• Bhushan, Braj. Pedagogy for positive affectivity in virtual classes (28 December, 2020), Talk in a webinar organized by Amity Institute of Psychology & Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida.
• Bhushan, Braj. The Teacher & The Taught in the Context of Mental Health (10 October, 2020). Talk in a webinar organized by Amity Institute of Education, Noida.
• Bhushan, Braj. Mental Health in Present Scenario (10 October, 2020), Talk in a webinar organized by Sri Agrasen Kanya PG College, Varanasi.
• Bhushan, Braj. वर्तमान महामारी काल: बदलते सामाजिक मनोवैज्ञानिक पहलू (Current pandemic: Changing social-psychological aspects). Talk organized by Mahamana School of Thoughts (July 11, 2020).
• Bhushan, Braj. Developments during Covid-19: The message for social scientists (June 3, 2020). Talk in a webinar organized by Mahila Vidyalaya Degree College, Lucknow.
• Bhushan, Braj. The current pandemic and lessons for psychologists (May 29, 2020). Talk in a webinar organized by Amity Institute of Psychology & Allied Sciences, Amity University, Noida.
• Saraswat, Lalit. Conference Paper presented on 'Epistemology of the Virus: Life, Processes, and Organismality' at ICPR, MHRD supported LWPS Conference- 'COVID-19 Philosophy: Ethical, Linguistic and Epistemic Concerns' (30-31st May 2020).
• Saraswat, Lalit.An invited talk 'Human Knowledge, Rationality, and Values under Pandemic Crisis' at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, SRMGPC, Lucknow on 27th November.
• Saraswat, Lalit. Invited panelist on three talks/webinar discussion conducted by BMLF, Bhopal having Philosophical underpinnings on 'Pandemic situation, Life, and Related issues'
  • Minds, Isolation, and Depression (28th June 2020),
  • Online Teaching and Learning: Problems and Promises (12th July 2020),
  • Emotional Intelligence (26th July 2020)
• Hassan, S. F. Invited panelist, 'Contagion Narratives: Society, Culture and Ecology of the Global South', Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), August 25-26, 2020, https://vit.ac.in/Contagion-Narratives/index.html

• Bhushan, Braj. Mental Health and Corona: Better Late, Than Never (published in Hardnews 15 April, 2020)
   https://hnfp.in/corona-and-psychology-lets-be-late-than-never/
• Bhushan, Braj. Libido, Violence, and Lockdown (published in Hardnews 21 April, 2020)
   https://hnfp.in/livelihood-libido-and-lockdown-the-psychology-of-violence/
• Bhushan, Braj. High time police become responsible, reflect and change (published in The Correspondent 4 May, 2020)
   https://thecorrespondent.in/nation/chandigarh/high-time-police-become-reflect-and-change/
• Bhushan, Braj. Faith and disease: Understanding, behaviour during lockdown (published in Hardnews 1 June, 2020)
   https://hnfp.in/faith-and-disease-understanding-behaviour-during-lockdown/
• Bhushan, Braj. क्वारंटाइन, लॉकडाउन और भय का मनोिवज्ञान (Quatantine, Lockdown, and the Psychology of Fear), न्यूज़ टाइम्स पोस्ट (01-15 नवम्बर, 2020), वर्ष: 05, अंक: 11
• Puttaswamy, Chaithra. “The Language of Covid-19” in Indian Express on 1st June 2020.
   https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/web-edits/covid-19-language-pandemic-wuhan-china-linguistic-social-distancing-lockdown-6437778/

• Bhowmik, Ritwij. “The COVID-19 Pandemic and Indian Art.” Black and White Current Affair Magazine. November 1, 2020. Web URL: https://blackandwhitenews.live/2020/11/01/thecovid-19pandemic-and-indian-art/
• Bhushan, Braj. (2020). Covid-19 and prohibiting spitting in public: The challenge psychologists should accept. Commentary, Sambhasan, 1:3, 118-122. University of Mumbai.
• Joshi, Bhavna and Swarnakar, Pradip (2021) Staying away, staying alive: Exploring risk and stigma of COVID-19 in the context of beliefs, actors and hierarchies in India, Current Sociology
• Adhikari, A. (2021). Technology Driven Aids for Heritage Languages: A Case Study of Kumaun Vani. In Jakelin Troy & Mujahid Torwali (Eds.), Proceedings of FEL XXIII 2019. University of Sydney: Sydney University Press. (To be published)

Professor Gurumurthy Neelakantan was born on 12 May 1960 at Therazendur in Tamilnadu. He was educated at Loyola College and Madras Christian College, Chennai. He earned PhD in English from IIT Kanpur in 1989. He returned to IIT Kanpur as an Assistant Professor in 1996 after having served a few years at the North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Itanagar and Delhi College of Engineering. He was elevated to the post of Professor in 2003 and was awarded the Rahul and Namita Chair Professorship in 2012.

Firmly believing in the power of the classics to transform human lives, Professor Neelakantan probes a range of concerns, debates and issues in his teaching and writing. Given his broad interest in the arts and human sciences, his pedagogical approach situates literature in a larger matrix of discourses that variously meditate on culture and civilization. Besides literature, he also teaches courses on English language and professional communication. Ever fond of the Socratic Method, he begins by raising questions which then evolves into an interactive discussion leading to well-considered positions. Besides being accessible and humorous, he takes his students’ queries seriously. No wonder, many students assert that his courses have made a significant difference to their lives. His graduate students, well-trained under his nurturing and rigorous care, have gone on to become productive scholars.

Professor Neelakantan's research interests largely lie in American Literature. He has published extensively on the fiction of Saul Bellow and Philip Roth in major international journals. His research seeks to study how religion and sexuality inform the crisis-ridden contemporary era in a cross-cultural perspective. He serves as a consulting editor to Philip Roth Studies, and is also an elected member of the International Association of University Professors of English, Switzerland.

In his seventeen-year long career at IIT Kanpur, Professor Neelakantan has made significant contributions to teaching, research and service. He has occupied several leadership positions at the Institute including Head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Chairman of Senate Scholarship and Prizes Committee, Editor of Directions, and Wardenship, to name only a few.

It is with pride and pleasure that IIT Kanpur confers the Distinguished Teacher Award for the year 2013 on Professor Gurumurthy Neelakantan.