Varsha Gupta
(Ph.D.) Tumkur UniversityVarsha Gupta
(Ph.D.) Tumkur UniversityMy research quest is to understand why Western conceptual frameworks- developed within Christian theology and European intellectual history- systematically fail to make sense of Indian cultures, traditions and practices, and how alternative, culturally grounded frameworks of understanding can be developed. I seek to examine the conceptual discomfort produced by contemporary retellings of Puranic traditional stories and narratives of Jammu and Kashmir, and to articulate alternative Indian frameworks that remain faithful to narrative experience rather than imposed theoretical models.
Ms Varsha Gupta is an Assistant Professor in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. She also serves as a Senior Associate in the Office of Communications, Chanakya University, where she contributes to academic outreach, content development, website management, institutional coordination, and interdisciplinary engagement.
She has held research positions as a Research Fellow at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar, and as a Junior Research Fellow at India Studies Unit, Centre for Educational and Social Studies (CESS), Bengaluru.
Her academic work is situated in critical humanities across cultures, with a focus on Indian and Western conceptions of storytelling, history, and literature. She works extensively within Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) to examine how Western conceptual categories shape modern interpretations of Indian narrative traditions.
A significant component of her research engages with Jammu and Kashmir studies, exploring questions of narrative, identity, memory and cultural representation. Her scholarship seeks to develop culturally grounded frameworks for understanding Indian textual traditions and comparative humanities.
Ms. Gupta has also represented Jammu and Kashmir as part of an educational delegation to London, United Kingdom. Additionally, she has worked as a lecturer with visually impaired students in Jammu and Kashmir—an experience that underscores her commitment to inclusive, community‑oriented, and socially responsive education.
- (Ph.D.) English Literature, DOSR English, Tumkur University
- Masters in English Literature, SMVDU, Katra, Jammu Kashmir
- B.Ed., University of Jammu, Jammu Kashmir
- B.Sc., University of Jammu, Jammu Kashmir
- Gupta, Varsha and Ravi C.M. “Interwoven Narratives: Exploring Dynamic Relationships between Text and Society.” Journal of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, ISSN 0972-0766
- Gupta, Varsha. “Understanding Mahabharata: Preserving Poetic Truth Across Cultures.” Itihas Darpan, ISSN 0974- 3075
- National Seminar and Workshop, NASILANSI, JNU.
- International Conference on Resilient Riverine Ecosystem, Bengaluru
- International Conference on Indian Knowledge Systems, Chanakya University, Bengaluru
- National Language Translation Workshop, SMVDU
- Workshop on Indian Perspective of Women, ICSSR, New Delhi
- FDP on Artificial Intelligence, Infosys, Mangalore
- Workshop on “Rethinking History and Past”
- Conference on NEP, RGPV, Bhopal
- Member, Cultural Committee, Chanakya University
- Scholarship Coordinator, Chanakya University
- Participant in Community Outreach Initiatives integrating literature with themes of social awareness, civic engagement, and public discourse
- Student Mentor for undergraduate and postgraduate students, offering academic and professional guidance
- Associated with Multiple Student and Social Organizations, contributing to cultural, educational, and community‑oriented activities
- Member, Organizing Committee, National Girls’ Parliament, Patna
- Member, Coordinating Team, Lit‑Life, the annual literature festival of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU)