"Organized an international conference on "Chutnefying English : An International Conference on Hinglish" on 10th and 11th January, 2009. The conference was India's first serious discussion on Hinglish and brought to the forum Indian and international academics, practitioners from media, communications and Bollywood to discuss what is emerging as a language of the young, urban India."

Seminars Organized through Katha Academic Centre

“Autobiographies from Gujarat: Translation and Evolution”, 3 day workshop to translate excerpts from Gujarati autobiographies by mainstream as well as marginalized writers.

“Knowing immigrant dilemmas through Gujarati Short Stories” A workshop conducted by the well-known diasporic Gujarati writer Ms. Panna Naik.

“ The experience of translating from Hindi into Gujarati” A workshop for Gujarati medium students of St. Xavier’s College

“Tribal Languages of South Gujarat”, a workshop with participants such as writers, traditional storytellers, singers etc. from various tribal areas of Gujarat.

“Reconnecting with Stories”, seminar on the role and sustenance of stories in shaping cultural consciousness.

“Dalit and Women’s Literature : Examining the canon and marginalization” A meeting with writers from dispossessed groups and sociologitsts of Gujarat.

“Introducing Partition to Students” A two seminar to introduce the history of partition through films, fiction and oral testimonies.

“Appreciating Films with Moinak Biswas” A Two Day Film Workshop with Head of the Film Studies Department, Jadavpur University.

“Indigenous Traditions of Translation” A National conference involving translators from over fifteen languages.


International Assignments/Visits:

Panel Member, "The Complex Challenge of Developing Communication Studies in India" at the India ICA Pre-Conference, hosted by Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 20-21 May 2009.

Presented " On the Border : Media and Meaning in Banni" ICA Pre-Conference, hosted by Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 20-21 May 2009.

"Keynote Address on "Translation and Multilingualism" at a translation research at "Leverhulme International Network on Postcolonial Translation: The Case of South Asia" held at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, 6-8th January, 2009."

“Translation as Social Transformation : Notes from the Field” Third Asian Translation Tradition. Bogacizi University, Istanbul, Turkey, 22nd – 24th October, 2008.

“The Paradox of a Linguistic Minority” Interrogating States Reorganization: Culture, Identity and Political Economy in Independent India, an international conference organized by the Department of Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University, September 25-26, 2008.

Keynote address on "Translation: Theory and Praxis" at M.S.University, Baroda on 30th May, 2008.

Plenary address on "Mulk and Desh : Understanding communities of Gujarat" at School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS), University of London on 15th and 16th May, 2008.

Plenary speaker, “Translation and In-between spaces” at “Betwixt and Between : Translation, Interculturalization and Globalization” An international conference hosted by American University of Sharjah, 28-30 November, 2007.

“Restoration, Revival and Visibility: Voices from South Asia”, Conference on Global Conversations, University of California, Irvine, 24-26 October 2007.

“The Sindhi Experience of Partition”, South Asia Institute, University of Texas, Austin, 21 October 2007.

“Gujarat and Its Others”, Department of History, University of Minnesota, 17 October 2007.

“Imagining India”, Department of Communications, University of Minnesota, 17 October 2007.Plenary speaker, “Translation and In-between spaces” at “Betwixt and Between : Translation, Interculturalization and Globalization” An international conference hosted by American University of Sharjah, 28-30 November, 2007.

“Restoration, Revival and Visibility: Voices from South Asia”, Conference on Global Conversations, University of California, Irvine, 24-26 October 2007.

“The Sindhi Experience of Partition”, South Asia Institute, University of Texas, Austin, 21 October 2007.

“Gujarat and Its Others”, Department of History, University of Minnesota, 17 October 2007.

“Imagining India”, Department of Communications, University of Minnesota, 17 October 2007.

“From Sindh to Hindutva : Partition to Hindutva” Centre for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, Tufts University, Boston. 5th October, 2006.

“Translating Caste: Yet Another Role for English in India” Department of Translation Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, 10th October, 2006

“The Partition of Sindh : An Untold Story” New York University, New York. 11th October, 2006.

“The role of Translation in India” University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 19th September, 2006.

Discussion on Coral Island and Speech and Silence with Kitabmandal (South Asia Reading Group), Ann Arbor, 18th September, 2006.

Discussion on The Stepchild with students of Translation Studies, Kent State University, 5th November, 2006

“Telling Stories Differently : Media Reportage of Gujarat Riots” Global Media Research Centre, University of Southern Illinois, 7th September 2007

Plenary speaker, “Translation as Intervention” IATIS 2006, Cape Town, July 2006

“Sufism in Sindh: A Case of Cultural Translation” for a conference on “Asia in Asian Consciousness” Baroda, 2005,

“Translation: Great and Little Traditions” IATIS conference on Translation and Identity, Soomkyung University, Seoul, S. Korea, August, 2004

“The Fiction of Translation” conference on Asian Translation Tradition, School of African and Oriental Studies, U.K, May, 2004.

“The Cultural Politics of English.” conference on Translation Targets, Charles University, Prague September, 2003.

“Translation Studies Today” at the Dept. of Translation, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand, May 2003.

"Ideologies of Postcolonialism" , Wadham College, Oxford University, Oxford, 1997.

“Translation : An arrival” University of Cardiff, Cardiff, U.K. 1997.

"Reception of Restoration Poetry in an Indian Classroom" Teaching Poetry Overseas: British Council Conference at Corpus Christi, Oxford, 1995.

Membership of Professional Bodies

Editorial Board Member, Sindhology Studies, University of Sindh, Jamshoro

Director, Katha Academic Centre

Executive Member, Indian Association for Commonwealth Literature and Languages.

Member, International Advisory Board, Translation Studies (Routledge journal)

Awards and Achievements

National Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, 2010-2011.

Plenary Speaker, "Does Translation Create New Knowledge?" Re : Enlightenment Project Exchange, New York University and New York Public Library, 21-23 April 2010.

Keynote Address: Translation Practices and Assumptions, Sambalpur University, Orissa, 22-23 January, 2010.

Jury Member, Crossword Award for Best Fiction in Translation for the year 2009.

Fulbright Visiting Lectureship 2006-2007 to teach at Southern Illinois University.

Recipient of translation grant from International Centre for Writing and Translation (ICWT), University of California, Irvine.

South Asia Regional Council (funded by Ford Foundation) fellowship for a postdoctoral project on Stigmatised Identities.

Research visitorship, Maison des Sciences de l’Homme, Paris, France, September 2003