bindupuri[at]mail[dot]jnu[dot]ac[dot]in, drbindupuri11[at]yahoo[dot]com
Personal Webpage
https://jnu.ac.in/Faculty/bindupuri/cv.pdf
Qualifications

Ph.D. in Philosophy, University of Delhi, Delhi, Title of thesis: “Gandhi’s Conception of Morality: A Philosophical Study.”

M.Phil. in Philosophy, University of Delhi, for the thesis: “Language, Identity and Meaning.” Marks obtained: 265/400 (66%).

M.A in Philosophy, 1989, St. Stephens College, University of Delhi, Delhi. Marks obtained: 1131/1600 (71%); first position in the University.

B.A. (Hons.) in Philosophy, 1987, Lady Sri Ram College, University of Delhi, Delhi. Marks obtained: 517/800 (65%), first position in the University.

Areas of Interest/Specialization

Contemporary Indian philosophy with special interest in Gandhi, Tagore, Ambedkar and Sri Aurobindo. Interested in problems and issues in social and political philosophy and moral philosophy.

Experience

1. TEACHING: Over thirty years of undergraduate/postgraduate teaching in India. Lecturer (temporary) at Indraprastha College, University of Delhi from 1.8.1989 to 13.8.1990. Lecturer (ad Hoc) at lady Sri Ram college, University of Delhi at various periods between 22.8.1991 to 24.3.1992. Lecturer (ad Hoc) at Kamala Nehru college, University of Delhi at various periods between 7.8.1996 and 8.4.1997. Lecturer (temporary) at Kamala Nehru college, University of Delhi between 29.07.1997 to 31.05.1998. Lecturer (permanent) at Kamala Nehru college, University of Delhi between 01.06. 1998 to 27.5.2004. Reader at Kamala Nehru college, University of Delhi between 28.5.2004 to 03.05.2005. Reader at department of philosophy (South Campus), University of Delhi between 04. 05.2005 to 3-5-2008. Associate Professor at department of philosophy (South Campus), University of Delhi between 4-5-2008 to 3-5-2011. Professor at department of philosophy (South Campus), University of Delhi between 4.5.2011 to 31.10.2015. Professor at Centre for philosophy, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi from 02.11. 2015 to Present.

2. FACULTY SERVICE AT JNU (SELECTED): Chairperson of the Centre for Philosophy, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University from 27 February 2017 for a period of two years. Member, Animal Birth Committee, JNU from 11 May 2018 for a period of two years. Chairperson of the Centre for Philosophy, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University from 27 February 2019 for a period of two years. Member, Court of JNU for a period of two years from 2019 to 2021. Appointed as a member of a high-level committee for NAAC accreditation renewal of JNU for 3rd Cycle i.e., April 2022. Appointed, a member of subcommittee for NAAC criteria 5 at JNU for student support and progression in June 2022. Appointed, a member of the committee for expediting the overall process of CAS cases at JNU i.e., 19/09/2022. Appointed, a member of the Advisory Committee on admissions at JNU w.e.f. 14.09.2022. Appointed a member of the Academic Calendar Committee at JNU w.e.f. 27.09.2022.

3. NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC SERVICE (SELECTED):  Jury Member for the ‘Gandhian Philosophy and Public Service Broadcasting Awards’ for the years of 2005, 2006 and 2007 and 2019. Member of the jury constituted by the National Human Rights Commission to award the Mahatma Gandhi Biennial Hindi writing awards for the year 2016-17. Served as Member of selection Committees as a subject expert at numerous occasions at universities and IIT’s. Member on the Academic Committee of the Army Cadet College, Indian Military Academy, Dehradun between 2017-2019. Member of the Academic Committee of Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie from September 2022-2024.  Member, Board of Studies in Philosophy at North Eastern Hill University Shillong for a period of three years i.e., 18.11.2020. External Member, Advisory Academic Council for the National Resource Centre, on “Human Rights, Environment and Ethics” Ramanujan College, University of Delhi on w.e.f May 2018. Served on the UGC Expert committee for on-the-spot-inspection of the Chetana’s Hazarimal Somani college of commerce and Economics, Smt. Kusumtai College of Arts, Survey No. 341, Bandra East, Mumbai affiliated to University of Mumbai for the grant of fresh autonomous status in May 2022. Occasional evaluator/examiner of many Ph.D. and M.Phil. theses. Occasional reviewer for journals: Sophia, Philosophia, Journal of Dharma studies, The Journal of the Indian Council for Philosophical Research. Occasional reviewer for academic presses: Springer, Oxford University Press India, Bloomsbury Academic India, Routledge India, Taylor & Francis Group. Occasional reviewer for ICPR and ICSSR fellowships and projects. Occasional reviewer for programs/fellowships/scholarships and grants by the Shastri Indo Canadian Institute.

4. ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION OUTSIDE JNU (SELECTED): Teacher-in-Charge, Department of Philosophy (South Campus), University of Delhi from April 2006-November 2015. Member, Governing Body of Gandhi Bhavan, University of Delhi, from 2006 – 2008. Was re-nominated member of the same body from 2008-2010. E.C. Nominee on the Managing Committee of University Hostel for women, University of Delhi, for a term of two years w.e.f 22 January 2015. Member, Governing Body of Aditi Mahavidyalaya, University of Delhi, for a period of one year from 9.3.2015. This membership was extended for one more year and I continued as Chairperson till October 2016. Chairperson, Governing Body of Aditi Mahavidyalaya college, University of Delhi from 31 March 2015 to October 2016.

Awards & Honours

1. ACADEMIC HONOURS (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER):

Indian Philosophical Congress Medal, 1987, Best Student in Philosophy Award, Lady Sri Ram College (first position in the University as well as in the College) for three years from 1984-85 to 86-87. Academic Excellence Award in Lady Sri Ram College for the year 1987. Indian Philosophical Congress Medal for the year 1989 for best performance in the MA Examination in Philosophy. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Medal in 1989 for being the best candidate in the M.A. Examination in the subjects English, History and Philosophy. N. V. Banerjee Prize in 1989 for being the best candidate in the M.A examinations in Philosophy and Psychology. N. V. Thadani Memorial Prize in 1989 for being the candidate who secured the highest marks in the paper on “Indian Philosophy” in the M.A. Examination of 1989. Second Prize for the essay entitled, “Philosophy and Social Studies” at the national level “Essay Competition-cum-Young Scholars meet” conducted by the Indian Council of Philosophical Research in 1991.

2. FELLOWSHIPS/HONORS (SELECTED)

Appointed a Non-Resident Fellow of the Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne w.e.f 11 January 2022.

Appointed Sugden fellow by the Queens college university of Melbourne for the year 2023.

Visiting fellow at the Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne in 2023.

International Collaboration/Consultancy

i. EDITORIAL BOARDS

Member of editorial Boards for higher education journals including on the International Editorial Board, for prestigious journals of Philosophy, published by Springer- Sophia since 2014; Philosophia since 2022.

ii. INVITED ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES (SELECTED):

Presented over 40 papers at international conferences in India and outside India including the following:

  1. Presented a paper on “Gandhi’s Translation of the Apologia; A Dialogue with Socrates” at an international conference on “A Transcultural Exploration of Ethics: A Dialogue between Western and Indian Traditions” organised by the Department of Philosophy, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. This conference was held on the 23 and 24 of June 2009 at Ottawa.
  2. Presented a paper entitled “Gandhian secularism; A possible re-construction” on September 24, 2010, at an international seminar on “Multiculturalism and Religious Identity” organised by the department of Philosophy University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, held from 23-25 September 2010 at Ottawa, Canada.
  3. Presented a paper entitled “Human Rights; Liberalism and Gandhi” at the international seminar on “Human Rights” by the Department of Philosophy at Carleton University Canada, from 12 to 14 July 2012.
  4. Presentation on February 18th, 2013 entitled “Living With Religious Diversity; Three Challenging questions Introductory Remarks” for the international seminar on “Living With Religious Diversity” held at the IIC New Delhi from February 18th -19th, 2013. The seminar was supported by the University of Ottawa Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the India International Centre New Delhi.
  5. Presented a paper on 9 July 2013 entitled “The Great Tapasvi-The ethics of Gandhian Politics. Ram Rajya Swaraj and Tapasya” at the international conference being organized jointly by the Society for Asian and comparative Philosophy (SACP) and the Australasian Society for Asian and comparative Philosophy (ASCAP). This conference was organized at the department of Philosophy National University of Singapore from 8 to 10 July 2013.
  6. Presented a paper entitled “The Gandhi Tagore debate-Truth Untruth and swarajya” at the International Symposium on “Convergences and Divergences: The Gandhi-Tagore Correspondence”. The symposium was organized by Professor Akeel Bilgrami, Department of Philosophy, University of California at Bangalore. It was supported by the Shrishti school of Art Design and Technology, Bangalore and the Indian council of Philosophical research, held on 26 and 27 December 2013.
  7. Presented a paper on 28 September 2017 at the inaugural session entitled "Faith and Reason: Gandhi's Re-interpretations and the Bhagavad Gita" at an international seminar on “Cross-cultural perspectives on Reason religion and faith”. The seminar was supported by the Department of Philosophy University of Ottawa and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada held at the Department of Philosophy University of Ottawa on 28 and 29 September 2017 in Ottawa, Canada.
  8. Presented a paper on “Gandhi and Tagore: On diversity” on 8 January 2020 at the inaugural session of the International Research workshop on Indian conceptions of Multiculturalism at IIT Tirupati on 8 and 9 January 2020.

iii.INVITED INTERNATIONAL LECTURES (SELECTED):

  1. Spoke on “Kant and the purity of the moral life “at the International Book Fair at Frankfurt on 6 October 2006, at a panel discussion on the two volumes “Essays on the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant” edited by Bindu Puri and Heiko Sievers. The discussion was held at the pavilion of the Goethe Institute, Germany.
  2. Delivered the ‘Carleton Philosophy Colloquium’ on “Re-constructing a paradox in Liberalism; A Gandhian Perspective” on23 September 2010 at the Department of Philosophy, University of Carleton, Ottawa, Canada.
  3. Invited to deliver a lecture as part of the series entitled “Public conference” by the Departments of Religious studies and Philosophy at the University of Ottawa Canada. The lecture entitled, “Gandhi: Violence and Non-violence in the context of the Bhagavad-Gita” was delivered on Wednesday September 22, 2010, in the Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa, Canada.
  4. Delivered the annual M K Gandhi Lecture on Peace and the Humanities organized by the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Council of Ottawa at Carleton University Canada on October 1, 2017. The lecture was on “Samadarshana and samabhava: Gandhi on the plurality of religions”.
  5. Delivered the Hastings lecture at the University of Mount Allison, Sackville, Canada on October 2, 2017. This was a public lecture on “Gandhi and the good human Life-Dayadharma and the great Tapasvi”.
  6. Delivered the Johnson lecture at the University of Mount Allison, Sackville, Canada on October 3, 2017. This was on “The Gandhi Tagore debate-The nature of Truth and possible sources of Untruth”.
  7. Invited by the Australia India Institute to be a speaker in a Podcast celebrating the life and contributions of Mahatma Gandhi. The theme was ‘The Significance of Satyagraha – The legacy of Gandhi’s peace movement’. The podcast was recorded on 4 October 2021 in the form of a question answer session with the Hon Lisa Singh former senator Government of Australia.
  8. Invited by the Australia India Institute to be a speaker in a Podcast celebrating the life and contributions of Rabindranath Tagore. The podcast entitled “Love and Tagore: Home and the World’ was recorded on 22 August 2022 in the form of a question answer session with the Hon. Lisa Singh former senator Government of Australia.
  9. Delivered the annual Sugden Oration 2023 at Queen’s college, university of Melbourne on Thursday 27 April 2023. The lecture was entitled “Gandhi on Truth and non-violence”.
  10. Invited to speak on “Gandhi and the good Human Life” in conversation with the Hon. Lisa Singh CEO of the Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne on 20 April 2023.
  11. Delivered a lecture on “Gandhi’s alternative understanding of justice: A unilateral duty of deference” at the Asian law centre of the Melbourne Law school, university of Melbourne on 2 May 2023.
  12. Invited to speak at the Fellows dinner, Queen’s college, University of Melbourne on 3 May 2023. Spoke on “Rabindranath Tagore on an education for intercultural understanding”.
Best Peer Reviewed Publications

i.  26 peer reviewed papers in journals, a few are mentioned below.

  1. Puri, Bindu (1998) “Morality, Religion and Politics in Gandhi”, Studies in Humanities and Social sciences, IIAS Shimla, Vol. V, No.1i., pp. 87-112, 1998. (ISSN: 0972-1401)
  2. Puri, Bindu (2005) “Zarathustra Phronesis and an Alternative Understanding of Human Rights” published in volume 6: 3/4, fall 2005 and 7:1/2 spring 2006, New Nietzsche studies, The Journal of the Nietzsche Society, University of Fordham, New York, and USA. pp 23-34. [ISSN: 1091-0239 (Print) 2153-8417 (Web)]
  3. Puri, Bindu (2009) “Gandhi’s Translation of Plato’s Apologia; a Dialogue with Socrates”, Journal of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, Vol 26 (2) New, April-June 2009. pp 47-72. (ISSN: 0970-7794)
  4. Puri, Bindu (2011) “The Self and the Other: Liberalism and Gandhi published” Philosophia 39 (4): 673-698 (2011) (E-offprint) ISSN0048-3893 Philosophia DO1 10.1007/s11406-011-9323-8.
  5. Puri, Bindu (2013) “Tagore: Recovering Swaraj in Ideas”, Journal of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research, special issue on Tagore (Guest Editor Goutam Biswas) Volume XXVIII Number1 January-March 2011. pp 85-114. (ISSN: 0970-7794)
  6. Puri, Bindu (2013) “Freedom and the Dynamics of the Self and the ‘Other’”; Re-constructing the Debate between Tagore and Gandhi” (SOPH450) Sophia. International Journal of Philosophy and Traditions. Sophia 52 (2): 335-357, 2013. (ISSN: 0038-1527 print Version).
  7. Puri, Bindu (2014) “Finding reasons for being Reasonable: Interrogating Rawls” Sophia (Springer) Vol. 54, Issue 2, pp. 117-141 (online in May 2014), June 2015. (ISSN 0038-1527).
  8. Puri, Bindu (2015) “The Philosophy behind Gandhi’s Practice: A Review discussion of Gandhi and the Stoics. Modern Experiments on Ancient Values and Gandhi Before India”. Sophia: Volume 54, Issue 3 (2015), Page 385-390.Electronically available on SpringerLink:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11841-015-0484-y.
  9. Puri, Bindu (2016) “Gandhi and Tagore on the idea of the Surplus Creativity and Freedom: In conversation with Richard Sorabji” Sophia (Springer), 2016 55 (4), pp. 563-572 (First online edition 13.06.2016, p. 1-10. (DOI: 10.1007/s11841-016-0531-3).
  10. Puri, Bindu (2019) “Faith and Reason: An alternative Gandhian Understanding”, Journal of Dharma Studies 2(2) 199-219, 1-21 (Springer ISSN 25220926 e version-25220934). DOI 10.1007/s42240-019-00048-9
  11. Puri, Bindu (2020) “Absolute Equality and Absolute Difference: Gandhi on the Plurality of Religions” Philosophia 48, 727–742 (2020). (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11406-019-00136-x)
  12. Puri, Bindu “Satyagraha and swaraj: Equality before freedom” invited contribution to the American philosophical association’s Special Spring 2022 issue “APA Studies on Asian and Asian American Philosophers and Philosophies.” Vol 22, no.1.ISSN 2834-4413.

ii.Book Chapters:

I have published 31 chapters in books a select few are as below:

  1. Puri, Bindu (2001) “Indian Nationalism, the Hindu Argument: Savarkar and Gandhi” in Bindu Puri (edited), Mahatma Gandhi and His Contemporaries, New Delhi, IIAS, 2001.Pages 154-176. (ISBN: 8179860280, 9788179860281).
  2. Puri, Bindu (2006) “Kant on Happiness, Friendship and Inclination; An Aristotelian Critique” in Bindu Puri and Heiko Sievers (editors), Reason Morality and Beauty: Essays on the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Oxford University Press, India.2006. Pages 55-75. (ISBN: 0195683935, 9780195683936)
  3. Puri, Bindu (2010) “Secularism and the Devout; A Gandhian Reading” in Grounding Morality: Freedom, Knowledge and the Plurality of Cultures, edited by Jyotirmaya Sharma and A. Raghuram Raju, Routledge, 2010.Pages 198-219. (ISBN: 0415585759, 9780415585750)
  4. Puri, Bindu (2013) “Secularism: A Possible Gandhian Re-construction “in Multiculturalism and Religious Identity:  Canada and India (ed. Sonia Sikka& Lori Beaman) McGill-Queen's University Press, Canada, 2013.
  5. Puri, Bindu (2015) “The Rights of man; A Gandhian intervention” (2015) in (Eds) Jay Dry Dyk and Ashwini Peetush, Human rights: India and the West Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2015.ISBN-13: 978-0-19-945352-8. ISBN-10:0-19-945352-7.
  6. Puri, Bindu (2016) “Tagore and Gandhi: On matters of truth untruth” in Mrinal Miri (Ed) The Idea of Surplus. Tagore and Contemporary Human Sciences, Routledge, India, 2016. (ISBN: 978-1-138-63991-1) Pages 135-157.
  7. Puri, Bindu (2016) “Religious Diversity and the Devout” in Sonia Sikka, Lori Beaman and Bindu Puri (Ed) Living with Religious Diversity Routledge India 2016. (ISBN: 978-1-138-63972-0) Pages 219-237.
  8. Puri, Bindu (2018) “Gandhi’s Truth: Debating Bilgrami” in (Ed) Purushottama Bilimoria History of Indian Philosophy in the series Routledge History of World Philosophies, Routledge, England &USA 2018. (ISBN: 978-0-415-30976-9(hbk).
  9. Puri, Bindu (2019) “Transforming Sacred Space into Shared Place: Re-interpreting Gandhi on Temple Entry” in Peter D. Hershock and Roger T. Ames. (ed) Philosophy of place: An Intercultural Conversation, University of Hawaii Press, 2019, pp.228-250 (ISBN 9780824876586).
  10. Puri, Bindu (2020) “Negotiating Differences in a Gandhian Way: Ahimsa, Love, Compassion and the Gift of Fearlessness” in volume entitled Gandhi in Contemporary Times (eds) Surendra Srivastava &Ashok Vohra. Routledge, UK 2020. (ISBN 9780367486969)
  11. Puri, Bindu (2020) “For Love of country: Debating Martha Nussbaum on cosmopolitanism in Tagore” in Muhammad Quayum (ed) Tagore, Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism: Perceptions, Contestations and Contemporary Relevance. Routledge India January 2020. (ISBN 9780367486969)
  12. Puri, Bindu (2020) “The Ambedkar-Gandhi Debate (1931-1956): Alternative Approaches to Memory and Identity” in Sanjeev Kumar (ed) Gandhi and the Contemporary World Routledge India 2020. (ISBN 978-0-367-47918-3)
  13. Puri, Bindu (2021) “Tagore and Gandhi: On Diversity and Religious ‘Others’” in Bindu Puri & Abhishek Kumar (ed), Rethinking the Relationship Between Religions: Moving Beyond Liberal Tolerance, Springer: New Delhi, 2021 (ISBN 978-981-15-9539-4.
  14. Puri, Bindu (2021) “The Great Tapasvi –the ethics of Gandhi’s Politics. Swabhava Rama Rajya satyagraha Tapasya” in Prof. Shailesh Nayak & Anshuman Behera (eds) Gandhi in Twenty First Century. Singapore: Springer Nature February 2022. ISBN: 978-981-16-8476-0. pp 57-66.
  15. Puri, Bindu (2022). “Nation, nation-state and human unity: Sri Aurobindo and Rabindranath Tagore on the religion of humanity” in Puri, Bindu ed. Reading Sri Aurobindo - Metaphysics Ethics and Spirituality. New Delhi: Springer Nature Publications. ISBN 978-981-19-3135-2.

iii. e-Articles (SELECTED)

1. As a fellow of the Australia India Institute at the University of Melbourne Australia I contributed an invited piece entitled “Delighting in diversity: Tagore Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo for the program ‘India Matters’. This program was a part of the Institute’s website which went live in February 2022 on occasion of the celebration of the 75th year of Indian Independence.

Recent Peer Reviewed Journals/Books

Recent Peer Reviewed Books:

  1. Puri, Bindu (2004) Gandhi and the Moral Life, Mittal Publishers, New Delhi, August 2004. (ISBN: 8170999707 PB)
  2. Puri, Bindu (2015) The Gandhi Tagore Debate: On matters of Truth and Untruth. Sophia: Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures, Vol. 9, Springer 2015. (ISBN 978-81-322-2115-9)
  3. Puri, Bindu The Ambedkar-Gandhi Debate: On Identity, Community and Justice Singapore: Springer Nature Publications, 2022.ISBN 978-981-16-8686-3.
  4. Puri, Bindu and Miri, Mrinal. Gandhi For the 21st Century: Religion, Morality and Politics. In press with Springer Nature Publications, 2023.

Edited Volumes:

  1. Puri, Bindu (ed) (2001) Mahatma Gandhi and His Contemporaries. New Delhi: IIAS. (ISBN: 8179860280, 9788179860281)
  2. Puri, Bindu (Guest Editor) (2004) Recalling Mahatma Gandhi special issue of the Journal of Peace Studies, published by International Centre for Peace Studies Vol. 11, Issue3, July-September 2004. (ISSN: 0972-5563)
  3. Puri, Bindu and Sievers, Heiko (eds), (2007) Reason morality and Beauty; Essays on the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Oxford University Press, New Delhi 2007, Released at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 6th, 2006, Frankfurt, Germany. (ISBN: 0195683935, 9780195683936)
  4. Puri, Bindu and Sievers, Heiko (eds), (2007) Terror, Peace and Universalism. Essays on the Philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2007. Released at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 6th, 2006, Frankfurt, Germany. (ISBN: 0195683943, 9780195683943)
  5. Puri, Bindu; Sikka, Sonia; and Beaman, Lori (et. Al.) (2014) The IIC Quarterly Special issue on Living with Religious Diversity. India, April 2014.
  6. Puri, Bindu; Sikka, Sonia; and Beaman, Lori (et. Al.) (2016) Living with Religious Diversity Routledge India 2016.
  7. Puri, Bindu & Kumar, Abhishek (eds) (2021) Rethinking Religious Pluralism: Moving Beyond Liberal Tolerance, Springer, New Delhi, 2020 (ISBN 978-981-15-9539-4).
  8. Puri, Bindu (editor) Reading Sri Aurobindo - Metaphysics Ethics and Spirituality. Springer Publications, New Delhi 2022.ISBN 978-981-19-3135-2