With keen interest in the arts, Varghese John, Professor of English, holds a doctoral degree in American Literature. The first Indian researcher on Gertrude Stein, he has successfully guided several doctoral dissertations; has published widely; was joint editor of American Literature and Indian English Literature: Studies in Cultural Contiguity (1998). He taught at the Union Christian College, Aluva, India, and was Principal of the college for five years. He is Life member of the Indian Association for American Studies and of the Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS- India); and his areas of interest include American studies, women’s studies, and cultural studies.