Dr Diti Vyas is a UGC NET-Qualified Associate Professor in Communications, with more than 20 years of experience of full-time teaching, research and consultancy. Currently an Associate Professor in Communications and Writing area at Anant National University, she has been a visiting faculty to institutes of eminence such as Indian Institute of Management Udaipur, National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, School of Petroleum Management, Gandhinagar and St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad. Prior to her current engagement, she had been an Associate Professor, Communications and Head, Centre of Excellence on Social Infrastructure (CSI) at Adani Institute of Infrastructure Management (AIIM), Ahmedabad. Academically, she is a Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar and has received national and international accolades for her research work in the area of children’s literature by organizations such as International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL).

Dr Vyas has also widely lectured and presented at international and national forums such as Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Maastricht University, The Netherlands, University of Worcester, United Kingdom, York University, Canada, Marino Institute of Education, Ireland, Bharatiar University, Tamilnadu and Calicut University, Kerala. Her research in the areas of gender studies, communication studies and sustainability communication, has appeared in publications of repute such as IRCL and Routledge Taylor and Francis. She represents Gujarat in the collection of Folk tales, Legends and Modern Lore of India, “The Owl Delivered the Good News All Night Long” by Aleph Book House of Rupa Publication.

Employing time-tested as well as innovative teaching andragogy, Dr. Vyas specializes in offering experiential courses such as Communication for Social Change, Semiotics, Strategic Communication, Written Analysis and Communication, Managerial Communication, Interpersonal Skills and. She has mentored mid-career executives of Apollo Hospitals, Adani Group, Sterling Hospital, State Bank of India, British Council, Rubber King Private Ltd. through various Management Development Programmes (MDPs) in the areas of Leadership Communication, Interpersonal Skills etc. Prof. Vyas has also done her Diploma in Fine Arts and is trained in Kathak ad Hindustani vocal music.

Education

• PhD in English Literature, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, 2015.

• M.PHIL in English Literature, Distinction with 70%, School of Languages, Gujarat University, 2002.

• M.A. in English Literature, First Class with 62%, School of Languages, Gujarat University, 2000.

• B.A. in English Literature, First Class with 70%, St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, 1998.

• UGC National Eligibility Test for Lectureship (NET) in English Literature,
  2000.

Grants and Awards

• Awarded International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL) Travel Grant Award of approximately 2100.37 CAD by the IRSCL Board for presenting research findings on Indian Children’s Literature at 22st Biennial Congress of International Research Society for Children’s Literature, University of Worcester, UK, August 8-12, 2015.

• Awarded a special grant of 500 Euros by International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL) for presenting research findings on representations of Mythology in Indian English Children’s Literature at 21st Biennial International Research Society for Children’s Literature Conference at Maastricht, The Netherlands. August 10 -14, 2013.

• A special grant of 1000 US$ sanctioned by International Association of Media and History for presenting at IAMHIST 2013 Conference at University of Leicester, UK on the theme of Childhood and the Media. July 17-20, 2013.

• Awarded “Outstanding Contribution to Academic Performance for the year 2008-09” Award for teaching Business Ethics for MBA Programme by IIPM, Ahmedabad.

• F.C.Davar Gold Medal for standing first in the M.A programme, Gujarat University, 2000.

• Smt. Hirabai Naik Gold Medal for standing first in the M.A- Part I, Gujarat University, 1998.

• Kay Marian Award for securing first rank in the third year of the B.A. course, St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, 1998

Research Presentations

• “Lullabies in Gujarati Language as Female Narratives”, Indigenous Story-Telling Traditions of India. Indica. January 20th and 21st January, 2022.

• “City, Challenges and Children in MoniDeepa Sahu’s The Riddle of the Seventh Stone” Narrating the South Asian City: Critical Perspectives, Department of Liberal Arts IIT Bhillai in collaboration with Association for Literary Urban Studies. 15th

• Moderator, Social Infrastructure Track, 1st International Conference on Infrastructure Development (ICID): Theory, Practice and Policy (Virtual Mode), 29th and 30th April, 2021.

• “Tarzan-Kishori: The Journey of A Silenced Children’s Book”, 24th Biennial Congress of International Research Society for Children’s Literature, Stockholm, Sweden, 14th to 18th August 2019.

• “Radicalism, Subversion and Containment in Children’s Literature: A Case Study of Richmal Crompton’s William Series” Radical Young People’s Literature and Culture Conference organized by Irish Society for Study of Children’s Literature (ISSCL) Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, Ireland. 29th and 30th March, 2019.

• “Invisible, Imagined and Real Children in Hindi Films: An Analysis of Representation of Childhood and Poverty in Contemporary Mainstream and Children’s Films”, Possible & Impossible Children: Intersections of Children’s Literature & Childhood Studies, 23rd Biennial Congress of International Research Society for Children’s Literature, York University, Toronto, Canada, 29th July to 2nd August, 2017.

• “Girls and Girlhood in Indian Children’s Literature” presented at State Level Workshop in “Revisiting Women Empowerment”, R.J.Tibrewal Commerce College, Ahmedabad, February 19, 2016.

• “A Comparative Analysis of Masculinity in Indian Children’s Literature” presented at Contemporary Research in English Studies: Global Perspectives, The Global Association of English Studies, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, February 4-6, 2016.

• “Gender, Class, Caste and Community in Indian Children’s Literature- An Intersectional Analysis” presented at Singularities International Conference on Power, KAHM Unity Women’s College, Manjeri, Kerala, January 12-14, 2016.

• “Gender Politics and Indian Children’s Literature: A Comparative Analysis of Masculinity and Boyhood in Adventure Fiction in English and Gujarati”, presented at Intersections: International Conference on Children’s Literature at Thrissur, Kerala, October 19- 20, 2015.

• “Gender Politics and Indian Children’s Literature: A Comparative Analysis of Masculinity and Boyhood in Adventure Fiction in English and Gujarati” presented at 22nd Biennial Congress of International Research Society for Children’s Literature, University of Worcester, UK, August 8-12, 2015.

• “From Krishna to Little Krishna- A Comparative Study of Representations of Mythology in Indian English Children’s Literature” presented at 21st Biennial International Research Society for Children’s Literature Conference at Maastricht, The Netherlands. August 10 -14, 2013.

• “Changes in Representation of Mythology for Children with the Advent of Digital Technology” paper selected at UMASS Amherst Centre for Heritage and Society, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. May 2-4, 2012 and 3rd Global Childhood Conference, Mansfield College, Oxford University, UK. July 18-20, 2013.

• “Subversion and Containment in William Stories of Richmal Crompton” presented at A.R.Sen Memorial Seminar, St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad, 2002.

Publications

• Vyas, Diti and Sushama Oza. Gender Representation in ESG Communication of Indian Companies: Observations and Insights. Infrastructure Development Theory, Practice and Policy. Eds. Rachna Gangwar et.al. Routledge, 2021.

• Vyas, Diti. “Social Infrastructure and Sustainability”, Perspectives: Precursor to ICID 2021: Sustainability and Resilience. AIIM Newsletter Vol. 1, Issue 1, March 2021.

• Vyas, Diti. Translated and archived. “A Tree with a Twist/Chamadbhai in the Forest” Gujarati. The Owl Delivered the Good News All Night Long :Folktales, Legends and Modern Lores of India: From the Era of Oral Traditions to the Present. Aleph Book Company Private Ltd. 2021.

• Vyas, Diti. “Father’s Gift.”. Gujarati. The Owl Delivered the Good News All Night Long: Folktales, Legends and Modern Lores of India: From the Era of Oral Traditions to the Present. From the Era of Oral Traditions to the Present. Aleph Book Company Private Ltd. 2021.

• Vyas, Diti. “Truth Behind Popular Children’s Literature: The Case of Richmal Crompton’s William Stories”. Singularities.6:1. 29th January, 2019.

• Vyas, Diti. “Intersectional Analysis of Gender in Indian Children’s Literature: Comparison of Novels Written in English and Gujarati”, International Research in Children’s Literature 9: 2 : October 2015.
  http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full/10.3366/ircl.2015.0165

Invited Talks/Panel Discussions

• “Toy Design Education: Courses and Careers”, International Webinar on Toys and Games to Play, Make and Learn. Ministry of Education and NCERT. 20th and 21st January, 2022.

• “Children’s Literature in Local Languages” Academic Study of Children’s Literature. A Workshop by Room to Read in Partnership with USAID and Doon University. 6th and 7th July, 2021. Panelist.

• “Communicating Effectively in the Virtual World” Centre of Management Communication. Indian Institute of Management (IIM B), 20th June, 2020. Webinar Speaker.

• “Once Upon a Time: The Charm of Children’s Literature, presented by Consulate General of Ireland, Mumbai, Ahmedabad International Literature Festival, Ahmedabad, 17th November, 2019. Speaker.

• Indian Children’s Literature and the Dynamics of Centre and Periphery”, National Level Conference on “From Periphery to Centre: Exploring Culture Literature and Media, Sasurie College of Arts and Science, Bharthiar University, Tamilnadu, 6th February 2019. Inaugural Address.

• “Truth: About Chidren’s Literature” in “Literature, Philosophy, Spirituality and Gender” themed Panel discussion at Singularities International Conference on TRUTH 2019, Post graduate Department of English KAHM Unity College, Manjeri, Calicut University, Kerala, 31st January, 2019. Panelist.

• “Gender and Children’s Literature”, Frontier Series at Department of English, S.S. College, Areekode, Calicut University, Kerala, 1st February, 2019, Invited Speaker.

• “Representation in Indian Children’s Literature” at Providence College, Calicut University, 1st February, 2019, Invited Speaker
  Resource person for a workshop on “Create Your Own Comic” at Gujarat Literature Festival (GLF) Baroda on 2nd February, 2018 and Ahmedabad 7th January 2018.

• “Hamari Adhuri Kahani: Unheard Voices of Women at Ahmedabad International Literature Festival 2018. Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat. Ahmedabad. November, 25, 2018. Panelist and Moderator.

• Radio Talk “My Tryst with the Himalayas” (Meri Himalaya Yatra ) at All India Radio (AIR) broadcasted on 13th November at Ahmedabad-Vadodara, MW 846 KHz

Professional Affiliations

• Member, Centre for Urbanism and Cultural Economics. Anant National University, Ahmedabad.

• Indian Academy of Management (INDAM)
  Reviewer, Translation Spaces, peer reviewed and indexed Journal (2020).

• Reviewer, The Young India Books, a website that carefully selects, reviews and promotes the best Indian books for children of all ages.

• Member, Advisory Board of Ahmedabad International Literature Festival (2018-2020).

• Dissertation Co-Guide, MBA Aviation Management Programme, University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun 2018.

• Member, Irish Society for the Study of Children’s Literature (ISSCL), Poetry Ireland, Dublin since 2019.

• Member, International Research Society for Children’s Literature (IRSCL) (2013-2017)

Research Interests

Gender Studies, Children’s Literature, Literature in Indian Languages, Oral Story-Telling, Indigenous Cultures and Heritage.