The Central University of Kerala (CUK) is hosting a two-day symposium on the hazards of endosulfan from February 19 on its Vidyanagar campus here.
The inter-disciplinary, bilingual symposium titled ‘The Discourse of Endosulfan: Toxic Bodies and Corporate Poisons’ will try to look at the issue from an academic perspective.
Health hazards
The symposium is being organised in the light of the pesticide wrecking serious health hazards in the district, leading to a series of debates characterised by innumerable statements of endorsement for and against the pesticide use.
It will also reflect on the issue of patronising and participatory activism, the politics of narratives, discourses, and representations on the topic. CUK Vice Chancellor G. Gopakumar will inaugurate the function at 9.30 a.m.
The CUK will honour pioneering anti-endosulfan activists like Leelakumari Amma, Y.S. Mohankumar, and Sreepadre on the opening day which will also see lectures on the topics ‘The Context of Endosulfan’ and ‘Visual Discourses on Endosulfan’.
Open forum
An open forum with senior anti-endosulfan activists M.A. Rahman, Ambikasuthan Mangad, Civic Chandran, Ambalathara Kunhikrishnan, Sachin Narayanan, Muhammed Asheel, and C. Jayakumar will be held on the concluding session.
Those who are interested in attending the symposium should register by February 17 by dialling 9446800483, 9400842438, a CUK release said.
The Department of Comparative Literature, which hosts the programme, affiliates itself with various litterateurs, documentary and film-makers, research scholars, scientists, lawyers, activists, and victims in order to underline the significance of ‘crossing the borders’ and ‘politicising the aesthetics’.
