Readers' Planet @ QMC

 

"It is as if it has never been..."

29th March 1995

Nostalgic Ruminations on a Sad Semantic Shift

[A Case Study in Diachronic Linguistics]

#memoriesfromdiaries

#HSCDays

#MCC School

Well, first and foremost, I heartily congratulate Dr. Shrimathy and her lovely team at Anna University for organizing an FDP on a very pertinent and engaging theme, titled, ‘Literature Teaching as Cultural Studies’.

My talk today was on Culturalism: 3.0 in Literature Teaching: Trajectories and Trends. I promised the lively participants that I would finish my Talk on time, as given to me in the schedule, and as promised, I wrapped up sharp at 12.29 pm. 😊

However, the participants had a lot of mind-blowing questions, which went on and on till around 1.15 pm, when one of the organisers Dr. Dipesh, [SSN University], gracefully brought the curtains down.

But still, students were all around even after the official ending of the programme, continuing the lively discussions with me – 😊 something that I really congratulate and appreciate about them! The curiosity, the zeal and the eagerness to learn something new, and to have their doubts dispelled is a laudable trait that I find so endearing in today’s researchers.

I spoke so proudly of our dear alumna – Maanini and her passionate involvement in her research – to all the spirited faculty and researchers who had gathered today. 👏 👏 👏

Going by indication, I personally sense a great deal of vibrancy amongst researchers of today, who are very sure and confident of what they are pursuing. Some of the themes that they are working on, so beautifully focus on ‘how best to make a difference to society through research’.

The twenty odd questions that came up for discussion [soon after the talk was over], were so awe-inspiring, that I so spontaneously commented that, some of the intriguing questions presented here, could even be part of a paper presentation or a dissertation. Such was the depth and the intensity of their questions.

And well, one point that I had made today, was about Semantic Drift or Semantic Shift, a key component of Historical Linguistics, or Diachronic Linguistics, which involves the study of language through time, either from the perspective of the present looking back to the ages and stages of the past, or from some earlier stage and age, towards the present.

Lyle Campbell’s highly engaging, hands-on guide to Historical Linguistics, titled, Historical Linguistics: An Introduction, is indeed a easy-breezy read on a very challenging area of study such as this, with numerous examples and practical exercises that help students to apply the principles and procedures by themselves, to know the ‘hows’ of ‘doing’ historical linguistics.

To Saussure, language was in essence, a system of signs - a social phenomenon - constructed by convention! Added, language is a structured [and structuring] system that can be viewed synchronically (as it exists at any particular time) and diachronically (as it changes in the course of time).

A fresh new perspective to the study of linguistics – called Structural Linguistics.

Well, this concept of the ‘Semantic Shift’ assumes a personal significance for me today, when I chanced upon my past diary entry for this very same day, more than a quarter century ago – on 29th March 1995, when our Warden Mr. Parthiban [Botany teacher as well], received a Telegram which was handed over to me by Mr. Jones, the clerk. The message in the telegram read thus – Sister gave birth to a girl child’.

Telegrams were, in those days, our only fastest and quickest modes of communicating important messages with our near and dear ones. Even our English text books had a complete unit that taught us how to write, short messages exclusively for Telegram.

I am even reminded of a joke that goes like this –

A son sends a telegram to his father from his hostel –

No money, no fun….

Your son 😉

Father’s telegram comes soon after, which says,

Too sad, very bad…

Your dad. 😉

Jokes apart, well, this set my mind pondering and wondering on the question – how soon hath time… yes! how soon hath time wrought such a huge impact on words!

It’s like, who woulda imagined that Bill Gates’s Business @ the Speed of Thought, written way back in 1999, could become a reality today, in such a short span of time?

Who woulda imagined…?

Today, the ‘Telegram’ services offered by the Post & Telegraph Offices all over India for well over 163 years, might have shut shop - the last telegram ever in India having been sent from the city of Nagpur on July 14, 2013, at 11:55 pm by one Ms. Kavitha, to her mother!

However, a new form of Telegram has taken deftly over, and quite adeptly at that, so much so that, the original (or earlier) meaning of the word ‘Telegram’ is nowhere to be found on the World wide web.

You just try keying in the word ‘Telegram’ on Google, and hey presto, you get the following results –

Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging service, which offers multimedia messages, voice and video calls, similar to Facebook Messenger.

a screenshot of the page, today, 29th March 2023 at 8.30 pm

I would like to end this post with an intriguing excerpt from David Crystal’s highly interesting book titled, Language Death, where he quotes a very poignant example –

This time, 8th October 1992 is the critical day:

The West Caucasian language Ubuh ... died at daybreak, October 8th 1992, when the Last Speaker, Tevfik Esenç, passed away.

I happened to arrive in his village that very same day, without appointment, to interview this famous Last Speaker, only to learn that he had died just a couple of hours earlier.

He was buried later the same day. In actual fact, Kasabe and Ubykh (a widely used alternative spelling) had effectively died long before Bogon and Tevfik Esenç passed away.

If you are the last speaker of a language, your language – viewed as a tool of communication – is already dead.

For a language is really alive only as long as there is someone to speak it to.

When you are the only one left, your knowledge of your language is like a repository, or archive, of your people’s spoken linguistic past.

If the language has never been written down, or recorded on tape – and there are still many which have not – it is all there is.

But, unlike the normal idea of an archive, which continues to exist long after the archivist is dead, the moment the last speaker of an unwritten or unrecorded language dies, the archive disappears for ever.

I repeat,

…the archive disappears for ever! 🙁

And so, when a language dies which has never been recorded in some way, it is as if it has never been.

I repeat,

… it is as if it has never been! 🙁

How true it proves for the sad semantic shift in the good ol’ Telegram of our times past!  ❤️

Hale Bopp’s arrival is joyously very significant to us at ‘Heaven’s Gate’

“மொட்டை மாடியில் குளிர் காய்ந்தோம்” 🥰

[Campfire with friends @ home, upstairs]

29th March 1997

#memoriesfromdiaries

What added joy when you’re with friends sleeping the entire blessed night right under moonlight, in the serene breeze of the open air - upstairs of your home-sweet-home, and then on, quite early into the mornings you go out for your dawny cup of coffee with your friends [Thilak - aka Thilakaramanujam - my bestie whom I’ve mentioned here, loves tea, though!], and then assemble back again [without making any noise whatsoever, and without the knowledge of parents and neighbours] 😉, and quietly gather together to start a good campfire, with the available sticks, twigs and paper, - like good bricoleurs 😊 - just for the sheer fun and joy that it gives you, and then proceed to engage on a lovely banter, a lively conversation by taking good care of the carefully erected fire lay 😉 all-through!

Well, when I look back on this episode, the phrase in Tamil that I’ve used here, in my diary, is reason enough to state that –

Some emotions, some experiences, some thoughts, are best expressed in the native tongue! I couldn’t even think of a better phrase than ‘குளிர் காய்ந்தோம்…’ மாடியில்… to bring out the aura, the shine and the sheen of the lovely experience in all its grandeur.

Then we came down and plucked 5 வாழைக்காய்s or raw bananas from our own sweet backyard that housed a couple of banana plants. 

After this morning jaunt, on a holiday such as this one, [Saturday], our next go-to destination was to read our morning newspaper.

Well, as regards the morning newspaper, it’s a 16-page magical wand filled with surprise and suspense in every page that you so delightfully flip through!

This day was no exception.

Chanced upon an article titled, ‘Into Heaven’s Gate’, San Diego cultists who were obsessed with the Hale-Bopp comet, planned their exit with its arrival.

Their own site on the Web says, Hale Bopp’s arrival is joyously very significant to us at ‘Heaven’s Gate’.

I quote, from my diary entry -

“The joy is that, our older Member in the Evolutionary Land above Human [in the kingdom of Heaven] has made it clear to us that Hale-Bopps approach is the ‘marker’ we have been waiting for – the time for the arrival of the space craft from the Level Above Human to take us home to ‘Their World’, in the literal heavens.

Our 22 years of classroom here on planet earth is finally coming to conclusion – graduation from the Human Evolutionary Level.

We are happily ‘prepared to leave this world’ and go with Ti’s crew, the page says. Heaven’s Gate was founded in the 70s by Marshall Apple White. He calls him, ‘Do’ and his wife, ‘Ti’.

The mass suicide of the cultists ☹ who numbered 39, died in the three batches, over a period of three days.

According to them, bodies are physical vehicles, containers.”

Intriguiging to the core! Ain’t it? 

Cordially inviting you [FDP @ Anna University, Chennai]

 

Click on this Google Form link to Register.

On Writing an Impactful Concept Note! A Sample ❤️

 Panel Discussion on Indian Economy and Climate Change: Issues and the Way Forward 

Thursday, 23rd March 2023 

9.30 am – 1.00 pm

@ Adiseshiah Auditorium, MIDS

[On a personal note: I am in real awe with the way this Concept Note has been framed so beautifully! Just browse your way through the article, by reading through the signpost words highlighted in yellow, and you will feel the reading so breezy!]

Concept Note 

The pandemic had devastated the economies around the world.

While most of the countries were struggling to recover from its impact, another shock has come in the form of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Developed countries such as the USA and many European countries are still struggling to recover from the impacts caused by the aforesaid events.

India is among the very few countries that continues to recover steadily from such impacts.

In recent years, climate change accompanied by natural weather pattern changes, such as El Nino effect, are predicted to have a significant adverse impact on India’s economic growth in the coming years.

In the past, heat waves in northern parts of India significantly reduced wheat output, leading to food inflation.

Similarly, heat waves and drought are also expected to hamper agricultural growth in the country; this will have its own cascading effects such as low demand for agricultural machinery, leading to job and income loss in allied and manufacturing sectors.

In addition to slowing down economic growth, climate change leads to a general deterioration of human well-being.

The central, state and local governments in India are taking up several initiatives to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.

However, it is found that India will need an additional investment of USD $1 trillion by 2030 to meet its national goal on climate change; in the absence of financial contribution committed by the developed countries, India will need to find more financial resources which appears to be a difficult task.

Similarly, achieving ‘net zero’ by 2070 requires economic growth, especially through industrialisation, to be adhering to sustainability principles (such as ESG).

This is because of the fact that the economy is already experiencing a significant amount of environmental damage cost imposed by existing environmental problems such as air and water pollution.

In the absence of indicators (e.g. green GDP) to measure if the economy is moving on the sustainable path, formulating evidence-based policies to deal with climate change and other environmental problems becomes a difficult task in the coming years.

In this context, the proposed Panel Discussion to be jointly organised by the RBI and MIDS will bring eminent experts working on various aspects of climate change to discuss the current issues, progress made, and the future course of action under the broad spectrum of the Indian economy and the environment.

More specifically, the Panel will focus on the following:

What are the sector-specific impacts of climate change in India?

What measures are in place and what progress has been made on achieving the climate-related goals?

What additional measures are required to enhance the progress?

What are the emerging areas which need more focus?

What are the issues with climate finance and how do we generate resources?

Are there cost-effective local solutions to deal with the climate change issues in the Indian context?

Everyone is Welcome!

—Events@MIDS

"Add a 'sense of purpose' to any Event that you design and make sure it maps with the core values of our Institution"

Study Abroad Seminar | A Report

The Study Abroad Seminar organized by the Deanery of Student Affairs in association with MCC Placement Cell today in the Martin Hall Auditorium, MCC, proved a very enriching and rewarding experience to all participants.

Speaking on the occasion, our Principal Dr. P. Wilson observed that,

Students who wish to go abroad, have been making their own, personal efforts to go abroad, which gave them a lot of difficulty, as they were confused about choosing the right course of study, the right university and the right scholarships. This subsequently led to a considerable loss of time, money and effort on the part of the students.

To ameliorate this situation, the College decided to step in, and arrange special orientations for students who wish to go abroad.

We had 225 students registering for this event from both Aided & SFS. 85% among the registered participants, have expressed their desire to do their Postgraduate programme abroad, while the remaining 15% wanted to pursue their research programmes abroad, he observed.

Added Excerpts from our Principal’s talk -

The Placement and Higher Education Ecosystem should be created by the students themselves, where it is owned by the student. This ensures sustainability of the events, by passing on the legacy to subsequent batches of students.

If you try to take this ownership and promote this ecosystem among students, we will give you full support from our side. This is part of student autonomy.

I’ve been periodically meeting with students in clusters, to curate their grievances. If a strategic consultancy is created in our College, in the near future, it can focus on addressing the needs of students who opt for entrepreneurship, placements and higher education.

One of the core values of our College – Academic Excellence – will become a meaningful and rewarding endeavour, by curating information from students themselves.

We have been taking up lots of events without any purposefulness to them – events that do not map with any of the core values of the college. In many Tier I institutions, the whole culture of the institution is tuned to be in sync with academic excellence.

In 90 working days in any given semester, we have a host of events like Department events, Hall events, College events, Sports events, etc, and so students are distracted on all sides and find it difficult to negotiate this pressure, and thereby do not have the time to cultivate academic rigour and excellence.

So when designing an event, it should not only be fun-based, but make sure you add a rider to it – some meaningful purpose to it – like cultivating leadership – for which your event would act as a prototype.

You should always remember that, we’ve been given these core values by our forefathers that we’ve to comply with. Only then can we sustain the heritage and the legacy in tune with the founding principles and core values of our great Institution,

said our Principal.

The Resource Person Mr. Anand Manohar who spoke next, had a very interactive session with the students.

He started his first session by highlighting on the array of information needed for students who wish to pursue their higher studies abroad.

Stating that, while our students found it a prestige to work part-time, when they study in Universities abroad, in India, they were embarrassed to work part-time, he therefore urged and encouraged students to take up some part-time work at least on one single day during the weekends, to gain part-time work exposure, which would be an added reference for higher studies abroad.

Stressing on the importance of setting a clear goal for their lives, he said that, when it comes to planning for studies abroad, it is best to start preparing for your admission requirements at least 12 months prior to the start date (usually September).

He also detailed on the tuition fees in Western countries, that may be in the range of Rs.14 lakhs to Rs.18 lakhs per year approx.

While in European countries, it could be anywhere between Rs.10 lakhs and 15 lakhs per year, approx.

In Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, South Korea etc, the tuition fee was in the range of Rs.2.5 lakhs to Rs.6 lakhs per annum, approx., while in Germany, it was literally free tuition in many public universities.

Students are given the freedom to work part-time 20 hours per week in most of these countries, he added.

He also outlined on the scholarships, and the documents required for overseas education.

Dr. Annet Pearl, the Dean of Student Affairs, welcomed the gathering, and Prof. Tony Thomas, Associate Dean of Student Affairs [SFS], gave the College Prayer, while Dr. Rufus Associate Dean of Student Affairs [Aided], introduced the Chief Guest. Dr. Alexander Raymand, Placement Cell-In-charge, delivered the vote of thanks.

Acknowledgements: A heartful of thanks to Prof. Udhayaraj, Dept of English (Aided), and to Dr. Chinnamuthu, Dept of Commerce (Aided), for their noble suggestions, support and guidance in designing this event. 

Thanks are due to Dr. Alexander Raymand for the excellent hospitality rendered, and to Ms. Madhivathini, for her meticulous help with the Registrations.

We immensely thank Dr. Ananthi Rachel, Warden, Martin Hall, for gladly consenting to provide us with all the facilities in their lovely Auditorium.

Cordially Inviting You...

 

"I am on a journey with a mind full of thoughts to make a change. . ."

A Thoughtful Journey | Maanini Jayal

It was not just a normal routine day. I walked out of my old college with nostalgia and inspiration as I had met my professor to discuss about my research.

With a random aspiration to become the principal of the college, I headed to Tambaram railway station. On my way to the platform to board my train, I saw this man dragging a huge heavy suitcase through the last few steps of the platform. 

Initially, I was hesitant to help as I thought it would be too heavy for me to carry, and I was wondering about his difficulty to drag it.

My stereotypical mind popped out to question his strength as a man. Before I could change my mind and help him, he landed it. He had another bag which he was struggling to pick up. When I helped him to pick it up, I discovered his little physical disability in his right leg and hand.

I walked along with him asking him if I should help him to carry it along. He didn’t mind me much as he looked worried.

He asked me, “Where is the train that was here? They announced it was here. Where is it?” with much anxiety.

I asked him about the timing for which he said, 5: 05. But the time was 5:12 when he reached. I showed him the time and said the train must have left, unable to help him.

I walked past him with a heavy heart thinking about the incident that happened in my life.

My husband, the pregnant me and my ailing father-in-law reached the station an hour prior the journey.

As my father-in-law cannot climb the steps my husband went to enquire about a wheel chair. He was directed to fifth platform to get one.

After a while, he came running asking for my ID card (he forgot his wallet) as it is available only for those with an ID. The wheelchair is to be returned in the same fifth platform to get the ID card back. I and my father-in-law are waiting at the entrance anxiously as it is getting late.

My husband comes all wet with sweat and a wheel chair. I, carrying a few luggage, and my husband pushing the wheel chair take the longest route through the rail tracks and rough paths to reach the platform as there is no provision for easy accessibility for elderly or the disabled.

With great ordeal my husband left my father-in-law in the eighth platform and ran to return the wheel chair while there was only five minutes for the train.

Both of us wait there for him perplexed as the train reach.

Hopeless, we sit there looking for his arrival.

I see him coming running asking me to board the train while he managed to board with my father-in-law through the other door.

Unable to believe the fact that we are in the train, I call him to check if he is really inside. I come to the other side wondering about the people crowded around both of them. With a gut feeling that something has happened, I walk towards them.

I cry out loud seeing my husband bleed from his toe. I for once thought he was caught between the train wheels. People were helping him out but I couldn’t bear seeing him in pain and the blood that was split on the floor.

He had jumped through the tracks to catch the train while he hurt his toe in iron fence. We were grateful that people in the train helped to call for medical support and he was given first-aid at Chengalpet station.

We got down in our relative’s place as he needed stiches and treatment as quickly as possible.

I still wonder how he bore the pain for eight hours. Later, he had around eight stitches. Our journey was terrible but always thankful for the people who helped us.

I regret that I didn’t help that person today.

And, I write this to tell you not do the mistake that I did. Please, be considerate and helpful to people no matter who.

If someone had helped him with the luggage, he may have boarded the train. He was just ten minutes late. I can imagine the difficulty he would have faced to drag it all the way from the first step with his disability.

And if the station had the provision for easy accessibility for wheel chairs and the elderly, my husband wouldn’t have gone through that pain.

I am on a journey with a mind full of thoughts to make a change. . .             

Call for Articles - MCC Magazine

Do you wish to Study Abroad?

 

Cordially Inviting You...

 

"Friends are a gift from above! Friends are devoted and true..."

Our ‘Whatsapp’ 😉 | 1990s

#memoriesfromletters ❤️

#II UG Days

Well, you see, I’ve got this quaint little habit of preserving some lovely memories. Be it from students, or colleagues, or friends, or family, I’ve had this little fascination for preserving and cherishing and reliving memories. 

Today, from my kutty little Letter Archives, I chanced upon this lovely Post Card, [15 paisa Post Card] which also doubled up as our SMS, our Whatsapp and our Gmail in the 1980s and 1990s.

The only downside to the Post Card, was that, the message reached us one or sometimes even two days later. But that wasn’t a bother anytime to us!

This particular letter was sent to me by my dear buddy George P. Mathew, who was doing his BA History alongside us.

He was [and is] my trusted friend for all seasons, much akin to my bestie Wesley. Yes, close friends addressed me as Sam.

When our exam schedule was announced, he so thoughtfully and sincerely went to the Post Office, bought a 15 Paisa Post Card exclusively for his lovely friend, copied the Entire Exam Schedule on this Post Card – something that I so delightfully cherish all these years - and then he went all the way to the Post Office, and dropped it in the Letter Box kept there, so as to reach me at my Residential Address on time!

That’s being a lovely friend!

I remember this lovely number we used to sing on the guitar back then.

[Yes! The song has that special feel, that beautiful aura and that lovely charm, only on guitar-mode, that’s that’s that’s…. simply timeless! Else, the only other option would be - try it out on acapella mode!] 😉

Excerpts from the cute and meaningful lyrics for y’all, here –

Friends!!! love one another

Friends!! sisters and brothers

Friends!! all in the family of God

Uoh oh oh!!

Friends!!! love one another

Friends!! sisters and brothers

Friends!! all in the family of God

Friends are a gift from above

Friends are devoted and true

Then when the goin' gets tough!

They're lovin',

Carin'

And prayin' for you

Dedicated to all of us who believe in such lovely friendships that last for a lifetime and beyond! ❤️

Just in case you want to listen to this lovely number, please grab a cup of your dream coffee, plug in your ear phones, close your eyes, stay still, and start listening to this song HERE on YouTube. Happy listening! 

What if Hamlet did not know the aftermath of his actions?

‘What if?’ | A Lovely Literary Take on Hamlet

S. K. Vishnu Prasath, II BA English

A small glimpse into the greatest Shakespearean tragedy HAMLET -

Hamlet maybe a nobleman for the audience but for Ophelia, is he a good man?

Who on earth would betray his love and kill her father?

But Hamlet can be justified for his action as he was suffering from hallucinations and voices haunting him day and night.

But does that compensate for the death of Ophelia?

What if Hamlet did not know the aftermath of his actions?

What if Hamlet never thought that Ophelia would drown herself?

So here I present a snippet from the inner self of Hamlet, not as a prince but as a lover.

My Ophelia, this is for you

What it feels like to let my love die?

How cruel it is to let my love die , not in this cruel physical world but losing the magical emotion from my mind too.

There lie the worn out letters and flowers you sent me.

Now, with my hands stumbling to pick up a feather left behind in my terrace and my heart taking refuge in your memories life seems really hard.

But after all the pain, there lies the truth, the hidden truth,

Ophelia, you are the knife I turn inside myself; that is love.

That is love.

Pic: Video snap shot from a lovely videoshort created by Vishnu Prasath & Priyadarshini