The Day My Hostel Life Began | Tuning to a Rigid Institutional Routine! 😊

Living Life “By” the Clock | The Day My Hostel Life Began

#HSCDays #MCCSchool #HostelYears

[This day, 32 years ago, from my personal diary entry]

#memoriesfromdiaries

1st July 1994

This particular day in my life proved to be a monumental day for me!

A day when I experienced a massive life transition – from home life to hostel life!

The very first day of my 11th grade in MCC School, Chetpet, Madras, oops Chennai! 😊

Today even as I look back on this diary entry of almost 32 years ago, I am totally in awe!

Little had I realised back then, that one day, I will be sharing from my diary entry on the ‘Internet’ on a ‘Blog’ging platform, three decades later in time!

Be it getting a pair of sportshoes and some “good day” biscuits, or getting a few friends on the very first day - the anxieties, the curiosities, and the excitement of the day were of the highest order, you see!

There are two particular things that I wish to highlight from this diary entry as takeaways from this blogpost –

First is the sense of time-consciousness that my hostel life has taught me bigtime!

Even my personal diary entries from then on, have (I noticed it only quite late) have recorded the day by these timestamps - 10:30, 12:45, 4:00, 7:25, and finally sleeping by 8:50 p.m.

I am especially pleasantly surprised at my repeated use of the word ‘by’ to denote time.

It makes me compare our lives to a train journey, where each station arrives by – for example – by 10.30 am, by 12.45 pm, by 4 pm, by 7.25 pm and finally by 8.50 pm.

It also makes me realise how the concept of time had assumed for the first time, a lot of significance - once I had enrolled myself into a “rigid institutional routine”.

As a Professor of English today – I sure feel slightly embarrassed to see the typos and the spelling mistakes that I had innocuously made in the diary entry – which is again, a very personal one you see - 😊

Secondly, let me highlight some of my pretty “structural nativism” quirks in this entry, which are replete with the regional flavour! 😊

For example, expressions like “Today morning” (instead of this morning), “I and mummy,” and “fellow guys” etc., make this diary entry get its authentic vibes I guess!

I also noticed a few minor spelling errors like “tiffen” and “bye me” (buy me) that add to its teenage authenticity. 😊

Here’s to the little boy of 16, who “took the time” to write down his impressions - way back in 1994 – as a teenager - albeit with helluva typos, lotsa regional flavour, and anxieties of all hues writ large on him, and what not! 😊

Because, without him, I wouldn’t have been the person that I am, today!

Global Footprints | From Campus to South Korea ❤️

SKY Programme | First Edition

A Report | 1st July 2026

Today we had the first SKY Programme of the new Academic Year at 12.30 pm, in the Chemistry Seminar Hall. 15 Students who had spent their One-Semester Abroad in South Korea narrated their experiences to the assembled audience comprising of the Deans, Heads of Departments, Professors and students.

Our Principal Dr. Paul Wilson in his inaugural address highlighted the role played by the Office of International Programmes in facilitating student mobility to universities across the world. He also spoke on the visit of more than 54 renowned Universities from across the world who had come down to MCC to explore collaborations with our Institution and the resultant 12 MoUs that had happened in the last academic year. He exhorted students to finetune their portfolios with their skillsets, and make themselves employment-ready.

Dr. Rufus, Dean of International Programmes welcomed the gathering. Dr. Nirmala Mohan, Head, Dept of Commerce (SFS), Dr. Annet Pearl, Warden of Martin Hall, Prof. Livingstone, Professor of German, participated. Our newly recruited Interns did a highly commendable job. Ms. Irin from II MA Pol Science did the MC, while Shweta Vamsi (III BBA), Mathew Alex (II MA Pol Science), among others facilitated in the logistics for the programme. Dr. Serena, Associate Dean of International Programmes, proposed the Vote of Thanks. 

The programme ended at 1.20 pm, followed by a fellowship lunch at the Staff Tiffin Room.

What I personally liked about the programme was the way in which the Interns were particularly conscious of time management. All 15 students spoke, and still, we ended the Programme 10 minutes ahead of lunch time. Awesome work, dear Interns. Keep it up!