Karnatak University

Our outreach session at the Karnatak Arts College Dharwad was the largest group of students we interacted with in this phase of Hyphen Connects. In a large auditorium, we had gathered approximately 120 students to interact and converse on literature and translation. A largely uninitiated group, we began the session with our guest host, the Kannada poet Prathibha Nandakumar talking to the students about the larger processes of translation and writing and how Hyphen envisioned a meaningful intervention in the existing literary scene.

Since it was a large group, it was initially difficult to draw participation. But once context was set and students understood the nature of the session, they began to participate with more enthusiasm. The JAM activity and translation exercises brought the auditorium alive and led students to share their thoughts and perspectives with more ease. There were Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, Hindi and Konkani speaking students. They were sportive and participated enthusiastically in all the activities. Overall, the programme was an enjoyable experience that culminated in engagement with a large and diverse group of students.