Monday 27 February 2017

'Cuddling dismays' and 'tumble gashes' galore here...


Introducing a passionate blogger – Arun – who writes with consummate zest and ease, on all things close to his heart… Be it his thoughts on ‘cuddling dismays’ or ‘gash of apathys’ or ‘frazzled minds’ or ‘tumble gashes’ or the descriptive sketches of Onam, or ‘tinged minds’ – words and sketches that contain life and warmth within their beautiful frame, you have it all HERE… 

Confy @ Hindustan University

National Conference
on
New Perspectives in English Language Teaching - NPELT’17
on
30th & 31st March 2017
Hindustan University
in collaboration with ELTAI - Kancheepuram Chapter

Call for Papers

Proposals are invited from English teachers, research scholars, and students for paper presentations on the theme of the conference and also other related aspects of English Language Teaching. The abstract (150 words) and the full paper (1500 words) should be in the MS word format, Times New Roman font, sized 12.

Theatre beckons...

British Council in association with Rage and Royal Court Theatre present Writers' bloc showcase - a specially curated season of original plays by Indian playwrights from writers' bloc. Please find the schedule as below.



All events will be at the British Council Chennai. The detailed invite has been attached below. For any queries please contact Samhita Guha at 8939831720.

For registrations please write to valavan.s@britishcouncil.org

For more details, you may click on their brochure HERE

You are Invited...


Friday 24 February 2017

Seminar @ MIDS



The Union Budget 2017-18: Implications for the Economy

Special Seminar

Monday, February 27, 2017
Venue: Adiseshiah Auditorium, MIDS


10 am: Inaugural
Welcome by Prof. Shashanka Bhide, Director, MIDS
Chair: Prof. K.L. Krishna, Chairman, MIDS
The Union Budget: State Perspectives, Comments by Mr. S. Krishnan, Principal Secretary, Department of Planning & Development and Special Initiatives
Comments by Chair

10.20 am: Economic, Development and Political Perspectiveson the Budget 2017-18
Speakers:
Mr. T.C.A. SrinivasaRaghavan, Consulting Editor, Business Standard, and Visiting Fellow, MIDS
Dr. SoumyaKanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor, State Bank of India, Mumbai
Dr. D.K. Pant, Chief Economist, India Ratings, New Delhi
Dr. Jessica Seddon, Okapi and CTAP, IIT Madras, Chennai

Talk on 'New Historicism' by Dr. A.S.D. Pillai

Dr. A. S. D. Pillai
speaks on
New Historicism: The Basics
Monday, 27 February 2017
11.30 am
Department of English, Loyola College, Chennai

This invite is on behalf of Dr. A. S. D. Pillai, Dr. Anthony Samy and Dr. K. Ganesh

Wednesday 22 February 2017

Faculty Development Programme @ SSN

One-day Faculty Development Programme
on
Recent Trends in ELT
Organized by
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
SSN COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Saturday, 25 February 2017
Programme Schedule

8.30 AM - Workshop 1: Using ICT to improve teaching and learning in large ESL classes
Resource Person: Dr. Rajinder Singh Ahluwalia

10.30 AM – Tea

11.00 AMWorkshop 2: Honouring Capability and Diversity – An approach to Teaching
Resource Person:  Dr. Hemachandran Karah

12.30 PM – Lunch

1.15 PM – Workshop 3: How to Write Research Articles for Journals, Conferences in                ELT/Linguistics

இலக்கியம் எனும் கடலில் நிலையாக நீந்த...

நினைவுகளின் ஒரு பதிவு
Bhuvanesh Kumar, II MA English

ஆம்... 'தமிழன் என்று சொல்லடா தலை நிமிர்ந்து நில்லடா' என்ற வாசகம் சிறிது உயிர் பெற்றது என்று தான் கூற வேண்டும். 21 ஆம் நூற்றாண்டில் வாழும் ஒவ்வொரு மாணவனும் தமிழ் சமுதாயமும் தன்னைத் தமிழன் என்று அடையாளம் காட்டிக் கொள்வதில் பெருமிதம் கொள்ள வைத்த வருடம் 2017. இவ்வருடத்தின் முதல் மாதத்தில் நடைப்பெற்ற ஜல்லிக்கட்டுக்கான அறப்போராட்டமே அதற்கு முக்கிய காரணம்.

பள்ளிப் பருவத்தில் விரும்பி தமிழ்க் கட்டுரைகளை எழுத விருப்பப்பட்ட நான், கல்லூரி வாழ்க்கை துவங்கியதிலிருந்து தமிழ்ப் பற்று சற்று குறைந்ததை எண்ணி வருந்துகிறேன். இந்நேரத்தில் என் பேராசிரியர் டாக்டர் ரூஃபஸ் அவர்களைப் பற்றி சில வரிகள் கூறியே ஆக வேண்டும்ஏனெனில் மாணவர்களை ஊக்குவிப்பதையே முக்கிய குறிக்கோளாகக் கொண்டவர். ஆங்கிலத் துறையில் பயின்றாலும் ஒவ்வொரு மாணவனும் தனது தாய்மொழி மீதான ஆர்வத்தை ஒரு போதும் விட்டு விடக் கூடாது என வகுப்புகளில் வலியுறுத்துவார். அவரின் பிரதிபலிப்பே எனது இக்கட்டுரை.

வழக்கம்போல் அன்று கதிரவனின் ஒளி என்னைத் தூக்கத்தின் சோம்பலிலிருந்து மெதுவாக என் கட்டிலின் மீது அமர வைத்தது. மணி சரியாக 6.40 இருக்கும். ஏனெனில் விடுதிக் குழாய்களில் தண்ணீர் விழும் சத்தம் என் காதுகளில் விழுந்தது. கல்லூரிக்கு மெதுவாக புறப்பட்ட நான் சரியாக 9.30மணிக்கு எனது வகுப்பு மாணவர்களுடன் அன்று நடைபெறவிருந்த பேராசிரியர் பிரமிளா பால் அவர்களின் உரையைக் கேட்க மிகுந்த ஆர்வம் கொண்டிருந்தோம். ஏனெனில் அவ்வுரை நினைவு (Memory Narratives) பற்றியது. வகுப்பிலிருந்து நண்பர்களோடு வெளியே வந்த நான் எந்த வழியைத் தேர்நதெடுப்பது என்பதில் சிறிய ஐயம் இருந்தது. வலப்புறமாக சென்று உரை நடக்கும் இடத்திற்கு செல்லலாமா அல்லது நேர் வழியைத் தேர்ந்தெடுத்து ஆங்கிலத் துறையை அடைந்து அங்கிருந்து செல்லலாமா? சிறிது நேரம் பேராசிரியர்களுடன் உரையாடியதற்கு பிறகு உரை நடக்குமிடத்திற்கு மெது-மெதுவாகச் சென்றோம்.

Wild and Energetic...

What I Saw in Deepwoods 2017
Fragrance Praisy, II MA English

Under the scattered canopies of the secondary sky, safe from the hot ball of fire in the primary sky, about a thousand little mustard heads strolled, jumped, danced, sang, screamed, whistled, conversed, stood in awe and gulped. The campus was wild and energetic. I could feel the earth vibrate and my heart thump with the beat of the drums.

I headed out of Martin Hall with the hope of getting some inspiration for my assignment. I walked down the junction racking my brain. I stood among a group of enthusiastic youngsters. I was a bit timid at the beginning, lost in the sea of unfamiliar faces. As time passed by I merged with the crowd. The dance competition was going on when I entered. They were not bad. I lost my chance of seeing the good ones because I was late. Fallowing that was the fashion show. It was good to see handsome men and pretty women wearing creative yet weird dresses and walking the ramp. It was a feast to the eyes. Later that evening there was a DJ session. I stood there and admired the crowd getting lost in music. That was the first day of Deepwoods. Wild day!

The second day had lots of singing competitions. They were all good. I love music. I had a great time. At the end of the day, the band “Masala Coffee” performed. They were superb. It was a really great day.

The final day was totally different. There were lots of competitions going on at the same time. The quadrilateral that was overflowing on the first two days was now empty. All the games were held out of the quadrilateral. Later that evening singer NareshIyer, who was also the chief guest, performed. His voice was awesome. The backup singers were great. Then there was a sudden twist. Our Principal was asked to sing. I put my head down in embarrassment, shut my eyes, and covered my ears. I thought he’d go off pitch. But to my surprise he rocked the stage. It was the best of the three days with a twist.

ABOUT DEEPWOODS: MY EXPERIENCE

P. Hannah Margaret

II BA Philosophy

I’m so glad that I’m going to write this essay based on how my English professor taught me about essay writing.

Deepwoods is an inter-collegiate cultural festival that has been hosted by the Madras Christian College since 1980. The revolutionary three-day event attracts participation from various colleges from Chennai and all over India with an audience of almost 30,000 youngsters.

Some of the highlights of the fest includes a light music show, aimed at integrating youth of different ethnic backgrounds, through multilingual music and we wrap it up with a Rock concert on the third and final day with the headlining act being among India’s leading bands.

Every year Deepwoods becomes a successful event, absolutely there is no doubt in that. MCCians are proud to be part of it.

I’ve witnessed two Deepwoods events. The event was very beautiful. The speciality of the event is that it attracts all sort of music fans. The decoration of Deepwoods is marvellous.

At that time the morning canteens and evening canteens would be closed, so food will be provided by sponsors from outside. The cost of food is a bit high but the quality is good. For the event, I was able to see many beautiful girls from other colleges.

For the decoration of the college I had also gone. I have spent sleepless nights for the decoration work. But I’ve got the result when I saw the Deepwoods programme. Events like western dance, duet dance, Impromptu, Ethinic walk, hard rock music, beat boxing, pitch perfect, mime, curtain call, monologue, street play, Jam, melange, jingle all the way, poety writing, Athena’s area etc which really blew my mind. The artists who came to perform were amazing.

The programme is awesome. In my opinion those who have the opportunity should go for it. The event is mesmerising and it would also refresh our minds. This event will surely bring some changes in our life. Deepwoods makes us more vibrant and enthusiastic in life.

Just like any other event, Deepwoods also has its own dignity. As MCCians it is our responsibility to maintain Deepwoods as a successful event in college.

Always people from other colleges feel our programme is the next level of entertainment. The programme should be maintained so that it might be well preserved for upcoming students.

Deepwoods 2017: A Report

R. Ezhilarasi

There were many culturals happening in every college but nothing can stand before MCC deepwoods. All college students were welcomed and the function was carried out in a wonderful way.

As an MCCian we all college students are proud of MCC deepwoods. Deepwoods conducted on 16 or 17th and 18th of February.  Students from a lot of college came and enjoyed more and participated with spirit in many events.

On 16th February, in the morning, dance was conducted in the quadrangle. In that event, numerous colleges from the City including Anna University, Vivekanandha college, Loyola College, WCC and more colleges participated. I think Oppo camera phone sponsors for this deepwoods. They also organized a selfie contest for students. Many events like Western dance, ethnic walk, Western acoustics, impromptu, Street play, monologue, script writing, poetry writing, face painting, painting, sketching, Street soccer were conducted in different venues of the college.

We just visited each of the stalls and ate more with our friends and enjoyed lot. We also just had fun with also our profesors and spent a nice time with them. I can say with great conviction that, no college can conduct a culturals like MCC’s Deepwoods.

Recently my friend’s college culturals was conducted and it seems it was more bad even than school culturals. There are no rules and no extremes in Deepwoods.

MCC life's remarkable event is this deepwood moment and we can think about and cehrish this event until the end of our life. But the baddest thing ever is the price was too high inside stall but the quality wasn’t compromised at all. It was simply awesome. Then we just met some other our friends who came from other colleges and made some more friends with them.

THE FIRST DAY:

When I entered the first day of Deepwoods which surprised me with the entrance decorations with VIVO’S balloons and dolls, by the by, the  quadrangle with the Red Bull carpet. The stalls and the programs are as follows. From various college many students came and participated in various events and won prizes. Here the following events are happened at the first day.

BRITISH COUNCIL:

The most and the major thing, I liked in Deepwoods is the British council, where they conducted spelling test as sample . I was willed to join in that spelling test, I won in that and got an I-pad holder as gift. And also told to fill feedback forms and mainly asked whether I have interest in attending English level test. I really got interested in it, as the way they treated was in a kind manner. They motivated me to apply for the examination they conducted.

WESTERN DANCE – QUADRANGLE:

The foremost program started in Deepwoods in the Quadrangle was the western dance. Many colleges participated in the western dance. And I really enjoyed well with all the performance. It was a different feeling for me. By that second, I felt that my mind was free. Also the stage and the lightings work were perfect. And the sound system, without any single trouble, was really awesome.

ETHNIC WALK:

Soon after the lunch break, started the Ethnic walk ,which was performed by many other colleges, did well by walking in different styles and the way they wore the different kinds of dresses looked majestic. This event was also conducted in the Quadrangle.

WESTERN ACCOUSTICS:

This western acoustics took place in BISHOP HEBER HALL outdoor stage where many participated in that and sang well with musical instruments. It motivated me to achieve my dream of becoming a professional singer and musician in life.

STREET PLAY:

This event was conducted at the Bell Tower which was good and I really impressed by the way students from various college acted and spoke loudly. From various college many students participated nearly 10 from each college. Their dressings for the street play was accurate and suited according to their topics. They mostly took the topics like the present politics in Tamil Nadu and women’s role and how women struggled in earlier days and how the status of women has developed and secured. I loved that event totally forgot myself and stunned there and watched the entire event from beginning to the end.

OTHER EVENTS:

There were many other events like creative writing held in THOMAS HALL and the poetry writing in the same venue. Script writing was conducted in the SELAIYUR HALL, Event reporting in the EXAMINATION HALL, Face painting in ZOOLOGY TANK , Painting in BISHOP HEBER HALL , Graphic designing  in the EXAMINATION GALLERY ,Sketching in BISOP HEBER HALL ,Street soccer in ST.THOMAS HALL GROUND and finally EDM night in the QUADRANGLE.

LIKES AND I ADMIRED:

I was happy with the cooperation of my colleagues and the outsiders who performed as well as the audience who were listening and enjoying the program. I had a great time to enjoy each and every program with my colleagues after a long time. And the very big thing is that I got new friends from many other places. Me and my friends as a whole enjoyed the different kinds of food placed in the stalls. We even more enjoyed the various events such as creative writing, script writing, poetry writing, event reporting, face painting, graphic designing, sketching, street soccer, EDM night and selfie contest in which everyone took part and had a valuable time. Many of us were encouraged by winning many prizes like selfie sticks, VIVO dolls, VIVO bags. Securities were appointed in many numbers to take care of the students and visitors. It made us feel more safe and comfortable.

DISLIKES:

Most of the events went out of timing and it was not started on time. The number of trees that was not their due to the storm made us feel unhappy. Even though the mess was recovered to the full extend we could not enjoy the shadow of the trees which we missed.   

CONCLUSION:

Each and every program went throughout the Deepwoods was well and good. Me and my friends feel so glad to say that we are MCCians and we are so proud to be a part of this institution and also likely to thank our college Principal and Bursar who permitted to have this deepwoods with great fun. And also to all the Professors and my colleagues who made those days more entertaining.

THANK YOU!!!

Thursday 16 February 2017

Preparation for NET/JRF - 18

Topics so far –


Now –

18. The Victorian Age: Part – I

Victorian Age – I [Poetry]

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

1. An Era of Peace: The few colonial wars that broke out during the Victorian epoch did not seriously disturb the national life. There was one Continental war that directly affected Britain--the Crimean War--and one that affected her indirectly though strongly –the Franco-German struggle; yet neither of these caused any profound changes. In America the great civil struggle left scars that were soon to be obliterated by the wise statesmanship of her rulers.

The whole age may be not unfairly described as one of peaceful activity. In the earlier stages the lessening surges of the French Revolution were still felt; but by the middle of the century they had almost completely died down, and other hopes and ideals, largely pacific, were gradually taking their place.

2. Material Developments: It was an age alive with new activities. There was a revolution in commercial enterprise, due to the great increase of available markets, and, as a result of this, an immense advance in the use of mechanical devices. (The new commercial energy was reflected in the Great Exhibition of 1851, which was greeted as the inauguration of a new era of prosperity. On the other side of this picture of commercial expansion we see the appalling social conditions of the new industrial cities, the squalid slums, and the exploitation of cheap labour (often of children), the painful fight by the enlightened few to introduce social legislation and the slow extension of the franchise.) The evils of the Industrial Revolution were vividly painted by such writers as Dickens and MrsGaskell, and they called forth the missionary efforts of men like Kingsley.