Ananta Charan Sukla

Ananta Charan Sukla
Ananta Charan Sukla
Born	6 November 1942 (age 81); Garadpur, Bhadrak, Odisha, India
Education	Bhadrak College, Jadavpur University, Utkal University
Occupation(s)	Writer, Researcher, Academician, Aesthetician, Philosopher of art, religion and language, Comparative literary scholar
Known for	Comparative Literature, Aesthetics, Literary Criticism, Philosophy, Sanskrit Studies
Spouse(s)	Prof. Indulata Sukla, Former Professor of Mathematics, Sambalpur University, Sambalpur

Professor Ananta Charan Sukla (also Ananta Ch. Sukla) is an eminent philosopher of art, religion and language. He is a noted academician, aesthetician, and a scholar and researcher in comparative literature and literary criticism. He has specialized in comparative aesthetics (Sanskrit and Western), literary theory, philosophy of art, religion and language, and cultural studies. He is also a poet, playwright, short story writer and translator. He is a former professor of English and Comparative Literature at Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, Odisha.

He is a noted alumni of Jadavpur University, Calcutta. He had the privilege to be a student of late legendary professors of the University like Subodh Chandra Sengupta, Sisir Kumar Chatterjee and Jagannath Chakraborty in the early 60s. Belonging to a remote village in the small town of Bhadrak, he decided to go all the way to Calcutta to pursue higher studies despite financial dire straits as his father, Jay Krushna Sukla was a pious and humble priest with virtually no source of income. He walked down barefoot nine miles everyday to attend classes at Bhadrak College. In Calcutta too, he walked down barefoot all the way from north to south Calcutta clad in white dhoti and kurta to attend classes at Jadavpur University. His determination and willpower was both an inspiration and a consternation to his classmates who mostly hailed from wealthy families. He completed Masters degrees in English, Philosophy, as well as in Sanskrit from Jadavpur University, Calcutta and Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. His doctoral thesis, The Concept of Imitation in Greek and Indian Aesthetics submitted to Jadavpur University and published by Rupa & Co., Calcutta in 1977 is a seminal work which strongly influencing later developments in comparative aesthetics.

He is the founding editor of the international half-yearly Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, published since 1978. He collaborated with renowned international scholars of the time like Rene Wellek, Mircea Eliade, M H Abrams, John Fisher, M C Beardsley, John Hospers, John Boulton, Trevor Ling, Harold Osborne and many eminent Indian scholars to launch the journal. The journal aims at promotion of multidisciplinary studies and research in literary culture. He is also the founder director of the Vishvanatha Kaviraja Institute of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics, established in 1977.

He has been a Visiting Professor to the Universities of Liverpool, Cambridge, Cardff, Lampeter, Uppsala, Siena, Helsinki and several Indian Universities and has lectured on aspects of Indian aesthetics vis-a-vis Western aesthetics. He has addressed several international conferences on Comparative Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art as Plenary Speaker/Chairman at Lahti (Finland), Bologna (Italy) and other venues. He is an honorary member of the LORO Group of Studies in Comparative Aesthetics, Italy. He has also published numerous scholarly papers in many international journals of repute.

His notable books in English include Art and Representation (2001), Art and Experience (2002) and Art and Essence (2003), all published by Praeger, Art and Expression (2011), published by Verlag Trougott Bautz GmbH, Fiction and Art: Explorations in Contemporary Theory (2015) published by Bloomsbury Publishing (London), Estetica Indiana Contemporanea (Contemporary Indian Aesthetics) published by Rubberttino (Italy) in 1995, Representation in Contemporary Criticism (Calcutta: Rupa & Co, 1989), Deconstruction in Contemporary Criticism (Calcutta: Rupa & Co, 1989), The Concept of Imitation in Greek and Indian Aesthetics (Calcutta, Rupa & Co, 1977) and Classical Indian Tradition And The Philosophy Of Art: Essays in Comparative Aesthetics and Literary Theory (Brahmi Academic Publishing: 2016).

His scholarly papers published in journals include Problem of Understanding and Enjoyment in Aesthetic Experience (JCLA: 1978), Theory of Impersonal Art (JCLA: 1978), Future of Art: Some Indian Views (International Congress on the Philosophy of Art, Finland: 1991), Mimesis in Greek and Indian Aesthetics (The Major Currents of 20th Century Aesthetics, Italy: 1991), Representation in Painting and Drama: Arguments from Indian Aesthetics (JCLA: 1992), Aesthetics Beyond/Within Aesthetics: The Scope and Limits of Aesthetics in Indian Antiquity (JCLA: 1995), Art, Nature and the Artifactuality of Art and Nature: A Plea for Environmental Aesthetics in Ancient India (JCLA: 1996), Art, Environment, and the Aesthetics of Art and Environment: A Chapter from Indian Philosophy (JCLA: 1996), Emotion, Aesthetic Experience and the Contextualist Turn (International Yearbook of Aesthetics, Sweden: 1996), Art, Reality and the Reality of the Arts: Ontology, Representation and The Sister Arts Theory in Indian Aesthetics (Indian Response to Literary Theory: Delhi: 1996), Rasa, Sringara and Sringara Rasa: Aesthetics as Mass Culture in Indian Antiquity (Dialogue and Universalism: 1997), Dhvani as a Pivot in Sanskrit Literary Aesthetics (East and West in Aesthetics, Italy, 1997), Transculturality of Classical Indian Aesthetics (Frontiers of Transculturality in Contemporary Aesthetics, Italy: 2001), Indian Intermedial Poetics: The Sanskrit Rasa-Dhvani Theory (Cultura: 2016) and others.

His works in Oriya fiction include two short story books, Sulataku Sesa Chitthi (Last Letter to Sulata) and Shatabdira Shabda (Sound of the Century), two poetry books, Manapatra (Citation) and Nihshabda Asavari (The Silent Raga), and four plays on Kabi Bansiballabha, Pallikabi Nandakishore, Jayee Rajguru and Chakhi Khuntia. His non-fiction work in Oriya includes Paschatya Sahityara Itihaas (History of Western Literature).

His translation works in Oriya include Aristotle-nka Kabya Tatwa (Aristotle's Poetics with commentary, critical study and notes); Greek Nataka (Greek Dramas of Aeschylus's 'Prometheus Bound', Sophocles's 'Oedipus the King', Euripides's 'Medea' and Aristophanes's 'The Frogs' with commentary and critical study); and Jagannath Chakraborty-nka Kabita (Poems of Jagannath Chakraborty).

The Kendriya Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters), Delhi has published his monographs on medieval philosopher of religion, Sridhara Svami and medieval Sanskrit poetician and grammarian, Viswanatha Kaviraja under the Makers of Indian Literature series.

He has also translated selected songs of Rabindranath Tagore and Bhupen Hazarika from Bengali and Assamese respectively. His Oriya versions have been recorded and released in the form of studio albums namely Tume Sandhayara Meghamala (Love Songs of Tagore), Hey Jibananatha (Devotional Songs of Tagore), and Mu Gote Jajabara (Songs of Bhupen Hazarika).

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