NEW DELHI: JNU professor Makarand Paranjape has been appointed as the director of Shimla-based Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. Known to have strong views against the Left dominance in the JNU campus, Paranjape from the School of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies has several academic papers to his credit. He is a well-known author of short stories and poems.
In his 30 years as a teacher in the US and India, he is at JNU for about 19 years. Paranjape started as a teaching assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1980 and returned to India in 1986 as a lecturer with the University of Hyderabad.
In 1994, he joined the department of humanities and social sciences, IIT-Delhi as an associate professor. Since 1999, he has been a professor of English at JNU’s Centre for English Studies. At present, he is also a senior member of the JNU academic council. Paranjape is known for his divergent views in the Left-dominated in the JNU campus. He has drawn opposition from the “Left liberals” from within and outside the varsity campus.