The annual report summarizes the activities of the Indian Association for Science Fiction Studies (IASFS) from 1998-2014. Some key points: - IASFS was established on January 2, 1998 to promote research on Indian science fiction. It has held annual conferences across various cities in India. - The organization publishes the biannual Indian Journal of Science Fiction Studies and a quarterly newsletter. It also published the book Understanding SF. - IASFS has organized science fiction writing workshops, video conferences with scientists and authors, and panels discussing Indian culture and science fiction. - A Hindi section of the online science fiction magazine Kalkion launched in 2009. The organization continues to expand interest in science

1. Annual Report
2014
Indian Association for
Science Fiction Studies

2. The Beginning
 It is a matter of great pleasure to bring on
record that in 1988, the magazine 2001
from New Delhi had an interview via
satellite with Isaac Asimov.
 This event was carried out by the team
work of Mukul Sharma (editor,
2001),Chandan Mitra (coordinator), and
The Times of India Asst Editor Jug
Suraiya.

3. II Wave
 I presume that this is the beginning of the
II wave of the World Science Fiction
movement in India
 Exactly a decade later, Indian Association
for Science Fiction Studies was established
on Asimov’s birthday.

4. IASFS
 IASFS was established on January 2, 1998
 Since then it has been promoting research
work in the field of Indian SF.
 So far the Annual Conferences were held
at Chennai, Coimbatore, Gandhigram, and
Vellore in Tamil Nadu, Bangalore and
Mysore in Karnataka, Varanasi in UP,
Aurangabad and Pune in Maharashtra
States as well as at Pondichery.

5. English Department,
St.Teressa’s College, Kochi
 The Department of English at Bharatiar
University, Coimbatore and at Yeshwant
Mohite College, Pune had organized the
previous two World Conferences.
 I must thank the organizers here for
continuing this tradition for holding
consecutively the III World Conference in
popularizing Science.

6. Themes
 The themes dealt in the previous
conferences are Artificial Intelligence,
Cinema and SF, Fantasy, Genetic
Engineering, Hindi SF, Indian Responses
to World SF, Indian SF in Vernacular
languages, Literary Criticism on Indian SF,

7. Themes
 Myth, Nanotechnology, Print versus Visual
SF, Science and Science Fiction, Science
Fiction theme: Time,
 Science Fiction Today, Science Today, SF
and Mainstream Fiction, SF Narration, SF
the Human Aspect, Women in Science
Fiction and others.

8. SF Writing Workshop
 In its highlights, IASFS had arranged an
SF Story Writing Workshop conducted by
Eric Miller and story reading session by
respective SF writers.
 Apart from arranging a video interactive
conference with the Scientists and SF
writers in India, a video conference was
also arranged with Professor James Gunn
of Kansas, USA.

9. Annual Conference Themes
 Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
 Science & SF
 SF & Mainstream Fiction
 Print and Visual SF
 Nanotechnology
 Genetic Engineering

10. Themes
 Myth & Fantasy
 Women in Science Fiction
 Cinema & SF: Seventy years of Synergy-
1926-2003
 Indian SF in Vernacular Languages.
 SF in Media and others

11. Video Conference
 A video show was on arranged on “Award
Ceremony of Campbell Conference held at
Kansas, USA in July 2000- Writers Workshop” at
the Bangalore conference.
 An interaction with Dr.Phondke, A.P.Deshponde
& others was organized during Mysore
conference.
 A video show was on “Interaction with
Prof.Gunn” was arranged at the Aurangabad
Conference.

12. IJSFS
 The association is bringing out biannual
Indian Journal of Science Fiction Studies.
It has been publishing scholarly articles,
short stories and also the Papers read at
the conferences.
 It is also bringing out quarterly News
letters.
 Recently, IASFS has published
Understanding SF by KSP & MHS.

13. SF Workshop
 It is reported that an SF workshop was
held at IIT Kanpur in which Vandana
Singh had taken part in it.
 A Panel discussion was organized in
London on Indian Culture on Aug 19th
2009 in which Indian SF was also a topic
of discussion.

14. Birth of Kalkion
 The Hindi section of Kalkion - an online
Indian SF magazine has emerged a few
months back. It has published a few
stories, poems, and articles.

15. Visual
 Zakir Ali Rajnish’s book on Script writing
has been released on 15.09.09 at Luknow.
It provides sufficient impetus to turn SF
Print media into visual media.
 It is reported that Robo/Endhiran a Tamil
SF movie starring Rajanikanth and
Aishwarya Rai will be released soon.