A Calling, Not Just a Career | Why I Love Stepping into the Classroom! ❤️

A Teacher’s Greatest Reward

Teachers’ Day Wishes That Made My Day Today

5th September 2026

Teaching is often described as the noblest of all professions.

Guess why? 😊

Because it is the foundational pillar upon which all other professions are built.

Before anyone becomes a famed scientist, a renowned surgeon, or an impactful artist, they first sat in a classroom where they learnt their art and shaped their talents and skills.

That’s hence teachers act as the ultimate starting point for human advancement and progress.

Indeed, the core objective of a true educator does not lie in building palatial houses or accumulating wealth, fame or power for themselves!

Instead, their focus is entirely on elevating and uplifting their students - patiently nurturing their students’ growth, day by day, in every possible way!

A good teacher hence doesn’t stop at imparting academic facts or simply “covering” the ‘paper-tiger’ syllabus – a University formality for the exams. 😊 Rather, they take the time to mould character, shaping them into better, bolder versions of themselves by teaching empathy, resilience, values, and integrity.

As the adage goes, “A teacher affects eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops.”

And that’s because the impact of a dedicated teacher doesn’t end when the academic year finishes or a degree is handed out.

A single word of encouragement can alter the trajectory of a student’s life, changing how they eventually contribute to their community, lead others, and impact society.

And this requires immense endurance and patience every single day, especially when the work feels exhausting or under-recognised most of the time! 

It is indeed a vocation that demands consistent, unglamorous dedication behind the scenes. Students may never see the countless invisible hours of planning, grading, and quiet worrying that teachers do, about those who are struggling, about those who are missing out on their classes, about those who are under-performing!

In fact, teaching demands a unique blend of heavy societal responsibility, selfless service, and lifelong commitment. It’s not just a career; it is a calling. A calling devoted entirely to the betterment of humanity.

Days like today remind me why these past 25 years in the classroom have been such a deeply beautiful and rewarding journey.

As my phone kept buzzing the whole day today, with notifications for Teachers’ Day, and calls poured in hour after hour, I found myself walking down memory lane. 😊

I heard grateful words of thanks from current students whose faces I see every day, and from alumni who are now out in the world, making their own impact on society. 

Hundreds of messages from grateful hearts - and yes, in spite of our 47th Graduation Day commitments today, I patiently took time to reply to every one of them! Thanking every grateful heart that took their sweet time to look back on their student days, and give a word of thanks for their teacher on their very special day today!

Reading through this outpouring of love, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. The true reward of teaching isn’t found in a syllabus or a textbook! it’s found in the subtle ways we shape one another’s lives.

And guess what! for the first time in all these years, I wanted to capture this joy and keep it somewhere I could look back on whenever I need a reminder of why I do what I do.

Out of the hundreds of soulful messages of gratitude that I had received today, I want to reproduce the top 25 beautiful messages (without revealing their identities) 😊 that truly warmed my heart!

To every student - past and present - who took the time to reach out today –

Thank you so much. 😊

You are the only reason I love stepping into the classroom. You have taught me just as much as I have taught you, and watching you grow, succeed, and become wonderful human beings remains the greatest privilege of my life.

They say, gratitude is a powerful tool that unlocks blessings! May your gratitude today, unlock great blessings for you in your life - day by day in every way!

Here’s to the sheer joy of learning, and to many more years of this incredible journey in the service of humanity! ❤️

The Doors That Always Stayed Open | A Teacher’s Day Reflection ❤️

Candles That Light Other Candles

Release of NET, SET, GO... by my kindred spirit Dr. Ganesh
and my dear brother Dr. Franklin, and dedicated to my mentor Dr. Manalan

A Teacher’s Day Tribute to My Mentor Dr. Manalan

#memories #gratitude

Very often we’ve heard this inspirational quote, ‘A teacher affects eternity, as you can never tell where their influence stops’, attributed to eminent Professor Henry Adams.

Be it their exhortations, their encouragement, their advice, their suggestions, their love, their guidance, or their gentle mannerisms, their way of interacting with us, the grace in their voice, the refined elegance in their behaviour, in the ways they influence our character, in the ways in which they give us that newfound confidence to face our future!

I guess each and every one of us would be able to recall that one teacher who means a lot to us, ain’t we?

The one who saw potential in us when we felt so invisible,

The one who saw merit in us, even when we completely lacked in self-esteem or self-worth,

The one who challenged us to think bigger, when we couldn’t think beyond the pages of our syllabus,

The one who simply offered a safe space for our problem on a difficult day,

The one who imparted to us such valuable lessons for life beyond the four walls of the classroom!

Well, one particularly noble aspect of a teacher is that, our teachers do not expect to see the final masterpiece in us, when they give us those vibrant life-lessons. They just plant those noble seeds in our garden with such love, care and concern, and hope for the best!

In like manner, for years they might have spent their bestest energy on a student, to proudly watch them move on to their next phase in life, confidently!

Release of the book Aura of the Other by our Principal Dr. Alexander Jesudasan,
dedicated to my mentor Dr. Manalan

Still…

Their influence on our lives continues to bloom! It blooms in our workspace, it blooms in our social space, it blooms in our family space, it blooms in our speech, it blooms in our actions, and what not!

Today on the memorable occasion of Teachers’ Day, my thoughts instinctively travel back to my memorable time in Bishop Heber College, to the teacher who shaped not just my academic journey, but my very approach to life and learning: our beloved Librarian, Dr. Jesudoss Manalan.

“A true mentor is someone who gives you the opportunity to create yourself,” and Dr. Manalan was exactly that. To call him a librarian would be a vast understatement! He doubled up as a parent, a counsellor, a friend and a local guardian to so many of us.

I still vividly remember my days preparing for the NET exams. I had spotted a brilliant Cambridge book that cost Rs. 4,500 (back then, in the late 1990s), and an exorbitant amount for a student to afford three decades ago. When I casually mentioned this to him, impulsively, with his ever-cheerful smile, he simply said, “Rufus, next week you’ll have it in the Reference section. Don’t worry.” And true to his word, he ordered it all the way from the UK. 

This selfless act of support literally moved me to tears, and it became the very reason I promised myself that if I ever wrote a book, it would be dedicated to him. Years later, when I co-authored the now-popular NET preparatory book titled, NET SET GO, I dedicated it along with two other books – so yes three books - to my guiding light – Dr. Manalan!

His belief in his students extended far beyond the walls of the grand library at Heber! When I first took my baby steps into the world of writing, it was Dr. Manalan who stood by me, motivating me to write consistently. In fact, he taught me that, all meaningful achievement is the result of doing something repeatedly over time – the power of consistency!

Whether it was typing out those regular letters to the editor for The Hindu or The Indian Express, or drafting articles for the college magazine, he was my biggest motivator. I can still recall the sheer joy in his voice when he called me up one morning in 1998, while I was reading the newspaper in the hostel, just to congratulate me on an article of mine that had been published in The Indian Express. To my absolute surprise, he had already taken the time to compile a sweet little file of all my articles. 

It is a profound truth that a guru is someone who takes the greatest pride in even your littlest achievements.

Dr. Manalan didn’t just love books; he loved humanity. He transformed the Bishop Heber library into a living, breathing sanctuary for learners, firmly believing that a library is a growing organism. I still marvel at the memory of a night walk through the campus, finding the library brightly lit at 9:30 PM, packed with fifty to sixty students deeply engrossed in their studies. He deliberately kept the doors open late for hostellers and day scholars alike, even arranging dinner for those who couldn’t afford it, just to make them devour the amazing stacks of knowledge lined up in the library.

Dr. Manalan on his mentee - me! 😊

Dr. Manalan was a person who worked tirelessly to bring the student to the library. He used to famously outline his simple but profound “four steps to developing a healthy reading habit.”

Step 1: Pick up a book with less number of pages.

Step 2: Read non-stop for fifteen minutes a day.

Step 3: Avoid distraction while reading.

Step 4: When you finish a book, reward yourself with a new book.

That’s because ‘A Reader Today! A Leader Tomorrow’, he used to say very often.

From keeping the library doors open late into the night, to being one of the first people to turn up with a happy and contended proud smile on his face, for my PhD defence, Dr. Manalan has been a steady, unwavering beacon of light in my life.

Through his boundless passion, he taught us that reading is for the mind what exercise is to the body. But through his life, he taught us an even greater lesson: candles that light other candles never lose their brightness.

Happy Teacher’s Day, dear Sir. Thank you for seeing the potential in us, for nurturing our dreams, and for making us what we are today!

Even as we celebrate our beloved teachers today, let’s take a moment to pause and look back at our own life-journey thus far. All of us may have our own Dr. Manalans in our lives, ain’t we?

A teacher who bought that lovely book for you, the teacher who celebrated your smallest wins, the teacher who kept their doors always open when you needed it the most, the teacher who did not lose hope in you even when everyone else had!

Well, today is the perfect day to remember them! 😊

PS: You may want to read a few of my past posts here below, on Dr. Manalan, my inspirational mentor! 😊

1. On how the now popular NET Preparatory book NET, SET, GO happened… HERE

2. Four Steps to a Healthy Reading Habit, by Dr. Manalan… HERE

3. The memorable day when Dr. Manalan called me to his Cabin... HERE

4. My great mentors... HERE

5. Dr. Manalan on Libraries... HERE

6. Dr. Manalan on Consistency then, is the Key... HERE

7. On my dearest Librarian Dr. Manalan... HERE

8. Candles that Light Other Candles... HERE

Inside WCC’s Theatrical Extravaganza | Today @ WCC ❤️

When the Human Meets the Divine | WCC’s Sister Act

Today at WCC | A Report

3rd September 2026 #theatre

Come September, and theatre enthusiasts of all hues flock together at WCC’s auditorium for their annual theatrical extravaganza.

Yes, staging an annual college play is a WCC tradition that dates back to the year 1917.

Following the massive success of the college’s live performance of The Sound of Music last year, WCC had decided a kinda sequel, (it ain’t a real sequel though!) to adapt Sister Act into a musical format.

Surprisingly, this evening had an abundant spell of rains, making traffic in namma Chennai a bit ‘more’ chaotic! But thankfully we were on time for the musical.

The play started sharp at 6.30 pm and ended at 8 pm.

As a regular participant over the past two decades, I’ve seen theatre in WCC evolve into such a professional medium, with the student-actors giving such astounding performances to a highly refined, responsive and a very well-behaved audience.

The play has been directed by Regin Rose, a National School of Drama graduate and theatre artiste who has been directing the college’s annual plays for the last five years now.

Although the script of the original has not been altered, the team has added fresh dramatological spice at a few places 😊 just to keep the audience engaged all through the performance! And how!

There’s this scene where Deloris walks into the alley from the right, with her large purse on her, when she witnesses Curtis (her boyfriend) shoot Ernie dead. Ernie falls to the ground lifeless, and on seeing this, Deloris lets out a scream. Curtis and the thugs immediately stare at Deloris, peeved that she had ‘witnessed’ the crime. In no time, Deloris adapts herself to the situation and remarks,

“I… saw nothing. Just now. Just a whole mess of nothing. I was coming here to… uh to…”

Curtis lounges forward to her and says, “Deloris, baby…”

Deloris replies, “Shhhh… We mustn’t ‘wake’ Ernie. I’ll just tiptoe outta here and see what else my fur goes with… Again… I saw nothing… nothing…”

Here, in this particular scene, the girl who played Deloris did an amazing and impressive performance that literally struck a chord with the entire audience.

From here she straight heads to the police station, and starts talking to the cop. Officer Eddie Souther is at his desk, and he begins listening to her complaint.

The dialogues here are so punchy without those boring long and winding sentences - kinda short and witty repartees. Sample this -

Help me! I just saw somebody kill somebody!

Who killed who?

Ernie Williams got killed.

Ernie Williams got killed?

Yeah!

He was our best informant.

Informant?

I bet Curtis Jackson killed him.

Yeah!

Dammit!

Ow! Wait a minute!

What?

I know you.

Well, I know you too, Doris Carter.

Yeah! That was me!

You had a crush on me.

Yeah! That was me!

I’d come around and you’d get so nervous, you’d start to sweat…

No, that wasn’t me!

Be it the rapid-fire, or the split-second timing - they make the interactions feel highly gripping, urgent and highly entertaining as well. 

The use of single words like for example, “Informant?”, “Yeah!”, “What?”, etc., where the actors don’t even have time to pause, literally add to the ‘cliffhanger-ish’ pace, pulling the audience to the edge of their seats!

Coming back -

There’s yet another scene, (Scene 5) at the Queen of Angels Cathedral, South Philadelphia, where the nuns are singing poorly and joylessly, even as they file sincerely through on their way to mass… when…

Mother Superior: Who is that at this hour?

The Philadelphia Police Department: They need to hide a wayward woman in our convent.

A wayward woman? But Monsignor, I don’t –

They are making a generous financial donation.

I see.

Think of it as a test.

Dear Lord, if this is a test, I cannot fail with you by my side. May she be of faith, of modesty…

Thank you, Mother Superior, for letting her hide here for a month.

Deloris: What?

Mother Superior: A month?

Deloris: This is the perfect place?

Eddie: Now you stay here, hide in this convent, and be inconspicuous.

Mother Superior: How can she be inconspicuous? A neon sign blinking, ‘Wawa food market”, is less conspicuous.

Deloris: Hey, I just wanna say thanks for letting me stay here and - and I say this to people all the time - I really dig what you nuns are doing. I love your work. I mean at the end of “The Sound of Music,” when you sisters steal the Nazi’s car parts so the singing children can get away. That’s good stuff.

Mother Superior: Thank you.

Deloris: So listen, while I’m here, these are my ground rules. I want three meals a day and I’ll need two rooms, one for my clothes, one for my down time.

Mother Superior: And these are my rules. You will stay in your room. When you are not in your room, you will behave as a nun. Do you know how a nun behaves?

Deloris: Hey, I went to catholic school when I was a kid.

Mother Superior: The benefits of which are quite apparent. Now. You will only come out of your room for meals or prayer - do you pray, child?

Deloris: Well, one time when I saw Donna Summer, she was wearing a white sequin dress and had a white fur - and I said to myself “Jesus Christ I wish I had that dress.” Does that count as prayer? 😊

Yet another farcical scene commanded the maximum laughs. This particular scene is set inside the Queen of Angels church, where the nuns are frantically scrambling to hide Deloris from the three thugs! 

Fast-forwarding to the last scene which is so gripping, especially the dialogues between a ‘transformed’ Mother Superior and a rejuvenated Deloris! 😊

Here goes –

Mother Superior: For all that you’ve done, I thank you. And may everything you hope for in life be yours. A white sequined gown with a white fox fur.

Deloris: I don't know about that, Mother Superior. But I got Eddie and my friends here and - maybe they’ll, you know, help me get all that.

Mother Superior: So you will come back and visit us? After the Pope gig?

Deloris: Pope gig. Check you out, getting’ all show bizzy. Yeah. I'll come back to this church. A lot.

Mother Superior: To pray?

Deloris: To sing. You know, sometimes when I’m singing with these girls, I’ll just decide to take it up a half step, and everyone of them - all of them - just take it up with me. Without anybody sayin’ a word.

Mother Superior: Perhaps one day you will know that that is God.

Deloris: Perhaps one day you will know that that is just being human.

Mother Superior: Or perhaps one day we will realise it is both. And they are the same thing.

(Deloris hugs Mother Superior)

Finally, comes the realisation moment, when Mother Superior and Deloris beautifully realise that the divine and the human are deeply intertwined through music!

And how!

Coming back -

The fact that the production is a massive collaborative effort shows!

Over 300 students from various departments, have worked day and night behind the scenes for the success of the play. The stage features 38 students performing as actors, choristers, and musicians. The core committee also includes student production controllers, assistant directors, and dramatologists, working closely with faculty coordinators Prof. Rexlin and Prof. Martina. 

Tickets are sold at the venue (subject to availability) and are priced at ₹300, ₹500, and ₹750, with donor passes available for ₹1,500.

The play is indeed an amazing testament to the magic of student theatre - where sheer dedication shows in every scene of this wonderful masterpiece of sorts!

Be it the punchy humour, or the soul-stirring music, or the impressive sets, or the outstanding costumes - this production is a must-watch!

Just go for the laughs, and applaud the incredible talent of these vibrant performers on stage, who brought this masterpiece to life!

The Vibrant Band

PS: Three cheers to all ye lovely performers today. The musical team was awe-inspiring. This play being a musical, every one of them sang so well! And the musicians – wonder-amazing! Be it the drums, the violin, the guitar, the organ, it was such a stellar performance! One extra word of appreciation is due - especially to the three cute thugs - Joey, TJ, and Pablo! OMG! You guys simply rocked! You literally lived it!😊

The Thugs Living out their Thug-Life on Stage! 😊

You may want read about yet another past performance at WCC, on Where There is a Will, and Jokumaraswamy, 26 Sept 2013, HERE on our blog. 

You may also want to read about yet another past performance at WCC, on The Threepenny Opera, 16 Sept 2023, HERE on our blog. 

Congratulations Dr. Abhishek! ❤️

Congratulations, Dr. Abhishek I Singh, on successfully defending your thesis in today’s PhD Viva Voce Examination at the IGH Seminar Hall. Congratulations Dr. Mekala Rajan, our former HoD, English, MCC. ❤️

Cordially Inviting You...❤️

 

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2026

Dear Faculty Members, Researchers, Scholars & Students,

You are warmly invited to the International Conference on “Syntax and Semantics in the AI Era: Transforming Education, Narrative, and Communication” on Friday, 11 September 2026 at Indus Arts and Science International College, Erode.

🤝 Jointly Organised By

🔹 Trincomalee Campus, Eastern University, Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

🔹 Arasu Engineering College, Kumbakonam

🔹 Indus Arts and Science International College, Erode

🔹 Bishop Heber College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli

🌐 Focus Areas: Language • Literature • Education • Engineering • IT • Communication • AI

📝 Abstract: 250–300 words

📄 Full Paper: Max. 2500 words | MLA Style

💻 Online & Offline Participation Available

📅 Conference: 11 September 2026

📚 Publication Charge: ₹1,500

🔗 Registration

https://forms.gle/TuRmbL6BEQ8Y1BSW7

📞 Contact

Mr. M. Balakrishnan – 9629284850

Dr. V. Ravishankar – 9600960042

Dr. A. Esther Shanthini – 9566935319

✨ Research • Innovation • Collaboration • Communication

We warmly invite your valuable participation and academic contribution.

The Swan Song of the Newspaper Stacks ❤️

The Swan Song for the Daily Newspaper Stacks in Office

4th January 2007 | Memories | When newspapers were part of the ICA in my classes :-)

#reflections #newspaperinlearning

Well, today marked the swan song for the newspaper stacks in my office.

First, for a quick flashback! Well, for quite a few years now, I had made it a daily habit to purchase a minimum of fifty copies of the day’s English newspapers - specifically, The Hindu and The Times of India - and keep them in the office for students to take freely and make use of.

Whenever a student reached out for the newspaper, my heart would flutter with happiness. Watching students drop in from their respective departments (mostly Political Science, History, English and Economics), I would always sport a cheerful smile, silently acknowledging their passion for reading. In those moments, I felt that all the effort put into sourcing those daily papers had finally been rewarded.

And it was quite an effort! As some of you may know, this routine took an extra thirty minutes every morning. It meant hopping between three different vendors, gathering fifty copies, bagging them up, and hauling them all the way to my office! 😊

Just last week, during a Q&A session in my II MA English class, a student named Ebenezer asked me about the inspiration behind providing these free newspapers. I told him that it stemmed from my own memories.

When we were in school and college, I remember cycling for at least three kilometres just to get myself a copy of The Hindu or The Indian Express (yes, back then, it was simply The Indian Express). 😊

I recollected those good ol’ days when we used to stand in long queues just to read the newspapers in the library because papers were in such tremendous demand among students. Reading the daily newspaper was a habituated action, a default part and parcel of our everyday routine. Remembering the logistical hurdles we faced during our own college days, I thought it would be a nice gesture to make these resources easily accessible for today’s students on a daily basis.

However, as the days went by, the footfalls for reading the newspaper began to dwindle. Eventually, only about fifteen students came regularly to pick up their free copy. And last week, only five turned up.

So today, as part of my monthly assessment and review, I visited my regular newspaper vendors and broke the news: from the 1st of September, I won’t be buying extra copies of the day’s newspaper.

The vendors - who had by now become such good friends 😊were indeed slightly shocked!

Why, sir, they asked.

I think they’re just idling away in my office all day for want of readers. I don’t think it is serving its purpose, I blurted out, sensing a noticeable tinge of sadness that was flitting me by! 😊

Although I have stopped purchasing bulk copies starting today, I personally feel that reading per se hasn’t died out in the avid reader.

However, inculcating the habit of reading is a seed (that I personally feel) should be planted early. Introducing it in secondary school is one of the most effective approaches to imparting this lovely skill to students. In fact, catching them young normalises the newspaper as a daily tool for discovery, ensuring that the habit becomes deeply ingrained in their hearts and minds forever!

On a genuinely heartwarming note, a Professor from Theni [Theni Kammavar Sangam College Of Arts and Science]  had shared some wonderful news with me just this evening.

He mentioned that he has been regularly displaying clippings from ‘Education Plus’ on all his Department notice boards every Monday.

Most touchingly, he credited our established practices here at MCC as a partial inspiration for this initiative. I was deeply moved to hear how our routines can motivate and influence others in such positive ways.

A heartfelt thank you to Professor Sundhar for sharing this and for your commendable efforts! May all your noble efforts bear fruit!

P.S. For those of you who love to explore the true value of the daily newspaper - and how profoundly it shapes our language and real-world skills - you may want to gently scroll down to our past posts [HERE].

Why Research Matters | Insights from Today’s Research Writing Workshop at Loyola College ❤️

Reflections on Today’s Research Writing Workshop

Loyola College | PG & Research Dept of English

31 August 2026

It was an absolute joy to be part of the Research Writing Workshop hosted by the Department of English at Loyola College (Autonomous), Chennai. After a rewarding vibe over coffee and conversation, I was ushered into the MCA Hall for my session.

I was so happy to know that undergraduate students at the Department of English, Loyola College, undertake a dedicated paper on Research Writing, which culminates in a practical project.

The session began with the welcome address by Dr. Christina Sagaya Mary, who shared a touching personal anecdote that caught me pleasantly by surprise.

“It was the year 2004,” she recalled. “My father and I had come to Madras Christian College for my admission. The first person we met was Rufus sir. He assured my father that I had come to the best institution and that I was in safe hands.” Hearing her fondly recollect an incident from over 22 years ago was truly heartwarming. She further reflected on her time as a student, remarking, “I was privileged to be taught by illustrious stalwarts like Dr. Ganesh, Dr. Rajagopalan, and Dr. Victor Frederick, who shaped my values for life.”

The Department also extended a wonderfully thoughtful gesture that I personally cherished: presenting me with a Moses-in-the-Cradle (Rhoeo) plant - a lovely new addition to our home garden - 😊 along with a copy of Hermann Hesse’s classic, Siddhartha.

In my lecture, I focused on the profound importance of research in higher education. Research is not merely an academic requirement; it is a fundamental objective, privilege, and benefit of higher learning.

I drew upon Arjun Appadurai’s 2006 essay, “The Right to Research,” where he argues that research must be democratised and recognised as a fundamental human right, particularly in our era of globalisation.

In fact, Appadurai challenges the conventional view that research is an elite, highly technical activity reserved only for specialists. Instead, he posits that it is simply a specialised name for a universal human capacity: the ability to make “disciplined inquiries into those things we need to know, but do not know yet.”

To contextualise this within the Indian landscape, I shared some thought-provoking statistics. Although dropout rates have considerably declined in India and academia has been consistently encouraging scholarly pursuit, the number of individuals actively entering research remains abysmally low.

To illustrate this point, I contrasted our national data with global figures, highlighting the direct link between research investment and economic growth:

In America, for every one lakh people, 440 involve themselves in research.

In China, there are 130 researchers for every one lakh people.

In Israel, it is 825 researchers per lakh, and

In India, it is 27 researchers for every one lakh people.

And as far as expenditure on research is concerned,

In America, $1,866 is spent annually, for an individual researcher.

In China, it is $1,368 per researcher, per annum, and

In Israel, it is $1810, while in India it is $167 per annum.

Let us now try and connect these data with the economy of these respective nations.

In America, it is worth $ 23 trillions

In China, it is $17 trillions

In Japan, $ 6trillions

In India, $ 3trillions

In Israel, 400 billions

Israel has a population that’s a mere one hundredth the size of India’s. However, it is an astounding one eighth in its economy.

Moreover, new inventions, discoveries, production, and the obtaining of patents based on research, are considered of utmost importance in today’s competitive world.

In the market economy, in particular, patents have always had a close connect with economic growth.

Even in this aspect, these nations are a tad higher than us.

For example, up until the year 2018,

China tops the list with over 4.5 lakh patents,

America with 3.54 lakh patents comes second,

followed by Japan with 1.8 lakh patents.

India has so far obtained 25,000 patents.

[Source: Our 2021 Blogpost on 26th June 2021 HERE]

In today’s highly competitive market economy, new inventions, discoveries, and patents are intrinsically linked to national development. The data points to a clear conclusion: countries that invest heavily in research achieve faster and more robust economic growth.

I concluded the session by breaking down the practical mechanics of academic writing. We discussed the core components of an impactful research paper, the ideal structural flow of paragraphs, and five essential rubrics that double as a checklist for students to use before venturing into their final projects.

My sincere thanks to Dr. Sharmila Rani, for initiating this lovely workshop for their students today.

I felt like I was on home soil, with such familiar and vibrant professors Dr. Sharmila and Dr. Christina. Special kudos to them for the excellent way in which the programme was organised today.

I would like to mention one lovely point that Dr. Christina said in her concluding note that was very insightful and hence deserves special mention here. 

She emphasised on the need to break free from the colonial mindset that continues to plague research, especially in formerly colonised nations. For instance, she argued that our unquestioned reliance on APA or MLA guidelines should be replaced by a distinctly Indian style of academic formatting.

A wake-up call for academia. I’m sure this is sure going to have a transformative sea-change in academia in the years to come!

A highly pertinent and thoughtful observation, and I gladly second it to a tee!

Coming back -

A special word of appreciation to Mr. Vishal who did the MC today. Dr. Christina (with a teacher’s happiness) proudly told me that he was doing the MC for the first time. You did it with such confidence, Vishal. Kudos!

And to Mr. Dharun, for introducing me in such a graceful way. Thank you, Dharun.

Thank you dear Professors, and to all of you, our lovely students for the memorable interactions and discussions we had today. You made my day today.

A very rewarding day, in every way.