NIRMAL SELVAMONY (b. 1953) 7, Main Road Mohan Nagar Maadampaakkam Chennai 600 126, India Telephone: 91+44+22292340 E-mail: [email protected] Mobile: 9884211498 MAJOR INTERESTS MUSIC, ECOCRITICISM, ECOTHEORY DRAMATIC THEORY, THEORY EDUCATION Ph.D. 1980-’88; University of Madras, Chennai, India. English; Diss.: Literary Personhood in tolkappiyam Research Fellow 1978-’82; Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore. Aesthetics, submitted essay: “Personhood in Art.” M.A. 1976-’78; Madras Christian College, Chennai. English; ‘A’ Grade. B.A. 1973-’76; Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, South India. English; II Class, First Rank in University. 1 WORK EXPERIENCE Since 2011 Associate Professor and Head-in-charge, Department of English, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Central University of Tamil Nadu 2010 Professor, Department of English, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA. 2009 Visiting Faculty, Department of English, Coordinator of Language Programmes, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu 2006 Associate Professor, Madras Christian College, Chennai. 1996- Reader in English, Madras Christian College, Chennai. [Ecoliterature, Music and Literature, Critical Theory, Postcolonial Literature, Postmodern Survey, European and Tamil Classics, Modern Period, Social Ethics] Teaching: B.A.; M.A.; M.Phil. Research Guidance: M.Phil., Ph.D. Ph.D. awarded: 7; 1 submitted; 3 in progress. M.Phil. awarded: 9. 1994-’95 Visiting Scholar, Davidson College, NC, USA. 1989-’96 Selection Grade Lecturer, Department of English, Madras Christian College. 1982-‘89 Senior Lecturer, Lecturer; Department of English, Madras Christian College. Publications: 14 books, 50 chapters in books; more than 40 research papers in journal Conference papers: more than 100. CONTRIBUTION Introduced the course, Ecocriticism in the Indian university system and founded a forum now known as tiNai (formerly, OSLE-India) and also a journal (Indian Journal of Ecocriticism) to promote this course. Introduced the first ever courses, Tamil Musicology and Music and Literature in the University of Madras. Revived the traditional Indian philosophical tradition called “kaaTci” (in a publication titled tamizk kaaTci neRiyiyal, 1996 [The Methodology of Tamil Philosophy], which precedes the darshanas. Conceptualized and introduced tiNai (ecoregional) musicology that studies the music of the primordial biomic world regions (see: essays published in the reports of Tamil Isaic Cankam, Chennai, 1991, 1995, 1996). For the past twenty-five years researched tiNai society and published several papers on various aspects of it attempting to reconstruct it as an alternative social order. AWARDS Lifetime Achievement 2011 awarded by North East Ohio Tamil Sangam, Ohio, USA Best Monograph 2000 for the book, Persona in Tolkappiyam, awarded by International School of Dravidian Linguistics, Thiruvananthapuram 1986 Best Student, UGC Summer Institute in English Language Teaching, sponsored by British Council Division, Chennai and CIEFL, Hyderabad, at Department of English, University of Madras, 13 October-8 November, 1986. First Rank in BA 1976 awarded by Madurai Kamaraj University First Class 1969 Maanavar Manram Examination in Tamil, Madras. 2 Certificate of Merit 1968 Petercator Examination in Scripture, awarded by Board of Religious and Moral Instruction, South India OTHER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS Invited to apply for the position of Professor of Music in the School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and interviewed on 9 November, 2015. FORMAL/NON-FORMAL TRAINING MUSIC Mridangam 1993-94 with Venkat, Chromepet, Chennai Jazz 1980-82 with Tino Olivera, jazzman, Goa Vocal Music 1980-81 with Tiruppampuram Shanmugasundaram Vocal Music 1973-76 with Seetharaman (Kalaimamani Srinivasa Iyengar’s son) Music (Violin) 1966 Summer School in Tamil Music, Tirunelveli District Violin (Carnatic) 1960-65 with Sadagopa Iyengar, Munainjipatti, Tirunelveli Dist. Tolkaappiyam, Tamil Music, Tamil Grammar: 1978-2003 with the late Dr.V.P.K.Sundaram Renowned musicologist, Tamil scholar (student of Naavalar Somasundara Bharathi) OTHER Tolkaappiyam: 1978-79 with Dr.Natarajan, Madurai Kamaraj University Languages Sanskrit 1978 Elementary Course (Saral Sanskrit Balbodh), Sethupathi High School, Madurai German 1972 Beginner’s, Max Muller Bhavan Hindi 1964-66 Margoschis High School, Tirunelveli District FORMAL IN-SERVICE TRAINING 2015 Completed an Elective Course, Physics of Art, at Central University of Tamil Nadu 1999 UGC Refresher Course in Linguistics, Centre for Advanced Study in Linguistics, Annamalai University, 1 Sept.-21 Sept. 1996 In-Service Teacher Development Programme, Teaching Literary Criticism and Theory, State Institute of English, Tamil Nadu, 5 -7 February. 3 1990 Workshop on Teaching Grammar Communicatively, conducted by Judith Baker, Course Director at the Pilgrims Language Course Centre at Canterbury, UK, organized by Orient Longman & British Council Division, Chennai, 5-6 March, 1990. 1989 FIP Programme, Workshop on Syllabus Design and ELT Materials Production for Teachers of English, Directorate of Collegiate Education, Tamil Nadu, 25 January. Three-day Workshop on The Process Approach to the Development of Writing Skills, British Council Division, Chennai, 11-13 April 1989. 1987 In-Service Training Workshop on Innovative Techniques/Materials for Teaching English, Directorate of Collegiate Education, Tamil Nadu, at British Council, Chennai, 16-18 November. 1986 UGC Summer Institute in English Language Teaching, Department of English, University of Madras, organized by the British Council, Madras and CIEFL, Hyderabad, 13 October to 8 November (selected best student). 1985 FIP Programme, In-Service Training Seminar cum-Workshop on the Techniques of Teaching Drama for College Teachers of English, Directorate of Collegiate Education, Tamil Nadu, 16-25 September. MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS 2014 “Cease Your Sad Music.” Pier Windows, Hong Kong, 29 October to 2 November, 2014. 2014 “Going West, Going East.” Pier Windows, Hong Kong, 29 October to 2 November, 2014. 2014 “kaNNee en kaNmaNiyee.” Pier Windows, Hong Kong, 29 October to 2 November, 2014. 2014 “Dig Dig Dig Up The Sod.” Theatre Workshop, Central University of Tamil Nadu, 18-22 March, 2014. 2014 “Cry Heavens Cry For Me.” Theatre Workshop, Central University of Tamil Nadu, 18-22 March, 2014. 2002 “Change Mother Change.” Mother Change. Play adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana. Museum Theatre, Chennai, 6 April, 2002. 2002 “Two Friends.” Mother Change. Play adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana. Museum Theatre, Chennai, 6 April, 2002. 2002 “Bow down won’t you oh head” Mother Change. Play adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana. Museum Theatre, Chennai, 6 April, 2002. 2002 “Heads Got Mixed Up.” Mother Change. Play adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana. Museum Theatre, Chennai, 6 April, 2002. 1992 'yaar veeNTum col naaTanee', Vanam, Madras: Department of Tamil, Madras Christian College, 1992, pp. 36-37. 4 1989 *'Curacati' (a musical opus), Madras Christian College Magazine, Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai, LV, 87. 1985 *'Vatuvai Valttu' (A Wedding Song), Madras Christian College Magazine, Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai, LIV, 82. MUSIC, THEATRE & PERFORMANCE 2015 “Performabiltity of Cagkam Compositions.” School of Art and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, 19 March 2015. “Contemporary tiNai Music.” tiNai Eco Film Festival, organized by BITS-Goa, at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development, Chennai, 7 February, 2015. 2014 Playing the guitar for the performance, “Pier Windos,” a performance in Hong Kong, from 29 October to 2 November, 2014. 2014 Art Residency at Dakshinchitra, East Coast Road, off Chennai, 1-15 August, 2014, Composing Music and Playing the Guitar for a performance event called “Pier Windows” in Kwun Tong Pier, Hong Kong, organized by Dr. Kanta Kochhar-Lindgren, University of Washington-Bothel, USA. <www.pierwindows.com/?page_id=10> “Water!: Theatre Workshop” conducted by Dr. Kanta Kochhar-Lindgren and Dr. Nirmal Selvamony, 18-22 March, 2014, Central University of Tamil Nadu. Music Composition, Direction, and Guitar, Nirmal Selvamony. 2011 Contemporary tiNai music. Musical Discourse. Rojah Muthiah Library, Chennai, 29 July 2011. “The Music of the Landscapes.” Guitar Musical Discourse. Carleton College, Minnessota, USA. tiNai music. North East Ohio Tamil Sangam, Ohio, USA, 21 May 2011. 2009 Performance of cankam poems, Department of Music, Elmhurst College, Chicago, USA, 4 May. "The Singing Land" A Guitar Recital at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii, USA, 8 April. 2002 Scripted, directed and scored music for Mother Change, an adaptation of Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana, staged at Museum Theatre, Chennai, 6 April, 2002. 2001 Composed music for cenniir (Blood), a play directed by Bharatiprabhu, performed at Museum Theatre, Egmore, Chennai, on 6 March 2001, and sponsored by paalam, an NGO. 1995 “Dreaming of Home: A Cross-Cultural Collaborative Performance of Music and Poetry, Department of Music, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28036, USA, 21 March. 1981-1982 Professional Guitarist in the music band at Fort Aguada Beach Resort Hotel (Taj Group), Goa. VISITING FACULTY 2015 Carleton College, Minneapolis, 26, 28 April. Lectures through Skype 5 “Tamil Christian Music.” Course on South Asian Religion. Carleton College, Minneapolis, USA, 2015 (though skype on 29 April) “The Sacred