“Embrace the Absurd | Be Your Own Best Joke!” ❤️

Funny Side Up | Why Dropping a Cafeteria Cup is Actually Great Literary Material

Alumnus Speak

15 October 2026 | 11.40 am | QSC Building

It was such a joy to host our illustrious alumnus Mr. Lakshmi Narayan, along with two other vibrant alumnae Mrs. Ankita and Mrs. Esther Jemi.

Mr. Lakshmi Narayan addressed the students of I MA English & II MA English today from 11.45 am onwards in the QSC Building.

His Talk was based on his recently published book titled, Funny Side Up: A Playbook from Fifteen Years of Comically.Org

So happy to note that, based on his consistent blog posts over the past 15 years, Lakshmi has authored two books so far.

Lakshmi’s Talk today hinged on ‘Embracing the Absurd’, highlighting three rubrics for consistent writing.

First and foremost - Write every day! We have become consumers of content, not makers of it. Making is messy! A writer’s saw dulls with idleness. Daily writing is the whetstone.

Secondly, - Notice the absurd!! Your own everyday life has the rich material that you ever needed to write every day! Writing every day becomes an effortless activity, the moment you stop looking for subjects to write about, and instead, start looking at the subjects already standing right in front of you, by looking at “how fascinating” they are!

Thirdly, Put yourself under the scanner!!!

This helps you lots by turning an awkward or a bad experience (like dropping a cup in a cafeteria or fumbling through a class presentation) into a joke and hence makes you look at the incident from a comical perspective! Moreover, it triggers dopamine and endorphins, thereby transforming what could have been a moment of embarrassment into shared amusement and laughter!

“Rufus sir taught us Jane Austen, and we belly-laughed through every class. He got those laughs by making himself the joke. He lowered himself so that we could rise, and thirty years on I remember the lesson better than the novels”, he quipped.

“Take yourself too seriously and others will sit in judgment. Walk tall and free, and the judges leave your world. Then you can claim it”, he signed off.

Then his wife Ms. Ankita went into nostalgic mode, reminiscing her good ol’ college days in MCC. My mother studied here. Her four sisters studied here. My brother studied here. And so did a host of my aunts and uncles. And so the expectations on me were a bit high. And then my classmates happened. We had such a memorable, blissful campus life in all the five years of my college life here in MCC, she observed.

Ms. Esther Jemi who spoke next, highlighted the importance of taking notes while attending lectures. She said all the notes that she had taken down during lectures helped her lots in academics and in life. She also fondly reminisced on the good ol’ days when they used to sweat it out day in and day out for AKARA, the memorable Departmental event.

After the interactions, we had some insightful questions from our students. Ms. Sharon, Class Rep of II MA English, and Mr. Kavin, Class Rep of I MA English gave the Vote of Thanks on behalf their respective classes.

On the whole, a rewarding day in every way!

PS: You may want to read the latest post by Mr. Lakshmi Narayan on the topic, “Three Rules for a Writer Who Is Not Funny”, HERE on his blog.

And now for a few Glimpses from Akara’11 that was spearheaded by the vibrant team under Lakshmi Narayan, Ankita, Georgina, Esther, Prajwal amongst others, 15 years ago, on 1st March 2011.

Gearing up for the Red-Letter Day | 28 February 2011

The Vibrant Team

The Good Ol' Notice Board near the Main Gate... :-)

The Main Entrance... 15 years ago... :-)

Jane.... :-)

Smitha (Manichitrathazhu fame), and Ms. Punya Rajendran with Prof. David and this blogger...

Education as Magic: Exploring Digital Frameworks in the Heart of Tamil Nadu ❤️

International Conference | Mother Terasa College of Engineering & Technology

Pudukottai | 13th October 2026

A Report

Navigating New Frontiers: Reflections on LLDHAI-2026 at MTCET

I was so happy to be part of the International Conference on Literature, Language, Digital Humanities, and Artificial Intelligence (LLDHAI-2026) hosted at Mother Terasa College of Engineering and Technology (MTCET), Pudukottai, Tamil Nadu.

What’s added happiness is the fact that, this vibrant intellectual exchange and cross-disciplinary dialogue was jointly organised by three institutions from across Tamil Nadu - Mother Terasa College of Engineering and Technology, Pudukottai, Arasu Engineering College, Kumbakonam, and VHNSN College, Virudhunagar.

The morning’s session commenced with the customary Tamizh Thaai Vaazhthu, followed by the lighting of the traditional lamp by the gathered dignitaries.

Dr. K. Ravikumar of MTCET officially welcomed the delegates. Shortly after, Dr. R. Kabilar, Head, Department of English, from VHNSN College, Virudhunagar, provided a very comprehensive overview of the conference’s scope that beautifully set the tone for the Programme.

Dr. M. Ravichandran (Principal, MTCET) and Dr. T. Balamurugan (Principal, AEC), gave their warm felicitation addresses emphasising on the pressing need for institutions to adapt to the digital humanities landscape.

I had the distinct privilege of delivering the first keynote address of the day today. Stepping up to the podium, I was quite eager to share my perspectives on how we navigate the evolving intersections of text, pedagogy, and digital frameworks. Engaging with a room full of scholars on these multidisciplinary shifts was a very rewarding experience.

Following my talk, Dr. T. Poongundran, Director, MTGI, focussed on the important concepts that I had highlighted during my Talk and also quoted Mr. R.C. Uthayakumar’s famous maxim, “Education is Magic”. Then, Thiru. R. C. Uthayakumar, Chairman, MTGI, who spoke next, emphasised on the importance of organising such International Conferences for the academic vitality of an institution.

Following a formal introduction by Mr. B. Selvamurugan, the core academic deliberations began at noon.

The global perspective of the conference was reinforced in the following sessions by international speaker Dr. J.S. Rohan Savarimuthu from Sri Lanka, whose insights added a crucial geopolitical layer to our understanding of digital humanities. This was followed by a robust final keynote by Dr. J. S. Anantha Krishnan.

Prof. Mr. M. Balakrishnan from AEC, Kumbakonam, delivered the Vote of Thanks, expressing gratitude to the organisers, speakers, and participants who made the event a success.

Special congratulations to Prof. John Balakrishnan and his vibrant team, for spear-heading the International Conference on such a highly relevant theme, making it a grand success!

So happy to mention that the Conference Proceedings were also released today, containing 57 papers. A very great feat accomplished in such short notice, in such a grand manner.

I’m sure that, such rewarding Conferences in the realms of academia, will undoubtedly grow into gigantic trees bearing nourishing fruits, from the lovely seeds that were planted during this event!

Now, for some brief nuggets on the aura of Pudukottai –

From Sangam antiquity to modern times, Pudukottai has claims to fame for a myriad of reasons, including its awe-inspiring archaeological marvels that bear the indelible footprints of almost every major South Indian dynasty!

Recent excavations at the Sangam-era site of Porpanaikottai are testaments to this credo, brought forth a wealth of antiquities, while ancient Jain frescoes at Sittannavasal and newly discovered Buddhist artifacts remind us of a deeply pluralistic past that was celebrated in the region. Its historical monuments, such as the formidable Thirumayam Fort are indeed living archives that speak to the grandeur of the past - meticulously documenting such an ancient and rich musical heritage.

Pudukottai also gave us Tamil cinema’s first superstar, M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, and the legendary Pudukottai percussionist, Dakshinamurthy Pillai.

Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy, the pioneering medical practitioner and the first female medical graduate in India to enter a legislature is also from Pudukottai. She fought tirelessly against the Devadasi system, championed women’s rights, and laid the foundation for the renowned Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai.

In the realm of cinema, the district gave us P.U. Chinnappa, the legendary actor and playback singer who dominated early Tamil cinema with monumental hits like Aryamala, Kannagi, and Utthama Puthiran. Then, of course, there is the illustrious Prof. Gemini Ganesan - a proud alumnus of Madras Christian College - who became one of the defining “Big Three” of Tamil cinema.

In the political and administrative landscapes also we have S. Satyamurti, a prominent independence activist and lawyer, widely remembered today as the political mentor to K. Kamaraj. Moreover, in contemporary times, we have Sagayam (IAS), a highly respected former civil servant known for his uncompromising anti-corruption stance.

Pudukottai continues to produce witty and inspirational speakers like Gopinath Chandran, the sharp journalist and anchor who has steered the long-running television debate Neeya Naana, and atheletes like Santhi Soundarajan, the formidable track and field athlete from Kathakurichi village who brought home 12 international medals for India.

With Dr. R. Kabilar, the Vibrant HoD, Department of English, VHNSN College, Virudhunagar

Engaging with the Pudukottai region trueproves to a tee on how a single district can continuously mentor, inspire, and contribute to the broader cultural discourse of the nation.

On the whole, a rewarding day in every way!

The beautiful rangoli 

When the LASER Babus Met with the Legend in Namma Chennai! 💖

22 Years Later | Reminiscing Our Rendezvous with the Legendary David Crystal

12 October 2004

British Council Library, Chennai

Can’t believe it’s 22 years since the red-letter day when we had the fortuitous chance of meeting with the legendary David Crystal, considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the English language, at the British Council Library Premises, Chennai.

This rendezvous assumes that special significance for us for a few reasons.

Firstly, the Memorable “Front-Row” Experience that we had – buddy Premjith and myself - (the “LASER babus”) busy firing off questions to David Crystal both at the British Council and at the Anna University, where he gave another lecture the same morning, 😊 and receiving “appreciative and brilliant replies” is something that we can never ever forget in all our lives!

Well, the legend David Crystal is now 85 years old!

Secondly, Crystal’s belief that, language teaching must be a “humanising” and playful experience. He proved it through his impactful stage presence – so beautifully mimicking baby talk to an amused crowd of language enthusiasts, and also dramatically read out the first chapter of Genesis using only words starting with the letter “a”.

Thirdly, a very powerful takeaway for us all in the rendezvous was his prophecy regarding the role of the English language in the Indian context! Long longg before India’s current global technological footprint was fully realised, he declared, “The future of Indian English is the future of Indian power,” directly linking the country’s upcoming dominance in Information Technology to its command and evolution of the English language.

Finally, a memorable artifact for this blogger from the legend which I’ve so carefully and faithfully cherished this long – A signed autograph!!! 😊

Coming back –

For a few quick takes on David Crystal the linguist –

Well, Crystal’s pioneering work in language, the English language, and in emerging fields of language are awe-inspiring, by all means!

Crystal is indeed a linguistic seer of sorts! Long before anyone could study the effects of technology on language, there was Crystal busy studying the impact of technology on language. In his famous book titled, Txtng: The Gr8 Db8 (2008), he had argued that, text messaging and internet slang do not destroy language skills; instead, they actually improve children’s writing, reading, and spelling by encouraging playful engagement with words. 😊

Apart from his two powerful Encyclopedias that he had single-handedly edited all by himself, his much-renowned book Language Death is something that needs some special attention!

In fact, his 2000 book titled, Language Death was a real wake-up call for humanity across frontiers.

That’s because, before Crystal published Language Death, the mass extinction of global languages was discussed only amongst elite academic circles. This book turned it into a matter of urgent public interest and global heritage.

Crystal gave a very startling calculation that out of the roughly 6,000 languages spoken in the world, one language dies approximately every two weeks. He projected that half of the world's languages could be extinct by the year 2100.

He argued that just as biodiversity is essential for the planet’s physical health, “linguistic diversity” is very much essential for human intellectual and cultural health. When a language dies, we don't just lose words; we lose unique ecological knowledge, history, mythology, and a distinct way of perceiving reality, he observed. Connecting language preservation directly to human rights, Crystal argued that, people have a fundamental right to speak their mother tongue.

It would only be meet to sign off on this post, and the enduring impact of that red-letter day 22 years ago, in the legend’s own words –

“A language is not just words. It is a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is.”

How true!

PS: You may want to read that memorable blogpost HERE on our blog dated, 12 October 2004

My Top Favourites for the Day 💚

My Top Favourites for the Day

#intothewildwithrufus #birding