Charu Sheel Singh (born; 15 may 1955) is an Indian English scholar of international repute. A treader of the triple path, like Arnold, Eliot and Sri Aurobindo, Prof. Singh is a poet, critic and literary theorist. A university don of great erudition and long experience of research, Prof. Singh is not only well acquainted with current schools of thought but he is also conversant with philosophical theories of the East and the West and the occult traditions, Buddhism and theosophy being among his special areas of interest.
Early Life & Education:
He took his Honors and Masters degrees in English from Aligarh Muslim University in 1974 and 1976. In 1978, he was awarded Ph.D. degree in English by Banaras Hindu University. He is married to Maya and they have a son Padmasambhava.
His father, Pratap Narayan Singh was studying Mechanical Engineering from IT, BHU when he joined the Army. He was Sergeant Major in the Army and fought in the Second World War. He was awarded with several Victoria Medals for excellent service. Later, he resigned and joined Indian Railways and retired as Senior Divisional Safety Officer from Bikaner. He also served as General Manager in Dalmiya Railways. He had Master’s degrees in Hindi and Ancient Indian History. He was also a Sahitya Ratna and a Poet.
Career as a Scholar:
During 1982-83, Dr. Singh went to the University of Warwick, Coventry, England on a British Council Scholarship for Post Doctoral research work. He worked on Post-1950 British Poetry. Dr. Singh was the only candidate to have been selected by UGC to work on the project on Religion and Literary Theory for five years from 1986 onwards. He worked as Research Scientist ‘B’ from 1986 to 1991. Prof. Singh was a Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla in 1993. Later, he became fellow at the Institute in 1996. Dr. Singh worked on a major UGC Research Project in 1997.
Dr. Singh has written and edited over two dozen books on literary criticism and literary methods. His major work Philosophical Hermeneutics (7 vols., 2009) has been published.
Awards & Honors:
His name figures in many national and international bibliographies. He is listed in Dictionary of International Biography from Cambridge, England, Cotemporary Poets published from England, Indian Literatures’ Who’s Who published by Sahitya Akademy, New Delhi.
Dr. Singh has been reviewed in commonwealth literature, USA. He is also reviewed in a quarterly journal BLAKE from Rochester University (http://bq.blakearchive.org/18.2.jackson). His book Contemporary Literary Theory is listed in Reader’s Guide To English Literature published by Routledge publishers , Abingdon, United Kingdom. He is some of the few living legends on whom one PhD is already submitted (http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/111131/3/1%20front%20pages.pdf) and several other researches are also being carried out. His article on Paul de Man is listed in Times Literary Supplement published from London, U.K. He is also reviewed in Modern Language Review.
According to WorldCat Identities operated by Online Computer Library Center, Charu Sheel Singh has 41 works in 78 publications and has 490 library holdings. Twice given ‘The Best Writer Award’ by Penguin International, Delhi. Maharashtra Dalit Sahitya Akademy Award also conferred on him twice.
There are several other awards conferred upon Dr. Singh from India and abroad. Dr. Singh is widely reviewed in the English speaking world.
Some distinguished opinions:
Prof. M.K.Naik, in a personal letter said that, only Shakespeare and Whitman can carry out such linguistic experiments as Charu Sheel Singh’s Kashi: A Mandala Poem.
Prof C.D.Narasimhaiah said about Concentric Imagination that nobody in the country is competent enough to write a forward to this book.
Prof. Krishna Rayan said that nobody has written such things about Indian Poetics as Charu Sheel Singh in the Concentric Imagination.
Prof. P.S.Shastri holds that C.S.Singh has shown the whole Romantic Scholarship a new pathway to explore.
Prof. U.R.Ananthmurthy said that Charu Sheel Singh is one of the best research minds in the country.
Prof. O.P.Mathur said about Charu Sheel Singh poetry in a review in the ‘Points of view’ that Singh has inaugurated a new hermeneutical school of poetry.
It is general opinion that Singh is the lone survivor of Sri Aurbindo School in Indian English Poetry.
Poetry Collections:
Tapascharnam
Tapascharnam: Shukadeva ki Pida
Songs of Life & Death
The Indian Hero
Creation Cocktail
Terracotta Flames
Scripture on Stone
Etching on the Edge
Kashi: A Mandala Poem
Golden Chariots
Born across Millenniums: Incarnations of Vishnu
Ten Mahavidyas
Legacies
Major Publications:
The Chariot of Fire: A Study of William Blake in the Light of Hindu Thought
Concentric Imagination: Mandala Literary Theory
Self Reflexive Materiality: Three Assays in Comparative Method
Spectrum History of Indian English Literature
Women about Women in Indian Literature in English
Canon and Canonization
Indian Swans
Theory and Interpretation of Literature
Philosophical Hermeneutics (7 Volumes)
Contemporary Indian English Poetry
Cotemporary Literary Theory
Literary Theory: Possibilities & Limits
Indian English Literature Since 1950 (2 volumes)
Sri Aurbindo Home Coming Centenary Volume
Collected Research Papers (2 volumes)
External Links:s
www.galaxyimrj.com/V1/n2/Sonia.pdf
www.grin.com › Catalog › English Language and Literature Studies › Literature
www.nationallibrary.gov.in/ResultKeyword.php?start=2769&p_f=2769&id
www.jlaindia.com/contributors.php
www.newmanpublication.com/May15_issue/13.pdf
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4313/m2/1/high_res_d/thesis.pdf
http://www.kbjournal.org/node/190
http://bq.blakearchive.org/pdfs/issues/21.1.pdf
rajni-rajnisingh.blogspot.com/2007/