Successful Completion of the 2nd Session of the Book Talk Series – Department of English

We are delighted to announce the successful completion of the 2nd session of the Book Talk Series, organized by the Department of English, Green University of Bangladesh. The event was held with great enthusiasm and drew an impressive audience of students, faculty members, and literature enthusiasts.

The session was chaired by Dr. Md. Shamim Mondol, Associate Professor and Chairperson, Department of English, who offered his insightful concluding remarks later in the program. The event began with a warm welcome speech by Mr. Mohammad Golam Mohiuddin, Assistant Professor, who introduced the day’s distinguished speaker, Dr. Elham Hossain, describing him as an elite academician and an internationally recognized scholar.

The session was hosted by Mrs. Kashfia Israt, Lecturer, Department of English, who presented a concise academic profile of the speaker. She highlighted his extensive scholarly contributions, including over fifty research publications and multiple book chapters in esteemed journals and edited volumes.

Dr. Elham Hossain delivered a compelling talk on Heart Lamp, focusing on its thematic complexity and the socio-political contexts surrounding its creation. He began by sharing how he first encountered the book, then discussed the challenges faced by Banu Mushtaq following its publication, particularly her courage in articulating the unheard narratives of marginalized women. He emphasized that Mushtaq’s work emerges from a long lineage of voices resisting dominant structures, making her writing neither accidental nor isolated.

The speaker reflected on the significance of Mushtaq’s choice to write in Kannada, a language with a vast readership, enabling her stories to reach a wider and more diverse audience. He remarked on the author's incisive ability to pose what he termed “thrashing questions” about women’s lived realities and the social mechanisms that categorize and silence them.

Dr. Elham further highlighted the intersections of religion, politics, and power structures that shape oppressive discourses, as portrayed in the text. He noted how Mushtaq’s activism and legal background allowed her to understand and document the fundamental struggles of women navigating patriarchal, feudal, and capitalist systems. His talk offered an illuminating synthesis of the book’s engagement with identity, vulnerability, and modern alienation.

In his concluding remarks, Dr. Md. Shamim Mondol, Associate Professor and Chair of the program, expressed deep appreciation for the speaker’s thought-provoking analysis and underscored the transformative power of literature. He encouraged students to continue questioning, critiquing, and engaging bravely with the world around them. A crest was then presented to Dr. Elham Hossain as a gesture of gratitude.

The presence of our esteemed faculty members, alongside an attentive and energized audience, contributed greatly to the success of the event. The session concluded with a group photo to commemorate the occasion.