Manasa Centre for Cultural Studies is planned as a centre to train, motivate and support research by scholars in the domains of social sciences, humanities and psychology, psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The main purpose is to create a network of scholars, to bring them together to chart out new and innovative areas for multi-disciplinary research. The aim is to produce knowledge and establish sustainable modes of critical enquiry and higher research. The centre is planned to be non-cosmopolitan with focus on the specificities of the regional / local societies. But at the same time the work of documenting, analyzing and theorizing shall be done by putting to creative use the cutting edge knowledge available in various disciplines. In other words the aim is to integrate the concrete experience of the social realities with contemporary knowledge. It is proposed to realize these aims through carefully planned activities including award of fellowships, conduct of research workshops, discussions with invited scholars, team and collaborative productions of books, publication of books and translations.
In this broad context of establishing the centre as a platform for inter-related activities, a suggestion has been made by Professor Ganesh Devi and other scholars. This is about creating a research resource archive by using the documents available at Manasa Hospital for Mental Health where nearly two lakh patients have been treated. A random digitalization of all the material is not only impractical but may not even help the kind of research envisaged by the centre. Tentatively we have thought that the archive and the research work using it should focus on the following:
In the interview with Manu Chakravarthi Ashok Pai had talked about
1) The problem of universalizing Western psychiatry as applicable to all social contexts.
2) The diversity and complexity of Indian Society which necessitates a different approach to psychiatry.
3) The need to enter in to conversation with indigenous healing practices, spiritual practices and the need to integrate (if possible) with the scientific but Euro-centric modern psychiatry. We believe that the issues raised by Dr. Ashok Pai can provide the necessary basis for research at the centre.
However his observations can be expanded to include:
1) A critical history of psychiatry in India.
2) Field research on the indigenous healing practices / spiritual
3) Using the archive to arrive at an understanding of indigenous concepts of mind, behavior, cognition and
4) Proposals for alternative counseling
5) Proposals for reformulating community psychiatry on the basis of the
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Prof. Rajendra Chenni, formerly professor of English, Kuvempu University is presently Director, Manasa Centre for Cultural Studies, Shivamogga. Manasa Centre is a recently established unit of Manasa Trust and is devoted to higher research in literature, social sciences, psychology and psychiatry.
Prof. Chenni obtained his BA degree in English literature from Karnatak College, Dharwad winning the gold medal for English. He obtained the M.A in English degree from Karnatak University, Dharwad securing the first rank with first class and received the Armando Menezes and Baichwal awards for this distinction.
He joined the teaching profession in 1976 and taught at Sandur, Belagavi and PG Department of English, Karnatak University. He joined Sahyadri College, Shivamogga in 1980. In 1987 he received his Ph.D degree from University of Mysore in English literature. From 1990 to April 2018, Prof. Chenni served first as Reader, and then as Professor and Chairman, Post Graduate Department of English, Kuvempu University. He was Chairman Boards of studies in English (both graduate and post Graduate), Dean of Arts Faculty, Director, School of Languages, Member of senate, syndicate and academic council. He served on several committees, assisting the administration of the University.
He guided 8 candidates in the M.Phil programme and 10 in the Ph.D programme.
Prof. Rajendra Chenni is an eminent bilingual writer, writing in both Kannada and English. He has authored 12 books in Kannada 4 in English including a novel. He has participated in over 200 seminars, workshops and conferences at the national and international level.
His contribution to Kannada literature has been honoured with several awards. He has received the Karnataka Sahitya Academi Book Award twice and has also received the Sahitya Academi’s Life Time Achievement Award. He has also received the prestigious G.S.Shivarudrappa Award (2010), the B.H.Sridhara Award (2016), Vardhamana Udayanmukha Award (1987) and the Ambikatanayadatta National Award (2023).
He has been a freelance writer contributing articles to the Hindu, Deccan Herald, Indian Express and Frontline. In 2014, he was nominated at president of the Dharwad District Sahitya Sammelana.
He attended a workshop on Holocaust at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel.
He has served as member of the Karnataka Sahitya Academi and Chairman of the curriculum review committee for English Text books for P.U.C education in Karnataka. He has the distinction of introducing basic changes in the P.U.C curriculum for the first time in its history.
He has lectured at Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Calcutta, IIT Kharagpur, Dravidian University, Kuppam at many leading institutions.
He has participated in many major people’s movements for protecting the environment, supporting communal harmony and for the rights of the under privileged classes.
Few articles of Dr. Rajendra Chenni
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