Remember the past to inspire the present...

Memory Narratives

The Fifth T. G. Narayanan Endowment Lecture, 31 January 2017

Jayashree Rajan, II MA English 

The Fifth T. G. Narayanan Endowment Lecture was delivered by Dr. Premila Paul on the topic, ‘Memory Narratives,’ on Tuesday, 31 January 2017. It was an extremely informative lecture and had a wide ambit of facts, which were introduced to students for the very first time. The lecture started at around half past ten in the morning in The Centre for Media Studies Auditorium, Madras Christian College. 

Dr. Premila Paul who has a huge list of accolades and achievements and is undoubtedly a wonderful orator, started the lecture with a slideshow of Mr. T. G. Narayanan’s (1911-1962) who was a journalist with The Hindu during the war years. He was known for his coverage of the Bengal famine, the war on the Imphal front and his interviews with India’s freedom fighters. His writings on the famine were one of the earliest instances of investigative journalism. His coverage and analysis were recorded in a book “Famine over Bengal,” and published by the Book Company of Calcutta.

Some to cherish, some to keep, some for its content, some for its cover...

A Journey to the Exterior

Helen Ann Joseph, II MA English

The chai-wallah at the book fair

Roasting in the Chennai sun, I wandered through, thinking only about that one old classmate of mine who committed suicide the previous night. Unable to contain the shocking news, I walked for miles with my head teeming with questions that strained me. Why would this bold young man, take his life for unrequited love? In my mental agony I wanted God to give me an answer for all those questions which seemed to favor the youth and his reckless deed. Seated in a nearby church and having spent some time there, I suddenly remembered about the agreement I made with a few of my friends to visit the book fair that was going on in the City. 

In spite of exhaustion from exerting myself too much from the physical activity of aimless walking in the scorching heat on an empty stomach, I decided to visit the book fair with my pals more to keep my word to them, than my love for books. Discussions, chats, small talk, gossips, jokes, comments and more were shared among the gang of friends in the course of the journey, but my mind was preoccupied. Nothing seemed to divert my only thought. As a matter of fact, I did not want anything to grab me away from this miserable state of mine. Selfish, self-involvement in a sensitive, senseless thought disregarding my chit chatting friends satisfied that inner, ignorant, immature youth in me.

From a Postcolonial lens...

The Chennai Book Fair (2017)

Jolene Candice, II M.A English

It was a bright and sunny day when I went to the book fair. My onward journey was really something. First of all I was worried about the transportation because of the Jallikattu issue. Then, I happened to witness an interesting scene in the train. There was a man, probably the TTR, who was asking the people who were standing near the door to move inside for there were ample space. The interesting thing was that this person did not get angry or raise his voice at any point even when the girls started getting irritated and started to speak disrespectfully. This person stayed polite till the very end and the words he spoke seemed to have a painful story behind them. It was really funny for me at first but when I thought about it later I understood the anguish, the distress every parent goes through every time they let their children travel alone. It made me think a little.

'Quite catchy and worth emulating...'

AN AFTERNOON SPENT WITH BOOKS

Anu M Varghese

I started on my journey to the place where the 40^th Chennai Book Fest was being conducted, with a lot of enthusiasm and ardent hope that I will surely find a couple of books that suits my tastes. On reaching there, I was really marveled by the way the entire thing was organized - over 700 stalls, each with 1000s of books, under one single roof. 

The happiness that I experienced when I found myself amidst a whole lot of books is something that cannot be contained in words. A unique aroma that you get from the fresh pages of a book invited me with open arms into each and every stall but as I was very sure that I won’t be able to visit all the stalls with the limited time that I had in my hand, I just strolled in, looking for a stall with books that were of my interest.

The girl who stood up for education...

AMIDST THE CHASM OF BOOKS

Merril Mary Mathew, II MA English

The Chennai Book Fair organised by the Books sellers and Publishers Association of South India at St. George’s Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School near Chetpet was a feast not just for voracious readers but for all sorts of people. 

The book fair captivated me completely and I was so thrilled to see the vast collection of books belonging to different genres in different stalls. The endless numbers of stalls were actually a rare scene in a book fair. There were wide collection of books on Philosophy, History, Thrillers, Fairy tales, Psychology and the list continues.

Great effort by the organisers...

40^th Year CHENNAI BOOK FAIR

Maanini, II MA English

The majesty of this book fair was little less compared to the previous book fair conducted two years back. I missed it last year. This is my second book fair and I’m deeply saddened by the fact that I have missed it these many years. Though I can’t attend every book fair, I have a great regret for not attending it during my stay in Chennai. The first train journey with two of my classmates was great. I am really glad that I got a chance to hang out with them atleast for the book fair. Nandanam YMCA will be my favourite when it comes to the venue. This book fair was a short visit for me compared to the previous year. I wanted to visit again but unfortunately I couldn’t make it. The books I bought this year are really special to me.

My experience of this book fair was really great. I got a chance to travel with my classmates with whom I have never gone out even though we have been studying together for five years. The train journey to Chepauk was wonderful. The

സുര്യനെ ഗ്രഹങ്ങൾ ചുറ്റുന്നതു പോലെ...

ചെന്നൈ ബുക്  ഫെസ്റ്റിൽ ഒരുനാൾ

Priyanka Tomy, II MA English

  

അക്ഷരങ്ങളെയും അക്ഷരകൂട്ടുകളാൽ പിറക്കുന്ന മായാലോകത്തെയും സ്നേഹിക്കുന്നവർക്കായി ‘ചെന്നൈ ബുക്ക് ഫെസ്റ്റ് 2017’ പുസ്തകങ്ങളാൽ ഒരു വിരുന്നു തന്നെയാണ്വായനക്കാർക്കായി ഒരുക്കിരിക്കുന്നത്.

ഞാനും എൻ്റെ നാല്സുഹുര്തുക്കളം കൂടി ഉച്ചതിരിഞ്ഞു ഫെസ്റ്റ് നടക്കുന്ന മൈതാനത് എത്തിചേർന്നത് . സുര്യനെ ഗ്രഹങ്ങൾ ചുറ്റുന്നതു പോലെ ഞങ്ങൾ അഞ്ചു പേരും സ്റ്റാളുകൾ ചുറ്റിനടന്നു. നൂറോളം സ്റ്റാളുകളാണ്വായനക്കാർക്കായ് ഘാസാംടകർ ഒരുക്കിരുന്നത്.  ബുക്ക് ഫെസ്റ്റിൻറെ അവസാന ദിനമായിരുന്നതിനാൽ നല്ല തിരക്കുണ്ടായിരുന്നു. എങ്കിലും, ആതിരക്കോഉച്ച വെയിലിൽ ക്ഷീണമോഞങ്ങളെ തളർത്തിയില്ല. അതിനു കാരണം ഒരുപക്ഷെ പുസ്തകങ്ങളോട് ഞങ്ങൾക്കുള്ള പ്രണയമായിരിക്കാം.

പുസ്തകങ്ങളാൽ തീർത്ത മതില്കെട്ടിനുള്ളിൽ അകപ്പെട്ട ഒരുകുട്ടിയെ പോലെയായിരുന്നു ഞാൻ. എന്നാൽ ആ മതില്കെട്ടുകൾ ഭേദിച്ചു പുറത്തു വരാൻ ഞാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചില്ല.  സമയം കടന്നു പോയത് ഞങ്ങൾ  അറിഞ്ഞില്ല.

ഒരിക്കലും മറക്കാൻ കഴിയാതെ ഒരു അനുഭവമായി മാറി...

പുസ്തകമേള 2017

Haripriya, S. II MA English 

പുസ്തകങ്ങളെ കുറിച്ചു ഓർക്കുമ്പോൾ എനിക്ക് എൻ്റെ അമ്മയെ ആണ് ഓർമ്മ വരുന്നത്. അക്ഷരങ്ങൾകൂട്ടി വായിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങിയതു മുതൽ പുസ്തകങ്ങളോട്കൂട്ടുകൂടാൻ എന്നെ പ്രേരിപ്പിച്ചതും പുതിയപുസ്തകങ്ങൾ വാങ്ങിതന്ന് എൻ്റെ ഉള്ളിലെ വായനക്കാരിയെ വളർത്തിയെടുത്തതും അമ്മയാണ്.

ഏതു പുസ്തകമേളയിൽ പോയാലും എൻ്റെ ഉറ്റസുഹൃത്തുക്കളായ ഗ്രന്ഥങ്ങളെഞാൻ പരിചയപ്പെട്ടുതുടങ്ങിയ എൻ്റെ ആകുട്ടികാലം ആണ്എനിക്ക്ഓർമ്മവരിക.

പുസ്തക മേളയിൽ പോകുക ഒരു അനുഭവംതന്നെയാണ്. ഈ കഴിഞ്ഞ ജനുവരി പത്തൊമ്പതാം തീയതി എനിക്കും എൻ്റെ നാലു സുഹൃത്തുക്കൾക്കും ചെന്നൈ ബുക്ക്ഫെസ്റ്റിൽ പോകാൻ ഭാഗ്യമുണ്ടായി.

'Saves me the trouble...'

Chennai Book Fair 2017

Irene Shilpa, II MA English

“The only source of knowledge is experience”

- Albert Einstein 

I visited the book fair on the last day. Since there are many piled up unread books on my shelf, i didn't want to buy a new one. But i was very much eager to visit the stalls and glance through the pages. As i stepped into those stalls, i was astonished to see the huge collection of a great variety of books. I sensed a feeling of warmth around me as if the voices behind each book were reaching out to me with their tender hands drawing me closer to pick them up. The very sight of those books were indeed a feast to my craving appetite of reading. I was also quite surprised by the large number of people gathered – both young and old – even in this digital age where e-books are preferred.

Novels as 'key agents' of cultural transmission

Amba foregrounds the Mahabharata, a cultural heritage shared by India and Indonesia.

In per capita terms, few national literatures have travelled as little as that of Indonesia. Until recently, Pramoedya Anantya Toer was the only Indonesian writer with an international following; and even his foreign readership largely consisted of writers and critics. It is only in the past two years that an Indonesian writer has risen to global fame, in the form of Eka Kurniawan, author of the magical realist novels Beauty is a Wound and Man Tiger.

Literature, and novels in particular, are key agents of cultural transmission; and the failure of Indonesian fiction to travel has contributed to a broader ignorance about the world’s fourth-most-populous country, one that is described reductively as “the world’s largest Muslim nation”, with little acknowledgement of its social and cultural and diversity.

In India, this ignorance is near-total, despite our deep cultural links with Indonesia. Amba: the Question of Red, Laksmi Pamuntjak’s first novel, would appear at first glance to be perfectly suited to the Indian reader who wishes to discover Indonesia through fiction. It has geographical sweep: the settings range from Yogyakarta, the cultural heartland of the Javanese, to Buru in the Maluku or Spice Islands. It is both an epic romance and a meditation on modern Indonesian history: in particular, the mass purge of Communists undertaken by General Suharto in 1965-66, a massacre of over 500,000 people that has been written out of Indonesian history and is virtually unknown to the world. And it foregrounds our shared cultural heritage, in the form of the Mahabharata.

I struck gold...

BOOKS! BOOKS! EVERYWHERE! NOT A PENNY TO SPEND…

Nissy Sara George, II MA English

The phrase ‘an ocean of knowledge’ acquired a different meaning for me at the Chennai Book Fair’17. More than 350 publishers were spread over 670 stalls. It was impossible not to be overwhelmed by the sheer surface area of the exhibition. I wanted to touch every book I saw, flip the pages and smell the sweet musty air that flew out at me, but it didn’t take me long to realize that it would be like trying to count sand. I can’t recall a moment at the fair that I enjoyed more than the view- books piled upwards, side wards, diagonally, spirally…

Second to that moment would be holding all my favorite trilogies and epics in hard bound versions of their latest self. They say the best things in life are free; but unfortunately, whoever said that did not own a book. Every time I flipped over a good book to check if I could buy it my heart sank at the sight of those figures. After a few similar disappointments my friends and I decided to follow the crowd. Surely there must be a place for students to splurge. I finally struck gold with Om Shakti Book House (575-576, 613-614). The posters said every book was sold at 50/- rupees and I remember thinking, “This is too good to be true.” 

An awesome experience!

My Experience at the Book Fair...

Oswin Barnabas V. II M.A English

I am happy to narrate my experience at the Book fair 2017 and the Literary festival held by The Hindu. One of my professors accompanied me. At the outset, we never planned of going together, however it happened eventually when we met up.  We left Tambaram at 9 a.m and reached The Hindu fest. at 10.30 a.m and were lucky to witness the discussion between Shashi Tharoor and Gauri Viswanathan on Postcolonialism. It was followed by G. N. Devy’s talk.

By afternoon, I wanted to pay a visit to the Book Fair which was being held nearby. Although I am not a voracious reader, still, I always have the desire and the curiosity to know more about anything and that leads me to reading on my interesting zones. As soon as we entered the fair we had lunch (sambar rice) and fruit salad and started to browse through the books. I was looking for my favourite authors. I love reading the books of Hosseini, C. S. Lewis and Dickens.

Allowing our thoughts to flow like a river...

Chennai Book Fair

I.Vijayalakshmi, II MA English

I would like to start my review with a truthful proverb that goes thus: Books are the best companions.

Indeed, a good book has the ability to change the attitude of the reader!

I came to know this truth after reading one book which I bought in this Book Fair. In the exhibition I could see so many stalls lined up with books of all sizes and shapes. Among these neatly arrayed stalls, my eyes chanced upon a particular stall which was named as PUTHU ULAGAM. This stall really inspired me a lot.

My Passion... My Cup of Tea...

Chennai Book Fair 2017

Sivakumar, C. II MA English 

Reading books and the feel it gives varies with each individual. It can be pleasurable, boring, entertaining, adventurous and informative. Indeed, the taste varies according to the individual. I am a person who is not a book lover or a voracious reader; I’d rather read books that are my cup of tea.

I have plans to do the Indian Administrative Services, and I also have a strong passion for the IPS for which i do a lot of preparations (both mental and physical).

It is my liking towards the Police profession that has always attracted my attention to the detective series in movies and in books. As i went for this year's Chennai Book Fair which was held during the month of January, i got myself a series of detective novels.

The moment i entered the book exhibition centre, my eyes were searching for something new or something that is close to my passion and taste. My eyes were skimming the books that were kept for sale among which all the disciplines were included.

Dr. Clement Felix - A Motivational Tribute from Mahatria Ra

Mahatria Ra on Dr. Clement Felix

I studied in Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School, Chennai. During my 9th standard, as a part of the Teachers' Day celebrations, encouraged by my class teacher Mr. HVR and in the presence of my Headmaster, Dr. Clement Felix, I performed mono-acting by imitating the mannerisms of some of my teachers.

Though the program was a mega success amongst my classmates, some of my teachers didn't appreciate what I did. My Math teacher made me stand outside the classroom for a few days. Another teacher slapped me a few times in front of everybody. A teacher, who had no connection to what I did, called me to the staffroom and caned me a few times.

The humiliation and the trauma that I underwent during those days cannot be put in words. I used to tremble with shivers at the very sight of anybody coming to my classroom, assuming someone will call for me and punish me. What I couldn't bear was the fact, I did whatever I did encouraged by my class teacher… so I didn't know what I did was wrong. And, my performance also had the endorsement of my Headmaster. I felt victimised.

But of all, I suffered the worst with my Tamil teacher. He didn't allow me to sit down for the rest of the term. Almost every day, he would first abuse me for a few minutes, and only then begin the class. He expressed his malice in the way he corrected my test papers. As such I was a borderline student, and it was easy for him to fail me. It was beginning to dent my self-image.

The school that taught us 'interconnected living' as a noble way of life!

Dr. Clement Felix was Headmaster of the MCC School (it was indeed the “MCC School” – my alma mater - at 78 Harrington Road, Chennai - as we all knew it – only of late it has become the MCC Hr Sec School!

“I don’t think there’s any school in Madras that could enjoy such a wonderful alumni!”. Surprised? Yes, watch more of it HERE at our ‘MCC School Old Boys Association Meet 2006.’

Well, yes! students from all parts of the world – a pretty good bulk of them from Nigeria, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Kenya, Thailand etc and scores of them from the North East found MCC School a haven till the blissful end of their teen-lives!

MCC School was my first residential school in my entire life and yes!

After matriculating in an although nondescript yet a memorable little town not very far from Chennai, my parents wanted me to be enrolled in MCC School! God knew why!

But now I know why! :-)

The school that taught me community living and community bonding to the core!

Our cubicles were always ‘ransacked’, our towels went into ‘hide-n-seek’, toothpastes and oil tubes ‘vanished and vapourised into thin air,’ and and and… early morning as you wake up you’ll have at least two fat lizards for company – gently caught and quietly left under your quilt – by some ‘guardian elf’ies - eyebrows ripped off quietly during your snoring time – again - by some mischievous imp of an elf, resulting in scores of innocent hostelites ‘voluntarily’ getting admitted to the ‘sick room’ where no prying eyes are there to vie with one another to have their ‘glee’ful gala-time at your catastrophe [nay calamity!] of a lifetime!

This was one way of getting ourselves a self-imposed curfew until the eyebrows grow back to their pristine charm – and the cops weren’t curious about you anymore!!!

It was indeed a memorable living altogether! Words wouldn’t really suffice to wax nostalgic on the good ol’ past at Harrington’s, Chetpet.

Well, Clement Felix – to him owe we thanks - for all things MCC – and the many things we enjoyed at MCC School - at a go!

Endless walk through the book stalls...

CHENNAI BOOK FAIR 2017

Akash Sajikumar, II MA ENGLISH

Books are always a delight to feed on whenever you want. I am not that kind of a voracious reader but I do love to add on to my huge shelf which I dedicate for the collection of my favourite books. So when I heard about the Chennai Book Fair 2017 I was pretty much excited about it. It was on a Pongal holiday that some of my friends and myself, we decided to roam around the city with an intention of going to the book fair. The fair was organised by the Book Sellers and Publishers Association of South India at St. George Anglo- Indian Higher Secondary School near Chetpet, which was like an hour from my college.

Only after reaching the place did we realise that it was a huge book fair with lots of people from children to great grandfathers swarming in and out of the place. It was like the book lovers all over Chennai finding a place to meet together with the utlimate aim of grabbing their favourites from the numerous books stalls over there. We digged our way towards the stalls in the midst of the huge crowd and successfully got into place.

No two persons ever read the same book...

Chennai Book Fair 2017

Chithra, II MA English

Basically the word exhibition means, large scale public showing of objects and products or it is a financial award or a prize that is been given to a student.

This definition exactly suits this book fair & exhibition phenomenally. The Chennai Book Fair that was hosted in St. George's School, Chetpet opposite to Pachaiyappa’s College, really acted as an award or a prize by providing books to everyone. It is indeed a basis for academic merit. There is a favourite quotation “NO TWO PERSONS EVER READ THE SAME BOOK” by Edmund Wilson, which is quite true, as inheriting the meaning depends on our own perspectives which differs from one person to another.   

Dream come true...

A SEA OF BOOKS I SEE…

Hannah Chandran, II MA English

“I want to buy them all…” was what I kept saying again and again to my friend, on the way back to college, after visiting the 40th Chennai Book Fair. I had postponed my visit to the Book Fair till the last day simply because of the fact that I hate crowds. After arriving at the grounds on the last day of the Fair however, my fear of crowds disappeared and all I could see were…BOOKS, and BOOKS, and MORE BOOKS.

It was as though my dream came true. I even forgot about my friend who had accompanied  me to the Fair. I was so excited seeing so many stalls that I could not stay in one stall for more than two minutes – I simply had to see what was in the next stall! There were stalls selling books of different genres, languages and subject matters.

Back again in the magical world of books!

BOOK FAIR 2017

Aiswarya Susan Samuel, 2^nd MA English

 

In this era of booming technology, books are gradually going into the process of getting the status of ‘old’. But one can never forget that old is ever golden. There is something lost when one shifts from a pen to a number of keys on keyboard. Today there is less effort taken in reading as the reader has to just scroll down the pages rather than turn it over one by one. The reader does not feel the pages by sitting glued to the screen. The satisfaction of completing the pages by counting it again and again is never felt in reading e-books.

The 40^th Chennai Book Fair was a wonderful experience. The sight of the books itself could bring an ardent lover of books to a state of exhilaration. The excitement I had is beyond words as it was after a long time I got a chance to be again in a magical world of books. The array of books was attractive that I could not help stopping by to enjoy the beauty of it. Each stall was colourful and beautiful in its own way. There was a wide range of books belonging to different fields such as literature, history, science, general knowledge, psychology, philosophy, economics and so on. There were also stalls for regional language books.       

அறிவுத்தேனை பருக...

எண்ணிய எண்ணம் புத்தகங்களின் வண்ணம்

R. KumaraSethupathi

II M.A., English Literature 

நூல்களை நாட்கள் கடந்து வாசிக்க வேண்டும் என்ற எமது எண்ணம், நூல்களின் பக்கங்களை பிற வாசகர்களைப்போல் சில மணி நேரங்களில் வாசிக்க எண்ணிய என் மன ஏக்கம், முடியுமா அல்லது முயற்சி செய்யாமல் வாங்கும் புத்தகத்தை மூடி விடுவோமா என்ற எண்ணத்தினை எமக்குள் கொண்டு பயணித்தேன். புத்தக சாலைக்கு, பயணத்தின் இடைப்பட்ட காலத்தில் எம் மனதில் - "எண்ணங்களே வாழ்க்கையின் வண்ணங்கள், அவ்வண்ணங்களை நமக்குத்தருகின்றது புத்தகங்கள்" என்று எமக்குள் ஒலிக்கத்தொடங்கின. அதனை மனதில் ரசித்தபடி அடைந்தேன் புத்தக சாலையை!

நுழைவாயினை அடைந்த போது, இன்று இப்புத்தக கோலங்கள் எமக்கு என்ன வண்ணம் சூட்டப்போகிறதென்று அந்த சாலையினை என் கண்களில் விழிகளுக்குள் கொண்டு சென்றேன், அப்பொழுது எனக்கு தேன்கூடு அமைந்திருக்கும் மரம் நினைவிற்கு வந்தது, தேனீக்கள் கூட்டினைச்சுற்றி அமைவது போல், இங்கு அறிவுத்தேனை பருக வாசகர் பட்டாளம் சூழ்திருப்பதைப்பார்த்து, மனதில் சிறு நெகிழ்ச்சி. ஒவ்வொரு புத்தக கூட்டினிற்குள் சென்று வரும் பொழுது பல உரையாடல்களை அங்கு கேட்டு அதனை யோசித்து பயணித்தேன் அடுத்த கூட்டினை நோக்கி!