‘A talk on Apprentice to Grief’

Central Chronicle News
Raipur, Oct 05: As part of Intersections, a monthly lecture series, the Department of Liberal Arts at IIT Bhilai hosted Dr Anirban Halder, an independent researcher, to present a seminar on the auto-ethnographic works of Joan Didion.
The online lecture, attended by faculty members and scholars from institutes around the country, examined the nature and process of bereavement and loss with reference to The Year of Magical Thinking, published in 2005.
Dr. Halder analyzed the experience of loss and grief in understanding the meaning of life and death. His reading of Joan Didion’s reflections on coping with the loss of loved ones adds to our understanding of bereavement.
These insights are particularly relevant in contemporary times, living as we are through the Covid-19 pandemic. By illuminating the auto-ethnographic dimension of grief, life-narratives such as Didion’s allow us to appreciate the importance of memory as one of the bedrocks of therapeutic healing.
The lecture was accompanied by a lively interaction with the audience. The Department of Liberal Arts at IIT Bhilai will continue hosting guest lecturers and speakers on issues of widespread topical interest.