MCC - The highest-ranked college for the BA English Programme in South India ❤️❤️❤️

MCC Ranks #6 in India for BA English 

A Proud Moment for Team DoE in the 2026 Rankings

The highly anticipated India Today-MDRA “Best Colleges of India 2026” rankings are officially out, and Madras Christian College has yet again firmly established itself across India for its academic excellence.

By securing this enviable sixth position, MCC has emerged as the highest-ranked college for the BA English Programme in South India.

Goes to prove how MCC has successfully carved out its space among the nation’s premier institutions.

This 2026 ranking is a proud milestone for MCC’s vibrant students, illustrious alumni, and dynamic faculty members.

Viva la MCC!

Inside the 2026 UG Freshers’ Orientation at Anderson Hall ❤️

UG Freshers’ Orientation

Today @ MCC

22nd June 2026 | Anderson Hall

Today we had the UG Freshers’ Orientation in the Anderson Hall from 8.30 am. Our Principal welcomed the freshers to MCC, and introduced all the Officials of the College to the newly joined cohort.

The Office of International Programmes was ably represented by Dr. Rufus (this blogger), Dr. Serena and Dr. Arun. We also gave them the QR Code for joining our Channel and within a few minutes, the Channel’s followers shot up by more than 500.

The Orientation for the UG Freshers (SFS), started at 1.15 pm in the Anderson Hall, and the Hall was literally overflowing beyond capacity. Already we had arranged for screens in the Examinations Hall for students to watch the Orientation Programme. Still, the crowd seemed to be spilling over. A reflection of the growing demand for brand MCC, I guess! 😊

I had a long time of rewarding discussions with the young and vibrant Dr. Nirmal, my good friend. He then asked me the books on my current reading list. I listed out the three books I’m currently reading, and he also likewise shared from his current reading list.

Literary beings have this quaint charm on them, that make your day added exciting, ain’t it?

On an aside, I met with my II MA class and gave them a brief orientation on how to navigate the year ahead, with a proper road map.

The entire college sported a busy-as-a-bee look today, with freshers of all hues, with curiosity and eagerness writ large on their faces, making a beeline to the Anderson Hall, yes, with their bag and baggage in tow. Hall applicants had that anxious look on their faces, with that, ‘will I, won’t I’ look on them! 😊

On the whole, a rewarding day, in every way!

You may want to read last year’s Freshers’ Orientation HERE on our past blogpost.

At Last! A Fitting Tribute to MCC's Own Braveheart ❤️

At last! Honoured in his Own Soil!

Major Mukund Varadarajan Road

Felt so happy to know that the Velachery-Tambaram High Road in Chennai is set to be officially renamed as Major Mukund Varadarajan Road.

Long delayed, but often expected!

The Tambaram Corporation Council has recently passed a resolution to rename the 16-km arterial road to honor the sacrifice of the Indian Army officer, who was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra for his bravery during a 2014 counter-terrorism operation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Major Mukund Varadarajan’s life and military career were marked by a profound dedication to his country, culminating in the supreme sacrifice during a counter-terrorism operation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Coming from a family with a strong military tradition - his grandfather and two uncles had served in the armed forces - Major Mukund was inspired to join the Indian Army, quite early in his life.

Major Mukund Varadarajan met his life partner, Indhu Rebecca Varghese, during their college days at Madras Christian College (MCC) in Chennai.

Mukund was pursuing a diploma in journalism and was Indhu’s senior, while she was completing her Master’s in Mass Communication. They initially started as friends, but the connection gradually deepened into a relationship. Their courtship lasted about five years and when they finally decided to marry, they faced hesitation from their respective families as both were from different religious backgrounds.

However Mukund’s unwavering commitment eventually won over Indhu’s family, and with the blessings of both families, the couple married on 28th August 2009. They later welcomed a daughter, Arsheya, in March 2011.

Their love story recently gained wider recognition after being portrayed in the 2024 Tamil biographical film Amaran, which chronicles Major Mukund’s life, military service, and his deeply supportive relationship with Indhu.

PS: You may want to read our past post on my experience of watching Amaran on the very first day of its release, HERE on our blog.

Chennai Admission Trends 2026 | The Rise of AI and the Decline of Basic Sciences ❤️

Looking Beyond the Bounds of Tradition | How AI is Reshaping College Admissions in Chennai

#Future-ReadyStudent

25th May 2026

#newspaperinlearning

I happened to read an insightful article in today’s The Times of India, on the significant shift in student preferences at arts and science colleges in Chennai.

It is indeed very surprising to see how emerging technology courses are overshadowing traditional academic subjects this year, and specialised programmes like BSc Computer Science with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science, and Cyber Security are getting incredibly popular this year.

The article also points out a steady decline in admissions for the traditional science programmes - such as Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Botany – for which Colleges are struggling to fill their seats. Many colleges report having only filled 60% to 70% of their capacity for these subjects.

However, Commerce and Humanities subjects have shown a stable demand this year.

Commerce (BCom) remains the most preferred path overall, though there is a noticeable shift toward specialised versions like Corporate Secretaryship and Honours.

Additionally, humanities and social sciences like BA English Literature and BSc Psychology are also seeing high demand.

College principals across city colleges attribute this trend to students seeking more modern, job-oriented skills. In addition, the delay in engineering admissions and NEET (medical) counselling have caused many students to hold off on joining basic science courses.

The article highlights the fact that, today’s college applicants are highly in favour of specialised, future-ready degrees like AI and Data Science over conventional science programmes.

You may want to read the “Top Five” UG Programmes of 2025, HERE on our past blogpost.

Skills Over Degree! Importance of Building a Portfolio! ❤️

Skills Over Degree!

Importance of Building a Portfolio!

#newspaperinlearning

Felt so happy to read this insightful feature article in today’s The Times of India, by our Principal & Secretary (Madras Christian College, Chennai) Dr. Paul Wilson.

Giving out statistics to back his views, Dr. Wilson points out that, the higher education sector has shrunk by 2%, and data from the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES) shows that nearly 100 institutions closed between 2022-23 and 2023-24 in the USA.

He follows it up by asking two pertinent questions –

Will other degree programmes, which apparently do not appeal to the job market or employability, cease to exist soon?

Do these programmes not have scope for employability in the present dispensation?

Dr. Wilson then highlights the reasons for the decline in enrolment in traditional arts and science colleges & universities. He attributes this decline to the fact that, students and employers increasingly prioritise practical skills, professional degrees, and tech certifications over conventional academic programmes, driven by several key factors as follows -

Firstly, driven by the need for immediate employability, parents and students are defaulting to professional courses like AI, Data Science, BCA, and BCom rather than traditional arts and sciences.

Secondly, declining birth rates globally have shrunk the student pool. And hence, in order to survive, Western universities are aggressively recruiting Indian students. Simultaneously, policies like India’s NEP 2020 allow foreign universities to open local campuses, creating intense competition for domestic institutions.

Thirdly, Gen Z and Millennials are heavily focused on practical skill development and career growth. High costs are leading many to skip traditional higher education altogether in favour of direct workforce entry, on-the-job training, or tech certifications.

Fourthly, the corporate world is shifting its hiring focus from holding a degree to actually possessing relevant skills, thus preferring skills over degree!

In this context, even while higher education is undergoing a massive shift, Dr. Wilson ends the article on a reassuring note for the students. Since employers are increasingly hunting for skills rather than specific degrees, students who miss out on their preferred university programmes can still succeed by strategically building a strong portfolio of skills alongside whatever degree they pursue.

And that has the ability to make the difference!

The End of "Marks Rajya" and Rote Learning | Why Your Portfolio Matters More Than Ever ❤️

City Colleges to Give Weightage to Portfolios in Admissions This Year

#newspaperinlearning

26th April 2026

Today’s Times of India Chennai Edition, sports a news article featuring the new admission criteria in City Colleges for their 2026-27 admissions. 

The most significant aspect of this news is the paradigm shift in traditional college admission criteria - moving from a strictly marks-based system to one that evaluates and rewards practical, demonstrable skills, based on the student’s portfolio.

Bespeaks to the fact that, for the first time, traditional Arts and Science colleges in Chennai have officially started recognising digital portfolios on platforms like GitHub (for coding and computer science applicants) and Behance (for design and visual communication applicants).

Madras Christian College (MCC) is planning to give a 10% weightage over and above the cut-off marks for students who possess such impressive portfolios.

The principal of MCC Dr. Paul Wilson has acknowledged that fact that students with high practical aptitudes (in coding or performing arts) might not always secure the highest marks in board exams. This new rule attempts to level the playing field by recognising real-world skills, leading to a holistic evaluation of the candidate during admissions.

So what, pray, is the takeaway?

Colleges are finally catching up to the realities of the modern job market. The job market has long cared more about a candidate’s GitHub repository than their GPA, industries the world over hire based on Behance or Dribbble profiles. Academia is now waking up to cater to this standard!

This signals the end of rote learning’s monopoly, wherein the student just writes down reams and reams of rote-memorised content on the answer sheets.

In short, we are rapidly moving from a world that asks, “What do you know?” to a world that asks, “What have you done?”

Telepathic Synchronicity or What You May! ❤️

Telepathic Synchronicity or What You May!

#reflections #todayinMCC

Call it telepathy, or a psychic portent, or what you may! Just this morning, I experienced it in full display!

Well, it was around 6 am, this morning, when I was sifting through my digital archives to curate a short video reel for an Earth Day WhatsApp status!

And one specific photograph caught my attention. It was a snapshot taken nearly a decade ago, featuring Dr. Hariharan and myself sharing the dais during an International Conference in Chennai. I paused for a moment, lingering on the memory, and the lovely intellectual interactions that happened during the occasion!

Less than two hours later, at 7:50 am, my phone rang. In a striking surprise of sorts, the caller was none other than Dr. Hariharan himself. He said he was in Chennai and expressed his desire to meet up with me, come over to Madras Christian College (MCC) to walk the grounds, and relish the ambience of the woods, purely for memories’ sake, to relive the memories of his lovely days in MCC in the late 80s.

Well, what surprised me the most was the sheer immediacy of the call - following so closely on the heels of my solitary reflection just over an hour ago!

And yes! by 10.15 am he was in College, and we had a rewarding time discussing life and literature for hours, in the company of Dr. Jojan and Ms. Shree, the vibrant ADO of our College.

Content for telepathic portent by all means!

On an aside, Dr. Hariharan is senior Professor and Head of the Institute of English at the University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. He is a recognised academic specialising in Canadian studies, translation studies, heritage studies, and the study of space.

Coming back - 

Added, since a sizeable number of staff members had gone for election duty ahead of tomorrow’s polling day preparations, and with no students around, I couldn’t arrange for an interactive session with Dr. Hariharan, for our students today!

That little regret apart, we then went to the famous gutters, where I took some snaps for keepsake for Dr. Hariharan! By 1 pm, bid adieu to the legend.

Now for the literary takeaways –

Literature has long been fascinated by this telepathic portent! Authors quite often resort to these telepathic portents in their works as well! Jane Eyre, to me, is one exemplification to this credo! And for that, you may want to read our past post on ‘Presentiments’ in Jane, HERE on our blog!

And now for the theoretical takeaways -

Just imagine this situation! When an internal thought mirrors an external event without a clear physical justification to it, we immediately tend to think about it in such mystic and mysterious ways, ain’t we?

Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist, whom we’ve been discussing quite often in our blogposts this year, is credited with coining the term “synchronicity” to describe exactly this phenomenon!

All through our lives, every passing day, we tend to think of our near and dear, and the memorable events that connect with them!

Today’s telepathic synchronicity is yet another beautiful reminder of our interconnectedness, especially in the context of World Earth Day - Today! 😊

Pause the Classroom, Pursue Your Passion: Inside MCC's New Deferral Programme! ❤️

MCC Introduces ‘Defer a Semester’ Scheme for Extracurricular Excellence

The New Indian Express, Chennai Edition

STUDENTS of Madras Christian College (MCC) will have the opportunity to pursue extracurricular activities without affecting their academic progression as, starting from the 2026-27 academic session, the institute will roll out the ‘Defer a Semester’ (DAS) scheme.

Eligible students can defer their semester for a full 90 days, participate in selected activities such as national and international internships or sports competitions, as long as they meet the required benchmarks outlined by the college.

The scheme will give students the flexibility to pursue opportunities outside the classroom and engage in activities such as innovation and entrepreneur ship development, internships at reputed institutions, participation in national and international sporting events, or any other significant educational experience recommended by the head of department (HoD) and approved by the college’s standing committee.

The scheme is open to undergraduate students (in any semester from two to five) and postgraduate students (in semester two or three). To apply, students must have no disciplinary actions, have good academic standing, and have secured at least 60% in their previous semester to qualify for the scheme.

A detailed application process will involve submitting relevant evidence, including offer letters, certificates, and confirmation letters from the activity providers, at least 90 days prior to the commencement of the DAS activity. Students will course work, as deferred semester courses will be handled through a crash course format during the subsequent semester.

“This scheme reflects our commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial and global-minded students. By offering the flexibility to explore opportunities outside the classroom, we are empowering our students to innovate, grow, and contribute meaningfully to society,” said Paul Wilson, principal of the college.

“By offering the flexibility to explore opportunities outside the classroom, we are empowering our students to innovate and grow”. - Paul Wilson, Principal, Madras Christian College.

Defer A Semester @ MCC! ❤️

MCC to allow students to defer one semester from next year

Times of India, Chennai Edition

13th April 2026

To allow students to pursue innovation, take up internships in reputed industries, and participate in sporting events, Madras Christian College plans to introduce a ‘defer a semester programme’ from next academic year (2026-27).

According to this proposal, students will be allowed to appear for the end-semester exams in the subsequent semester for all courses missed during the deferred semester.

The college has launched MCC-MRF Innovation Park to incubate start-ups. The college also has several academic partnerships with the foreign universities. “These courses will not be treated as backlogs or arrears in the student’s marksheet. Instead they will be considered part of regular academic progression permitted under deferral provisions,” said Paul Wilson, the principal.

Meanwhile, Stella Maris College has introduced co-curricular and extracurricular transcript, which will record students participation across a broad spectrum of activities.

“It will complement the academic transcript and capture the learning experiences occurring beyond formal coursework. It will provide a more comprehensive representation of a student’s development,” said Sr Stella Mary, principal of the college.

“It will improve campus placement prospects as recruiters get a better idea about the candidates and their pursuits. It will also increase students’ participation in developmental activities,” she added.

From Manuscripts to Market | 21 Student Books Launched at Writers' Nook ❤️

“From Blank Page to Bestseller”

Writers’ Workshop @ MMIP | A Report

We had a memorable Writers’ workshop titled, “From Blank Page To Bestseller,” today from 9 am to 2 pm in the Unicorn Hall, MMIP, by the MCC-MRF Innovation Park under the Writers’ Nook initiative.

Mr. Ravin Carr, CEO of Katha Books, was the Guest of Honour. The central theme of the session was, “From Manuscript to Market: Build a book that succeeds,” focusing on the practical steps of transforming raw ideas into commercially viable literary works.

The session was designed to provide actionable insights into the writing and publishing process.

Providing a comprehensive understanding of the current publishing landscape, Mr. Ravin guided the participants on how to effectively turn initial ideas into a finished book, and how to launch and market a book successfully.

The event was curated entirely by our vibrant students – with Ms. Lekhaa Meenakshi Sundaram, Ms. G. Rakshaya, Ms. Veda, Ms. Aarthi KPB and team.

Although the event slightly shot into overtime mode, the students were deeply involved in the interactions, that they did not see time flitting them by!

Ms. Rachel Pamela Joseph, our illustrious alumna (MA English, 2011 – 13), Dr. Arun Kumar’s batch, gave an impactful and engaging workshop on “The World of Freelancing”.

45 students participated in the Workshop.

21 of our students (who had published their books this semester), had their books launched on the occasion. (Two in absentia)

Special appreciation to all the 21 students for showing such dedication to developing their skills beyond their classroom space.

Here are the vibrant student authors and the titles they officially released today.

Alena Sara Thomas – My Euphoric Quill and My Lilac Letters

Amathullah Aafreen – Nation Memory and The Poetics of Nation Memory

Carolina Salomi – When Sunflower Met the Moon

Catherin Sabu – Programmed Selves

Dhanushkumar P – BYE, SWEETHEART!

Gracelin Patrica J – The Fading Darkness

Lekhaa Meenakshi Sundaram – The Werewolves of Brooklyn: Siege of the Dokkalfar, I Just Wanna Be A Girl, A Lost Land of Magic - Anything is Possible, The Art of Carrying Pain, and The Werewolves of Brooklyn: Rebirth of Fenrir

Libby Lynn RB – Harsh Twilight Hours

Nitish Kumar R K – Silhouettes of Solitude - An Unseen Ink of Emotions

Pearlina Gracelyn P – Red Verses

Prakalya – Seized by Shadows

Rakshaya G – Incomplete 99

Reji Jacob B S – Whisking Through the Ages

S Rency Gabriella – The Syntax of Scars: Scriptotherapy of the Fractured Interior

Safa Salsabeel Z – The Second Chance

Terese Maria Broosily – T Thoughts

Veda Vardhini Maria Praveen – The Art of Carrying Pain

Veena J – Metaphorically Metaphorise - Metanafic: A New Genre

Viswa Shree V – Warts and All

Congratulations to you all, our dear students, on formalising your impactful ideas into published works! You have proved beyond measure that, words have the power to shape memories and inspire others to pick up the pen!

From Wordsworth to Bob Dylan | Honouring the Visionary Legacy of Prof. Daniel J. David ❤️

A Fond Farewell to Our Beloved Prof. Daniel J. David

6th April 2026 | Selaiyur Hall

Today, we had the Farewell Ceremony for Prof. Daniel David at 3 pm in the Selaiyur Hall Indoor Theatre.

The afternoon was filled with nostalgia and gratitude, even as colleagues and students – past and present, gathered to celebrate a remarkable legend’s literary life in MCC.

The farewell ceremony featured several moving speeches from faculty members who have worked closely with Prof. David over the years.

Dr. Jannet, Director, Self-financed Stream, spoke warmly about Prof. DD’s leadership style, emphasising how he was always an incredibly supportive pillar for his colleagues.

Dr. Nirmal Selvamony took to the stage to reflect on his long, cherished association with “Prof. Dany,” sharing memories that highlighted a deep and enduring friendship. 

Faculty members Dr. Venkataramanujan, Dr. Tilakaramanujan, and Dr. Jojan also took the podium to offer their rich encomiums to the lovely literary soul!

I had the privilege of recollecting Prof. David’s noble qualities.

I traced his early days as student of the MA Literature Class in the American College, Madurai, where he also met his future wife! (his classmate). How he was a popular Professor in St. Philomena’s College, Mysore, and Bishop Heber College, Trichy, before joining MCC in 2006.

Five exceptional things about him that I had shared are –

Firstly, his elegant habit of laminating the cover of every single book before reading it, which speaks volumes to the ways in which he cherished and safeguarded knowledge.

Secondly, he never once gossiped about anybody anytime in his life! Whenever you are with him you are sure to get treated to a conversation on concepts and ideas! Never on people!!

Thirdly, he is a voracious reader, who used to devour books by the dozens every week.

Fourthly, he was good at explaining difficult theories in such a simple and lucid style that you completely forget the fact that time was whizzing you by! I quoted one such incident during our I MA English class, when he gave us a lecture on Structuralism. He started the lecture at 2 pm, and the lecture went on till 6.30 pm without a pause or a break.

Then at 6.30 pm, sensing the approaching dusk, DD asked us if it was getting late, especially for the girls in our class. We all replied in chorus, ‘Not at all’. Then he continued with his classes for more than an hour, before calling it a day! That lecture on Structuralism that he gave us, helped us all to find our firm footing in theory, I said, to the audience, who were listening to the rich eulogies on their professor with such rapt attention!

Fifthly, whenever someone approached him for career guidance, or help with their NET Papers, he never once hesitates to talk to them. He would always give a willing hand to help them out - always ready and eager to be of help! 

Hearty congratulations to Prof. Samuel Moses and his vibrant team in the Dept of English (SFS), on having hosted this remarkable Farewell Ceremony in such a grand manner, quite rarely heard of, in the annals of MCC in the recent past!

If I could mention one pioneering contribution by Prof. DD to the Dept of English (SFS), MCC, it would be his immense efforts in launching the BA English Literature Programme in the Self-Financed Stream in MCC in the year 2014.

His visionary approach to the syllabus is a case in point! In fact, he revolutionised literary studies at MCC by balancing canonical literature with popular culture. Like for example, he effortlessly connected the profound themes of Wordsworth with the cultural impact of Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, James Bond, and even Harry Potter. He didn’t just teach literature; he taught students on theories and concepts that helped them “read” the world around them.

Students and faculty members had turned up in overwhelmingly large numbers, packing the Indoor Theatre of Selaiyur Hall to express their gratitude to their impeccable mentor, educator, and leader who has shaped their academic journeys in such myriad ways!

In fact, Prof. Daniel David leaves behind a rich legacy at Madras Christian College.

While we at MCC will deeply miss his daily presence, the standards he has set and the support he has offered will continue to inspire us all!

We wish Prof. David the very best in his well-deserved next chapter!

Fare ye well, dear Sir!

Escaping the Traps of 'Fashion' and 'Digital Distraction' ❤️

On Labour & Lifestyle! 

#reflections

Dr. Alessandra from SOAS, London, and Dr, Kalpana, IIT Madras, were here in Campus today for a lively conversation with the officials and students from across various departments. 

Dr. Alessandra gave some shocking statistics on distribution of wealth and labour. 

More than 120 billion garments are made every year for all eight billion people of the world, she said. OMG!!! 

Just this morning, a Physics professor was sharing yet another shocking quote on the concept of ‘screenagers’. He said that, the average alpha kids spend roughly 5 to 6 hours a day on their smartphone. If you stretch that daily average across a typical lifespan, it adds up to roughly 16 years spent staring at a mobile screen. In short 16 to 20 years of a person’s life is spent only on screentime, and roughly 6 – 7 years on social media platforms, he said.

Staggering statistics on labour and on lifestyle! 

I’m reminded of Thoreau’s Walden, where he talks about the vanity of buying new clothes by the dozen, week after week or month after month! 

Specifically in the opening chapter titled, “Economy,” he has lots to say about our obsession with fashion! 

Thoreau firmly believes that the true purpose of clothing is practical - to retain body heat and cover nakedness - not to serve as a status symbol. In this regard, he remarks that, “No man ever stood the lower in my estimation for having a patch in his clothes.” 

Moreover, he also argues that a person shouldn’t get a new suit until they have grown or changed so much internally that keeping the old clothes would be like “keeping new wine in old bottles.” 

This is where Thoreau is highly critical of the fashion industry! 

He points out that kings, who wear a suit only once even though it was custom-made by a master tailor, will never know the actual comfort of a garment that truly fits. Because they constantly change clothes, he says that Kings are “no better than wooden horses to hang the clean clothes on.” 

He also shares a humorous anecdote about asking his tailoress to make a very specific, practical garment. She gravely refuses, telling him, “They do not make them so now.” Thoreau mocks this, noting that she quotes the mysterious “They” (the fashion industry) as if it were an absolute, impersonal law of the universe like the Fates. 

Thoreau then proceeds to note that if an accident happens to a gentleman’s legs, they can heal; but if an accident happens to the legs of his trousers, society views him as completely ruined. To Thoreau, this proves that society respects the coat, not the man inside it. 

Ultimately, Thoreau is urging his readers to stop letting tailors and societal expectations dictate their worth, and to recognize that a ragged coat on a good person is vastly superior to a brand-new coat on a hollow one. 

Coming next to the “screenagers” and an entire 16 years of their lifespan that they devote to their mobile phones – 

Well, mobile screens are often a ‘default cure’ for boredom. One solution is to make the offline world just as engaging. Replace digital time with tangible activities like reading physical books, cooking, sports and games, or arts and crafts, helps lots!

Moreover, studies have shown that, excessive screen time is closely tied to nature deprivation and a lack of physical activity. In this regard, encouraging birding adventures and nature walks could help rebuild attention spans and thereby increase one’s focus and efficiency. 

Finally, on a takeaway note – It would be nice and wise if - instead of simply taking away the devices from children, we can address the challenge of excessive screen and social media time and take constructive steps to manage their everyday usage!

Visual Literature - Nature as "Text" | Deep Attention, Internal Sensitivity and Topophilia in the MCC Scrub Jungle Today 💚💚💚

Connecting with Nature the Krishnamurti Way!

#todayinMCC

These snaps taken by our students today - Open Forum Day - bespeak to the fact that, they have a fantastic eye for nature photography.

Be it capturing the dynamic, mid-action shot of the Indian palm squirrel scrambling its way along a bare, twisting branch, or getting such crisp details on the Common Pierrot butterfly with striking black spots and patterns, resting delicately on a cluster of green leaves, that takes real patience and skill, or highlighting the rich biodiversity and the unique scrub jungle atmosphere that makes MCC campus so special, they’ve done some amazing nature photography today.

A classic shot of the bell tower during mid-noon today, suspended between two solid yellow pillars, was lovely!

Lovely snapshots of a bright green parakeet navigating the branches, and posing pretty happily for our snaps was indeed a treat to behold! Just adjacent to the parakeet you find the natural tree hollow that these birds often use for nesting.

There’s also this lovely snap of a resilient sapling – a bright green shoot stubbornly growing out of a deep, dark crevice in the rough, reddish-brown bark of the large tree.

That’s exactly where literature steps into the realm of bioregional literary studies.

In fact, Bioregionalism relies heavily on developing and celebrating a “sense of place” aka Topophilia.

MCC is well-known for preserving and nurturing its treasured native scrub jungle. In this regard, these photos act as visual literature, documenting the unique “spirit of the place” of this specific bioregion.

In bioregional literary studies, observing the landscape is treated like reading a text, albeit with deep attention. By zooming in on the Common Pierrot butterfly, or the tiny sapling growing from the bark, or the pink Orchid Tree blossom, the students are practising what ecocritics would call “deep attention” or “slow looking.” And by doing so, they are celebrating the micro-narratives of the ecosystem that usually go unnoticed in the rush and hustle bustle of our daily life.

Yet another theme of bioregional literary studies is the celebration of our interconnectedness. These photos do exactly that. Be it the parakeet in the tree hollow or the squirrel on the branch – they beautifully exemplify the fact that, the campus is a shared habitat, were humans and more-than-humans co-inhabit in an interconnected consciousness.

Especially, the macro shot of the bright green sapling pushing its way out of the dead, cracked bark is a profound visual metaphor for resilience and regeneration. I’m reminded of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ famous quote here –

And for all this, nature is never spent;

There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

Coming back to the lovely Krishnamurti connect,

J Krishnamurti believed that a deep, quiet awareness of the rustle of leaves, the quality of light, or the movement of a squirrel builds up a lovely “internal sensitivity”. Moreover, truth isn’t found in books or rituals, but in the direct observation of life. Nature, then, to him, was the primary classroom for empathy.

Hence, a student who is sensitive to the struggle of a tiny sapling growing out of a rough bark is cultivating the same empathy and sensitivity required to understand human suffering and joy.

Finally, JK emphasised on the fact that the observer is not separate from the observed; Hence, to ignore the scrub jungle around us is to ignore a part of ourselves!

How true!

PS: All Photos Copyright © Ms. Rakshaya, Ms. Aarthi, Ms. Rangineetha and Ms. Vishnupriya