Dr. Rocharla Rohith

Brief Introduction:

Dr. Rohith is an Assistant Professor in the School of Technology Management & Engineering at NMIMS Hyderabad. He specializes in Professional and Technical Communication, with research interests in Adivasi folklore, oral traditions, and translation. His academic trajectory bridges engineering and the humanities: after four years of teaching engineering students, he pursued doctoral research at IIT Dharwad, where his Ph.D. investigated the cultural significance of the Mahua tree among Gond and Pawra Adivasi communities, focusing on oral literature, folklore translation, and political ecology. Grounded in ethnographic methods, his research explores how language, folklore, and oral traditions mediate relations of knowledge, power, and belonging, functioning as discursive spaces where cultural identities are articulated, contested, and reconfigured under shifting social and ecological conditions. Alongside research, he designs and teaches courses in communication, technical writing, and business English for diverse cohorts, including students of engineering, management, and pharmacy.

Areas of Interest

• Professional and Technical Communication, with emphasis on clarity, inclusivity, and applied pedagogy
• Adivasi folklore and oral traditions as vehicles of cultural memory and social identity
• Translation studies, focusing on voice, representation, and intercultural exchange
• Ethnographic approaches to language and society, exploring how discourse and power shape identities and practices

Publications

• 2025 "Mapping the Post-displacement Vulnerability: Unravelling the Plight of the Chenchus in the Nallamala Forest of Telangana.” South Asia: The Journal of South Asian Studies, Taylor & Francis Publication (under review).
• 2025 "Empowering Underrepresented Communities: Integrating Sustainable Development Goals Through Social Inclusion.” Journal of Underrepresented and Minority Progress (forthcoming; indexed in Scopus).
• 2021 "Investigating Systemic Marginalisation of Skill, Culture and Livelihood: An Ethnographic Study of Chenchus from Telangana.” Tribal Livelihood and Governance. ISBN 978-81-316-1165-4, Rawat Publications, New Delhi, Pg: 162-177.
• 2018 "A Comparative Study of Prominent Teaching Methodology in First-Year Undergraduate Engineering Programme: A Case Study.” Research Journal of English. ISSN:2456-2696, Volume 3 (Issue: 4): Pg: 105-110.

Organizer/Chair/Discussant of Conferences

• 2022 Chair and Discussant for the International Memory Studies Conference titled ‘Memory in Digital Age’ organized by the Centre for Memory Studies, IIT Madras, Chennai.

Conference Presentations

• 2023 April: Mahua and the Tribal Ethos: The Politics of Alcohol Distillation and Tribes in the Indian Subcontinent. National Conference titled ‘Communities in Context: Contesting Histories and Cultures’ organized by the Centre for Comparative Literature, University of Hyderabad, Telangana.
• 2022 August: Narratives of Bureaucracy: The Role of Colonial Archives in Creating the ‘Criminal Tribes’ in India. International Memory Studies Conference titled ‘Memory in Digital Age’ organized by the Centre for Memory Studies, IIT Madras, Chennai.
• 2022 August: Digital Language Repositories for the Tribal Communities: Critical Observations on Emerging Trends, Challenges and Opportunities. International Conference titled ‘Significance of Technology in Empowering Tribal Communities in India’ organized by Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
• 2019 November: Tolstoy’s Influence on Gandhi in His Experiments with Power. International Conference titled ‘Tolstoy to Gandhi: A Philosophical Journey' organized by Gandhi Bhavan, University of Delhi.
• 2019 March: Prison Testimonies: An Analysis of Self-growth and Redemption. National Seminar titled Prison Writing in India: Suppressing Dissent and Generating Consent, organized by Department of English, Kakatiya University, Warangal.
• 2018 February: Content Based Tasks vs Skill Based Tasks: A Study. National Conference titled English Language and Literature in the Era of Globalization, organized by Andhra Loyola Institute of Engineering and Technology, Vijayawada.

Fellowships and Grants

2023                            Secured IIT-Dh travel grant to support ethnographic study on the cultural relevance of Mahua in Madia Gond and Pawra traditions

2021                            Senior Research Fellowship from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) India

2019                            Junior Research Fellowship from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) India

Professional Memberships

            2022- Present              Active Member: Indian Network for Memory Studies