Good day, Dr. Chitra Krishnan. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

I am Chitra Kumar.

Please start

Good evening, Professor Chitra Kumar. Thank you for introducing yourself.

Professor Krishnan, based on your impressive resume, I'll be verifying your expertise across several skills relevant to the English Professor role. Let's begin with your understanding of Digital Humanities. Can you explain how you would integrate digital tools or methodologies into an English curriculum or research project?

Sure. I think digital humanities can be thought of as a very multidisciplinary field. And you know, it's, it's, it's a place, it's, it's an area of research. It has, it encompasses research in various areas. So I think it can be, you know, used to promote.

An influence, you know, the very critical use of digital technology.

In social sciences, art, literature, and one of the ways that we can actually incorporate this into the syllabuses by having a syllabus written like something which would include something like what is digital humanities? That would be under the subheading of basics of digital humanities. And then what are the advantages and disadvantages then acquisition of material. Data mining and processing.

So I feel you know to bring it brings together students from across various streams and domains.

That’s an insightful approach, Professor. To delve deeper, how would you specifically incorporate tools like text mining or topic modeling into analyzing literary texts in your courses or research?

Uh, I will have to think about that.

Uh.

Take your time, Professor. Whenever you're ready, feel free to share your thoughts.

What are some of the patterns and frequencies with which data occurs?

So maybe like you know, keyword extraction and.

Understood. Thank you, Professor. Let us move forward to another area of expertise: Commonwealth Literature. Could you discuss how you would approach teaching Commonwealth Literature to highlight postcolonial themes effectively?

I'm sorry.

Could you repeat that?

Of course. How would you approach teaching Commonwealth Literature to effectively highlight postcolonial themes?

Oh, OK.

Sure, sure.

I'll wait for your response when you're ready. Take your time.

So.

It it had the students have to understand that Commonwealth literature curriculum is basically designed to analyze, you know, what kind of a profound impact the colonial rule has had on social, economic and cultural lives in various nations. So some of the ways that some of the thematic concerns that could be taught to students or that can be discussed in the syllabus is probably identity and hybridity.

I think one of the ways.

And then of course, resistance and counter discourse. And how have you know, historically the British, you know, literature actually depicted people of other countries as inferior and how this has been deconstructed by Commonwealth writers. And of course there would be a lot of.

Understanding of memory and history.

Thank you, Professor. To take this further, could you share an example of a text or an author you would focus on to discuss these postcolonial themes in a classroom setting?

Uh, I will have to give that a thought.

Uh, probably, uh, I'm sorry. So some of the authors that we can taken into con take into construction are Syed Edward Syed A Spivak, Gayatri Spivak and certainly Ho Homi Baba and of course, who cannot recognize Franz Fallon and some of the key authors who have contributed. I mean, these are the people who would. Whose theories can be studied and some of the people who have been some of the authors who have contributed very.

Understood, Professor.

Widely to post colonial literature would be Salman Rushdie and then you have Achibe and then Derek Walcott from Sri Lanka.

Thank you, Professor. That was detailed and insightful. Now, let's explore another area: English Language Teaching. How would you adapt your teaching strategies to accommodate students with diverse linguistic backgrounds in an English language classroom?

So it has one has to understand that diversity in a classroom has to be handled with a lot of care.

You know when we are through, when we get through a few classes, 1 can automatically tell who are the learners who need an extra help in understanding ELT. You know basics. Basically learning the English language.

In order to take their exams so.

Let me see.

Take your time, Professor. Please continue when ready.

OK.

I I would say yes.

Beg your pardon?

Could you clarify or elaborate on how you might tailor your teaching methods to support students from diverse linguistic backgrounds?

Yes, so, uh, you know, one has to understand it's the diversity of language learning styles, even cognitive abilities sometimes just.

And the perspectives and even religious worldviews can integrate, can actually interview, interfere with the way people learn. So I would say the kind of adapt the, you know, a teacher has to very specifically adapt to the needs of the learners. So because there would be a lot of pedagogical, you know, challenges. So I would say.

You know some special remedial classes. Give them some. You know one-on-one.

Coaching on how they could be get fluent with the LSRW skills.

Even material sharing. Even material sharing would be a great way to help them improve their language skills.

Thank you, Professor. I appreciate your thorough explanation. Let us now turn to a different angle: your ability to guide student projects and research. Can you describe how you typically mentor students in developing their research projects from proposal to completion?

So I have quite a few research scholars under me. So one of the first things that I do is I have an understanding of what exactly they have planned to work on in their research. So I asked them to do the basic homework, after which I sit with them and, you know, give a constructive I, I asked them to actually write out a.

Yes, so I have.

I have a report which I can read through that will tell me what they have in mind and then give them a constructive feedback, what works and what doesn't and then you know.

Teach them core research skills like ethics, design, analysis.

And of course, I have to also understand their goals and most importantly the research supervisor. I would definitely define goals that I have in mind for them, timelines, communication methods and the and our roles very early on in the research itself.

Sure. Uh, one of the challenges that I had faced with a particular research scholar who's actually about to submit, who's going, who will be submitting her thesis next week.

Thank you, Professor. Could you provide an example of a specific challenge you’ve faced while mentoring a student’s research and how you helped them overcome it?

Did not have a plan in mind because when I took over from her early from her you know other guide because her first guide, her first research supervisor had left. So she came to me. I became her research supervisor when I started. When I made her write out her research plan, I found it was faulty. She had no idea of how to. You know, divide a chapter or divide the thesis into various chapters and subheadings.

She.

She was not clear in her plan, so it took me some time to actually make her unlearn what she had thought was the right way, sit to hand hold her and make her understand how the chapters had to be divided and how she had to make it work seamlessly. It had to she had to understand that the flow had, you know, needs to be seamless. So this is one of the challenges that I faced early on. And then I had another challenge in which.

Because the the scholar kept changing her topic.

Finally, I realized that she was very confused about what she wanted to do.

So I sat and made her talk to me, give me a presentation, a small presentation just for her to articulate all the areas that she was interested in, but one particular area which interested her more than the others. That at least gave her and me a direction on which to work on.

And then she was also facing some challenges to how to go about it, where to get the books. So this is another thing I had to help her out with.

Thank you, Professor, for that detailed account. It’s clear you’ve navigated and addressed significant challenges with dedication and structured guidance. Next, I'd like to evaluate your experience with student evaluation and exam duties. Could you outline how you ensure fairness and objectivity when assessing students' written work or exams?

So when I am assessing a student through an assignment, firstly it is submitted on an LMS platform which automatically runs a Turnitin check. But I also try to read it and see as per the because by then I would know the I would have a fair idea of the students ability to articulate and write a piece. Write a piece on her own or his own.

So that gives me a fair idea as to how much of it is authentic.

And.

Thank you, Professor. Could you go into more detail about the criteria or rubrics you use to grade assignments or exams?

Excuse me?

Certainly, Professor. Could you elaborate on the specific criteria or rubrics you employ to grade assignments or exams?

Uh, sure, we do have a structured rubric in place which I follow even when I am posting an assignment for them. So let's say.

You know, there is a course in which they have to submit a written assignment. So in that one of the rubrics that I that I give them is, you know it would it would have.

Various parameters to assess the way they have, you know written their written out their assignment. So let's see in terms of a written assignment, I have 5 categories which would be excellent, good, satisfactory, needs improvement or very poor and some of the criteria on which or the parameters on which a test them are.

How they have understood the subject. So understanding of the subject content and research structure and organization of the writing. Whether you know it's a clear logical structure and there is a good, you know, smooth flow of thoughts and then there is clarity of thought and language and the way they have formatted. So I give them a referencing style and they do it accordingly.

Thank you, Professor. That provides a clear and structured approach to evaluation. Let us now explore a different dimension: your research publications. Could you highlight one of your research publications and discuss its contribution to the field?

Sure. So I have had two Scopus indexed papers in the in the I mean last year actually so.

Would you like me to talk about the paper?

Is is that what you would like?

Yes, Professor. If you could discuss one of those papers in detail, particularly its main findings and how it contributes to the academic community.

Sure. So I would say that.

Please continue when you're ready, Professor.

Sure.

One of the one of the papers that I had written was was based on Chitra Banerjee Divakarani's.

Novel Ollie and a Girl and I wanted to you know, since my area of research in my doctoral study was diaspora literature, there is some amount of diaspora here and what I have tried to explore is.

You know how lie, how love and life moves across various time zones and what are some of the problems faced?

By a person who goes abroad.

Basically on the migrant experiences.

Thank you, Professor. That’s a compelling topic, showcasing both literary and cultural insights. Could you further explain how you approached the methodology for this research?

Sure, of course. So one of the.

Definitely a basic reading of the text. In my case it is not just one one reading. It took several readings before I could.

Decide on the on the topic that I wanted to focus on and.

For example, bridging the cultural divide. So here there is a clear diaspora element. So I I marked out the pages which to me projected this diaspora experience or the the division of culture, the cultural divide between two nations and how people have to navigate it in order to go about what they set out to do in the normal.

The other thing is then I wanted to focus on the theme.

And of course my references I had.

I of course read through several articles.

Understood, Professor. Thank you for elaborating on your thoughtful methodology and thorough research process. Next, let's discuss your experience in curriculum development. Could you share an instance where you designed or revised a curriculum, and what considerations guided your decisions?

So one of the.

I am a part of the curriculum development team in my current assignment, but here I don't specifically develop the syllabus for the curriculum, but I take an overall look at how every department in the School of Liberal Arts has structured its syllabus in a in the standardized template or in the standardized template that is given to them.

But I have had the pleasure of of designing a course on American literature, both poetry and drama. So where are the syllabus? Introduce the learners to American poetry and drama through the study of some select texts. And it also explored the historical and social cultural background of American poetry. And basically they had to analyze the key concepts and trends in American poetry and also. You know.

Appreciate the various thematic and stylistic aspects of American poets and writers, playwrights. So this is 1 course I had the pleasure of.

Designing with another colleague, American literature, poetry and drama.

Thank you, Professor. That’s a valuable contribution to curriculum development. Could you elaborate on the key texts or authors you selected for that course and why?

Sure. So, um.

In order to give in order to introduce students to the history of American literature. So we talked about concepts like, you know, early American poetry, Transcendentalism and Indian thought and Emerson and Whitman, New England Renaissance. So some of the texts that I selected was Walt Whitman's Some selections.

Poetry, that is, in poetry, Walt Whitman's Song of Myself and Brahma.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellows The Day is Done and of course Emily Dickinson's I Could Not Stop for Death and then Sylvia Plath and some of the some of the drama.

That we selected was, I mean, you know, we, we did a reading of sorry, the place, Death of a Salesman and of course, the hairy ape, The Zoo story. Tennessee Williams is A Streetcar Named Desire.

And of course, we also analyse the song by Bob Dylan like a Rolling Stone.

Thank you, Professor. That combination of poetry, drama, and even music provides a comprehensive cultural and literary perspective. Let us now evaluate your teaching approach. Could you describe how you ensure that your classroom maintains structured learning while encouraging active student participation?

I'm sorry.

No problem, Professor. Could you explain how you maintain a structured learning environment while also encouraging active participation from your students?

Sure. Uh, so I what I write, one of the things that works very well with my students is a flipped classroom. So I give them a prompt, they read up on it, or I ask them to think about it.

Right. And I give them, I tell them I have very clear expectations of what they need to prepare for and come back to me with so.

It, it is teacher LED instruction, but student centric. It's an interactive class. It's goal oriented, right? And I find that when they are actively involved, it reduces a lot of behavioral issues and it also definitely helps them focus better. So that's some of the things that I do.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, you'll have to repeat because your voice got disconnected.

Of course, Professor. How do you tailor your teaching methods when transitioning between theoretical instruction and practical applications, for example in laboratory settings?

Oh, OK, so you know we have to.

Please continue,

So some of the thing.

Yes. So when I teach the LSRW skills in a, in a, in a laboratory setting. So I give them a lot of, I mean hopefully the institution will have the software because in the earlier institution where I worked, we had a clear syllabus and the software, we had a lot of practice that that was woven into the software where the students could practice what they had learnt in class. So the whatever.

All the concepts of grammar that were taught in class were actually practiced upon in the lab and that helps students to understand how vocabulary, sentence structure, you know, even listening skills could all come together and help them develop their LSRW skills. And of course, writing when, you know, when I teach writing in a classroom. So it's a very structured approach in the sense.

I tell them how to tailor their writing. There's a lot of scaffolding and they practice this in the lab.

Thank you, Professor. That reflects a structured and well-integrated approach between theory and practical application. Now, let's turn to your consultancy experience. Could you share an instance where you collaborated on an industry project or provided consultancy services during your academic career?

I'm sorry, that is something I have not done as yet.

Understood, Professor. I appreciate your honesty. This concludes the verification of the required skills for the role. Please give me a moment.

Dr. Krishnan, as we begin, could you describe the teaching environment or classroom approach you find most effective for introducing foundational English concepts to students?

Uh, I'll have to think about that for a minute.

Of course, take your time.

Uh, did you say foundational concepts?

Ah.

Feel free to share your thoughts when ready.

One of the things that I think should be done and which I have tried in my class is I tried to put them together. I tried to group them together by, you know, their learning level. It's nothing to do with the with age, right? But of course they're all in the same class. However, when I start interacting with them, I would know if they have learners who they are slow learners or if they need some extra help and then. You know I also.

Sure. So, umm.

So I try to teach grammar and vocabulary within meaningful context. You know, maybe from stories or I use real life scenarios.

And then of course, when they are writing, I'm just giving you a general overview. For example, if they're doing some writing assignments, so you know, I give them the sentence frame and make I, I, for example, I give them half completed sentence and then ask them to fill the rest of it to see how they can take it forward. So I find that, you know.

A lot of practical examples exposure and also to make them come forward and begin talking about various aspects really helps.

Thank you for sharing your teaching strategy, Professor. Now, I'd like to discuss your research and publications to see how they connect to your pedagogical approach. Could you highlight one or two significant research projects or papers you've worked on, and explain their relevance to your teaching methods?

One would be, like I had mentioned earlier, bridging the cultural divide. It's called bridging the cultural divide. A study of the cartography of love of Inchitra Balaji Divakarni's oleander.

Well, the papers I have worked on.

Thank you, Professor. Bridging the cultural divide sounds fascinating, particularly in its exploration of the cartography of love. How did your research findings from this paper inform or enhance your teaching strategies, specifically in engaging students with culturally complex texts?

I'm sorry, your voice, uh, uh, you know, there's a disconnect it keeps getting.

It keeps breaking so I'm not able to.

Understand the entire sentence. Could you please repeat that?

Of course, Professor. My question was—how did your research findings from your paper, *Bridging the Cultural Divide*, inform or enhance your teaching strategies, particularly when engaging students with culturally complex texts?

Yes.

Uh, so.

Take your time, Professor. Please continue.

All right, so I would say.

That.

You know, uh, students when they write a paper, one of the things, uh, that I found is, you know, especially with regard to the Oriental girl, uh, the, the paper that I talked about bridging the cultural divide, I made them realize that they had to, you know, they had, they had to navigate very difficult passages and infer meaning, of course, and then I would say that they had to find.

For, for example, it has a lot of diaspora elements, so they had to look specifically at diaspora elements that contributed thematically to the the title of my paper. So keeping that in mind, I always instruct my students to bridge to write out their, you know, their research articles structured around the title. Whatever the title be, ultimately it has to contribute to that.

So in this particular paper, it was all about what were the cultural differences, what were the identity issues, what was the isolation that the protagonist faced. So all these different elements had to be brought together and they and I taught them how it had to seamlessly flow together to be accepted as a paper that contributed to the theme in the title.

Sorry.

Sorry.

I'm sorry, your voice is.

No problem, Professor. How do you ensure that students, especially those

Lagging I'm not able to understand.