Pause the Classroom, Pursue Your Passion: Inside MCC's New Deferral Programme! ❤️

MCC Introduces ‘Defer a Semester’ Scheme for Extracurricular Excellence

The New Indian Express, Chennai Edition

STUDENTS of Madras Christian College (MCC) will have the opportunity to pursue extracurricular activities without affecting their academic progression as, starting from the 2026-27 academic session, the institute will roll out the ‘Defer a Semester’ (DAS) scheme.

Eligible students can defer their semester for a full 90 days, participate in selected activities such as national and international internships or sports competitions, as long as they meet the required benchmarks outlined by the college.

The scheme will give students the flexibility to pursue opportunities outside the classroom and engage in activities such as innovation and entrepreneur ship development, internships at reputed institutions, participation in national and international sporting events, or any other significant educational experience recommended by the head of department (HoD) and approved by the college’s standing committee.

The scheme is open to undergraduate students (in any semester from two to five) and postgraduate students (in semester two or three). To apply, students must have no disciplinary actions, have good academic standing, and have secured at least 60% in their previous semester to qualify for the scheme.

A detailed application process will involve submitting relevant evidence, including offer letters, certificates, and confirmation letters from the activity providers, at least 90 days prior to the commencement of the DAS activity. Students will course work, as deferred semester courses will be handled through a crash course format during the subsequent semester.

“This scheme reflects our commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial and global-minded students. By offering the flexibility to explore opportunities outside the classroom, we are empowering our students to innovate, grow, and contribute meaningfully to society,” said Paul Wilson, principal of the college.

“By offering the flexibility to explore opportunities outside the classroom, we are empowering our students to innovate and grow”. - Paul Wilson, Principal, Madras Christian College.

Defer A Semester @ MCC! ❤️

MCC to allow students to defer one semester from next year

Times of India, Chennai Edition

13th April 2026

To allow students to pursue innovation, take up internships in reputed industries, and participate in sporting events, Madras Christian College plans to introduce a ‘defer a semester programme’ from next academic year (2026-27).

According to this proposal, students will be allowed to appear for the end-semester exams in the subsequent semester for all courses missed during the deferred semester.

The college has launched MCC-MRF Innovation Park to incubate start-ups. The college also has several academic partnerships with the foreign universities. “These courses will not be treated as backlogs or arrears in the student’s marksheet. Instead they will be considered part of regular academic progression permitted under deferral provisions,” said Paul Wilson, the principal.

Meanwhile, Stella Maris College has introduced co-curricular and extracurricular transcript, which will record students participation across a broad spectrum of activities.

“It will complement the academic transcript and capture the learning experiences occurring beyond formal coursework. It will provide a more comprehensive representation of a student’s development,” said Sr Stella Mary, principal of the college.

“It will improve campus placement prospects as recruiters get a better idea about the candidates and their pursuits. It will also increase students’ participation in developmental activities,” she added.

The Great Shining Sunday for India! ❤️

A Slice of 1999 | Sharjah Thrillers, and India’s Great Nuclear Leap!

11th April 1999

#memoriesfromdiaries

This day, 27 years ago!

Sundays are for rest, relaxation, reading and re-arrangement of room! 😊

Way back in 1999, a Sunday afternoon siesta was an indispensable ritual that was meant to recharge us all for the evening ahead! And so it was, that, after spending some time arranging my room, I had a siesta.

And this particular evening had its own share of entertainment quotient too!

If you were an Indian cricket fan like me, watching cricket in the 90s, the word “Sharjah” would definitely ring a bell in you, and bring back a flood of memories as well!

It was indeed a sensational match between India & England at Sharjah, that India had won the match by a nail-biting nine runs. Venkatesh Prasad was declared Man of the Match.

By 12.40 a.m at night the match ended!

One little sore point of the match was that, Javagal Srinath had indeed given too many runs! (cricket is all about wickets you see!)

This match is quite a memorable one for many reasons. Our regular captain Mohammad Azharuddin was out of the match, and so Ajay Jadeja stepped in as the acting captain.

Jadeja, who was famously known back then as ‘Mr. Cool’, led from the front, smashing a highly crucial, unbeaten 74 off 67 balls to place India at 239/6.

However, England’s baffling batting saved the day skyhigh for India. England’s innings featured three separate run-outs, effectively throwing the game away!

Now, coming back to the most interesting part of this diary entry –

India had successfully test-fired Agni-II, the intermediate-range ballistic missile, considered to be a major milestone for the nation.

The two-stage, 2,000 km-range missile was developed by DRDO to carry a 1,000 kg nuclear payload.

Well, on an aside, the Agni series forms the backbone of India’s land-based nuclear deterrence. Over the years, the DRDO has developed multiple variants, steadily increasing their range, precision, and technological sophistication.

The lineup begins with the highly mobile, single-stage Agni-I, a short-to-medium-range missile (SRBM/MRBM) capable of carrying a 1,000 kg payload over 700 to 1,200 km using road or rail launchers.

The two-stage Agni-III is a high-precision intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) designed to strike deep into enemy territory; its heavier and wider build allows it to deliver a 1,500 to 2,500 kg payload across 3,000 to 5,000 km.

The similarly ranged Agni-IV (3,500–4,000 km) prioritises extreme precision and modernisation, utilising lightweight composite rocket motors, advanced avionics, and a 5th-generation onboard computer to deliver an 800 to 1,000 kg payload.

The most powerful operational variant is the three-stage Agni-V, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a massive reach of 5,000 to over 8,000 km.

And the takeaway? 😊

Well, it indeed is so lovely to see how good ol’ diaries of ages past, manage to come to life with flesh and blood, almost 27 years later, highlighting both the personal news and the public news - on the national and the international levels – the sensational Indian win in cricket, the brilliance of DRDO, and the unbridled joys of a lovely siesta! 😊

From Manuscripts to Market | 21 Student Books Launched at Writers' Nook ❤️

“From Blank Page to Bestseller”

Writers’ Workshop @ MMIP | A Report

We had a memorable Writers’ workshop titled, “From Blank Page To Bestseller,” today from 9 am to 2 pm in the Unicorn Hall, MMIP, by the MCC-MRF Innovation Park under the Writers’ Nook initiative.

Mr. Ravin Carr, CEO of Katha Books, was the Guest of Honour. The central theme of the session was, “From Manuscript to Market: Build a book that succeeds,” focusing on the practical steps of transforming raw ideas into commercially viable literary works.

The session was designed to provide actionable insights into the writing and publishing process.

Providing a comprehensive understanding of the current publishing landscape, Mr. Ravin guided the participants on how to effectively turn initial ideas into a finished book, and how to launch and market a book successfully.

The event was curated entirely by our vibrant students – with Ms. Lekhaa Meenakshi Sundaram, Ms. G. Rakshaya, Ms. Veda, Ms. Aarthi KPB and team.

Although the event slightly shot into overtime mode, the students were deeply involved in the interactions, that they did not see time flitting them by!

Ms. Rachel Pamela Joseph, our illustrious alumna (MA English, 2011 – 13), Dr. Arun Kumar’s batch, gave an impactful and engaging workshop on “The World of Freelancing”.

45 students participated in the Workshop.

21 of our students (who had published their books this semester), had their books launched on the occasion. (Two in absentia)

Special appreciation to all the 21 students for showing such dedication to developing their skills beyond their classroom space.

Here are the vibrant student authors and the titles they officially released today.

Alena Sara Thomas – My Euphoric Quill and My Lilac Letters

Amathullah Aafreen – Nation Memory and The Poetics of Nation Memory

Carolina Salomi – When Sunflower Met the Moon

Catherin Sabu – Programmed Selves

Dhanushkumar P – BYE, SWEETHEART!

Gracelin Patrica J – The Fading Darkness

Lekhaa Meenakshi Sundaram – The Werewolves of Brooklyn: Siege of the Dokkalfar, I Just Wanna Be A Girl, A Lost Land of Magic - Anything is Possible, The Art of Carrying Pain, and The Werewolves of Brooklyn: Rebirth of Fenrir

Libby Lynn RB – Harsh Twilight Hours

Nitish Kumar R K – Silhouettes of Solitude - An Unseen Ink of Emotions

Pearlina Gracelyn P – Red Verses

Prakalya – Seized by Shadows

Rakshaya G – Incomplete 99

Reji Jacob B S – Whisking Through the Ages

S Rency Gabriella – The Syntax of Scars: Scriptotherapy of the Fractured Interior

Safa Salsabeel Z – The Second Chance

Terese Maria Broosily – T Thoughts

Veda Vardhini Maria Praveen – The Art of Carrying Pain

Veena J – Metaphorically Metaphorise - Metanafic: A New Genre

Viswa Shree V – Warts and All

Congratulations to you all, our dear students, on formalising your impactful ideas into published works! You have proved beyond measure that, words have the power to shape memories and inspire others to pick up the pen!

Tomorrow, there would be fire back at home! ❤️

Faith for Today | Fuel for Tomorrow

#musings

This evening, as I was driving back home, I chanced upon this moving sight in the Bangalore Highway. A gentleman was holding a bulky LPG Cylinder - wedged securely between his knees resting it on top of the petrol tank of his two-wheeler!

Although at first glance, it looks like an ordinary LPG cylinder, yet in these testing times (due to the US-Iran conflict), it has become a much-in-demand necessity!

In contrast to the LPG cylinder in the front, I also saw the parcel meal from a hotel, hanging in the rear hook of the bike – for the night’s sustenance, suspended in a thin strip of polythene bag! 

Testing times, when the barest necessities of life become the rarest of luxuries!

But I’m sure he seems to have this little faith in him!

Only for tonight, he would have to adjust with the hotel’s parcel.

Tomorrow, there would be fire back at home!

I am so reminded of the lovely lines of Nobel Laureate Tagore,

Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark!

Writing Through the Wound 💜

Wrapped in a Shawl | Echoes of a January Morning

Quite fresh from the Farewell Ceremony of Prof. Daniel David, me thought of reproducing here below, a moving letter, shared exclusively with me, by Prof. Daniel David, almost 17 years ago, on 6th May 2009.

Before you read this letter, PLEASE NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance it may have to any individual or individuals, living or dead, is purely coincidental. After reading through the letter, if you’re curious to know who the writer is, and if you have any comments for her, mail danyboydavid@gmail.com

6th May 2009

Dear Amma...........,

I’ve been wanting to write this letter for a very long time, but either my emotions got so intense that nothing I felt could be put to writing or I felt so high and dry that I just felt like burying my head in the sand and remaining there. But today is my 18th birthday, (or so they tell me), and I cannot think of a better day to write to you. But first I have to tell you a little story.

On a cold January morning in 1991, a newborn baby girl was found in a garbage bin outside the Government Hospital in the city of Madurai. For all practical reasons it must have frozen to death and become food for the many stray dogs that patrol the streets, as is the case most of the time. But by some good fortune, a milkman heard its weak cries. He found it wrapped in a shawl. He couldn’t afford another mouth to feed and so took it to a Charity organization which catered to disowned baby girls.

The baby was there for two years till it was adopted by a childless couple in Bangalore. She was given all the love and affection that any girl could have asked for. Nor did she lack anything materially, her foster parents being rich real estate business people. She was an only child and so received all the attention she desired. She got a Public School education. She had no idea about her origins till she was 16 years old. That was when, for some reason, her mummy got it into her head to tell her who she really was.

From that day the girl has had sleepless nights. At any rate, she graduated from Pre-University with an excellent score card and her daddy decided that she should get her higher education in his alma mater, the Madras Christian College, Chennai. It couldn’t have got better – she loves the college. But she still spends sleepless nights dreaming about her mother. She sometimes invades her sleep in some form of a bloodsucking rakshasi and she wakes up drenched in sweat and trembling all over.

Sometimes she creeps into her sleep, a dimunitive little woman reaching out and weeping for her lost child, and she spends the rest of the night trying to sob herself to sleep. Isn’t it strange how a person you have never met can dominate your life? Amma, I am that girl.

Amma, like I said, I have everything I could have ever wanted. I hope that makes you happy. And yet I have nothing. I have a Mummy and a Daddy who love me and who will be hurt if they knew the thoughts that run through my head. But I don’t have my Amma.

Do you love me, Amma? No, maybe that is too much to ask. But, believe me, Amma, I love you. I love you so much that you fill my thoughts day and night. That’s why I don’t think I can ever have a lover. You monopolize my thoughts. I like to think that you loved me at least then. Otherwise what would have made you wrap me up in a shawl? Did you have to crawl home cold and sick in the January chill because you had sacrificed your only piece of warm clothing for your child? Maybe it was that shawl that saved my life. I have that shawl with me and it is the most precious object I shall ever posses. The nights I’ve gone to sleep holding it to my breast/chest as if it could replace you!

Do you miss me? Ever wished you could have me back? Or do you feel relieved that the burden that was me is off your back, or should I say your stomach and heart? What did you feel when you put me in that dustbin? Did you put me there gently like a mother lays her sleeping child in the cradle? Such gentleness only a mother can show.

You may want to read that entire letter, HERE on our past blogpost.

From Wordsworth to Bob Dylan | Honouring the Visionary Legacy of Prof. Daniel J. David ❤️

A Fond Farewell to Our Beloved Prof. Daniel J. David

6th April 2026 | Selaiyur Hall

Today, we had the Farewell Ceremony for Prof. Daniel David at 3 pm in the Selaiyur Hall Indoor Theatre.

The afternoon was filled with nostalgia and gratitude, even as colleagues and students – past and present, gathered to celebrate a remarkable legend’s literary life in MCC.

The farewell ceremony featured several moving speeches from faculty members who have worked closely with Prof. David over the years.

Dr. Jannet, Director, Self-financed Stream, spoke warmly about Prof. DD’s leadership style, emphasising how he was always an incredibly supportive pillar for his colleagues.

Dr. Nirmal Selvamony took to the stage to reflect on his long, cherished association with “Prof. Dany,” sharing memories that highlighted a deep and enduring friendship. 

Faculty members Dr. Venkataramanujan, Dr. Tilakaramanujan, and Dr. Jojan also took the podium to offer their rich encomiums to the lovely literary soul!

I had the privilege of recollecting Prof. David’s noble qualities.

I traced his early days as student of the MA Literature Class in the American College, Madurai, where he also met his future wife! (his classmate). How he was a popular Professor in St. Philomena’s College, Mysore, and Bishop Heber College, Trichy, before joining MCC in 2006.

Five exceptional things about him that I had shared are –

Firstly, his elegant habit of laminating the cover of every single book before reading it, which speaks volumes to the ways in which he cherished and safeguarded knowledge.

Secondly, he never once gossiped about anybody anytime in his life! Whenever you are with him you are sure to get treated to a conversation on concepts and ideas! Never on people!!

Thirdly, he is a voracious reader, who used to devour books by the dozens every week.

Fourthly, he was good at explaining difficult theories in such a simple and lucid style that you completely forget the fact that time was whizzing you by! I quoted one such incident during our I MA English class, when he gave us a lecture on Structuralism. He started the lecture at 2 pm, and the lecture went on till 6.30 pm without a pause or a break.

Then at 6.30 pm, sensing the approaching dusk, DD asked us if it was getting late, especially for the girls in our class. We all replied in chorus, ‘Not at all’. Then he continued with his classes for more than an hour, before calling it a day! That lecture on Structuralism that he gave us, helped us all to find our firm footing in theory, I said, to the audience, who were listening to the rich eulogies on their professor with such rapt attention!

Fifthly, whenever someone approached him for career guidance, or help with their NET Papers, he never once hesitates to talk to them. He would always give a willing hand to help them out - always ready and eager to be of help! 

Hearty congratulations to Prof. Samuel Moses and his vibrant team in the Dept of English (SFS), on having hosted this remarkable Farewell Ceremony in such a grand manner, quite rarely heard of, in the annals of MCC in the recent past!

If I could mention one pioneering contribution by Prof. DD to the Dept of English (SFS), MCC, it would be his immense efforts in launching the BA English Literature Programme in the Self-Financed Stream in MCC in the year 2014.

His visionary approach to the syllabus is a case in point! In fact, he revolutionised literary studies at MCC by balancing canonical literature with popular culture. Like for example, he effortlessly connected the profound themes of Wordsworth with the cultural impact of Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, James Bond, and even Harry Potter. He didn’t just teach literature; he taught students on theories and concepts that helped them “read” the world around them.

Students and faculty members had turned up in overwhelmingly large numbers, packing the Indoor Theatre of Selaiyur Hall to express their gratitude to their impeccable mentor, educator, and leader who has shaped their academic journeys in such myriad ways!

In fact, Prof. Daniel David leaves behind a rich legacy at Madras Christian College.

While we at MCC will deeply miss his daily presence, the standards he has set and the support he has offered will continue to inspire us all!

We wish Prof. David the very best in his well-deserved next chapter!

Fare ye well, dear Sir!