Reflections on a PhD Defence | Climate Positionalities and Malayalam Cultural Mediations ❤️

Localising the Climate Crisis Through Kerala’s Flood Imaginaries

#PhD-Defence #IITM

29th July 2026 | 4 pm

Today, I was happy to be a part of the PhD Viva Voce Examination of Mr. Achuth Balakrishnan, IIT Madras, whose thesis titled, “Climate Positionalities - The Kerala Floods Imaginaries and Malayalam Cultural Mediations”, was a real eye-opener of sorts.

There are two things in particular that I loved the most about his thesis.

Firstly, while standard ecological imaginaries and climate narratives typically depict distant dystopian end-of-the-world scenarios, Achuth has analysed the depictions of real, localised climate events – grounded in the region - specifically the 2018 Kerala floods - within Malayalam literature.

By analysing such regional fictional and non-fictional texts, the researcher has skilfully explored micro-level cultural responses for macro-level climate issues.

Secondly, the researcher’s study of children’s literature is something that I found highly laudable.

The research specifically analyses three Malayalam children’s novels that deal with the 2018 Kerala floods, namely, Priya’s Perumazhayathe Kunjithalukal, Veerankutty’s Parannu Parannu Chekkuttyppava and Sethu’s Chekkutty. In fact, one of the main research questions investigates how children’s agency is represented in flood-related climate fiction.

Through the thesis, the researcher has studied how child characters exercise agency through their capacity for imagination, social bonding, and active participation in rebuilding society after a disaster, moving away from older, purely moralistic models of children’s stories.

Moreover, the study uses children’s literature to examine gender praxis, specifically looking at how these texts might intervene in conventional gender discourse through models of gender subversion, affirmation, and parity.

Added, the research looks into the specific stylistic aspects deployed in children’s literature to explain complex ecological disasters. It analyses how techniques like episodic formatting, oral narratives (resembling “grandmother’s tales”), fantasy, and magic realism are used to convey climate lessons and resilience to young readers. Most importantly, the thesis examines how the child figure is sensitised to the spatial nature of ecology and their environment when their habitation gets disturbed by the floodwaters.

In short, an impactful micro-response to a macro-issue of alarming proportions.

Hearty congratulations to Dr. Achuth, and to Dr. Divya, his vibrant Research Supervisor for coming up with such an impactful thesis that has a great importance for society.

Skills Over Scores | The Power of the Portfolio ❤️

How a Strong Portfolio Won Our Visual Communication Student a Ticket to France

I was so delighted to get a warm note of congratulations from the French Embassy, on our student Mr. Sanjay Srikant, (BSc Visual Communication, MCC) being awarded the prestigious Charpak Master Fellowship 2026.

[On an aside, even last year, our BA Economics student Ms. Alisha Shaji had won this prestigious Fellowship to France]

I’m sorry I won’t be able to share the exact content here, as the email has an explicit clause that forbids me from sharing the contents of the message.

When I called up Dr. Selvaraj, the Head, Department of Visual Communication, MCC, regarding his student Sanjay having been awarded the Scholarship, he had such glowing words to say about him.

“He never wasted a moment here in MCC, Sir. He was always into honing some skill or the other, and busy building his portfolio. He also did short films here, and one of his famous short films got him an interview with the famed film critic Baradwaj Rangan. He deserved the Fellowship, Sir”, he said about his student.

Quite curious and excited, I eagerly looked up the interview that Baradwaj Rangan did with Sanjay Srikant.

The interview is highly engaging and it delves into how Sanjay’s film maps the psychological landscape of Lakshmi (played by Vinithra Menon). Baradwaj Rangan heaps praises on the movie for showing the audience the “reality” of a sex worker trying to survive the pandemic lockdown, even while she tries to manage a complex relationship with her son, Karna.

You may want to watch the interview HERE. 

Coming back,

The France Excellence Charpak Master Fellowship 2026 is quite unique among scholarships as there is no minimum CGPA or percentage required to apply for this Fellowship, and selection is based heavily on the applicant’s overall academic excellence, skillset, portfolio, consistency, and the quality of their Statement of Purpose (SOP).

This makes it highly attractive for students who have cultivated practical skills and strong portfolios rather than just chasing marks.

And now we know why Sanjay got the prestigious Fellowship!

PS: You may want to read our past post on Skills Over Degree by our Principal Dr. Paul Wilson, HERE on our blog.

The Joys of Reading & Writing | & Our Priceless Local Treasures! ❤️

A Date with Two Vibrant Young Writers ❤️

#reflections

A Passionate Diarist and the Youngest Author in India! ❤️

24th May 2026

Today, we had a lovely get-together - a lovely rendezvous that we had planned at such short notice but proved a rewarding one for all of us!

Indeed, it was such a joy to catch up over lunch with my cousins, nephews and nieces in a long time.

We also had with us our lovely cousin Mr. Raja Monsingh, who was once India’s Youngest Author way back in the year 2008.

I remember having invited him for a guest lecture to our students in MCC, on 24th January 2008.

So now flash-back to 24th January 2008 –

A nine-year old child prodigy had just published his first book and the Press was all agog interviewing him for days on end, about his book.

24 January 2008 - S -220 Class, MCC

And so it was, that I had invited him to one of my classes, to talk to our students on ‘Books and Writing’.

The little master came sharp on time, accompanied by his proud Mom, Dr. Shubha.

24th January 2008 - Students congratulating the Little Master Raja Monsingh

After Mr. Raja Monsingh’s engaging talk, the students had a rewarding time of interactions with him.

The questions poured forth in quick succession and Master Raja Monsingh tackled them with consummate ease.

When asked, who was his greatest inspiration, he promptly replied, “My Mother!”

But when one student asked him, how much percentage of his success he owed to his mom, he started thinking for quite a while, and calmly replied, “20 per cent”. 😊

When asked, what was his goal in life - when he grows up, - he casually remarked, “That we can think of when I grow up.”

You may want to read the full interview on our past blogpost on 24 January 2008 HERE on our blog. 

Fast-forward to ten years later in the year 2018 -

And the little master Raja Monsingh is now a grown-up gentleman. And what a great achievement he has done in less than 10 years from thence on!

Mr. Raja Monsingh, today!

He has started a foundation called Thaagam Foundation through which he feed hundreds of stray dogs, stray cattle, and destitute human beings, who live on the verge of poverty and deprivation. They have also partnered with a lot of voluntary organisations in the cause of the voiceless.

The Foundation - His Brainchild! 

I was so happy to see his Foundation’s brochure that says,

“Founded in 2018, Thaagam Foundation operates with unwavering commitment to 100% transparency. Our non-government organisation focuses on improving lives across three key areas: uplifting the underprivileged, promoting animal welfare, and preserving our environment. We provide comprehensive support to the homeless, bring joy to orphanages, rescue stray animals, and engage in environmental conservation…”

So happy to note that their Foundation has helped in desilting lots of dumpyard lakes in and around Chennai for the past many years now revitalising water storage in these catchment areas.

So proud of you Mr. Raja Monsingh.

Then I had an extensive time of interactions with my favourite niece Ms. Phia.

Our regular readers woulda been quite familiar with Phia, a voracious reader and writer, whom we had interviewed seven years ago, HERE on our blog.

Fast-forward to today -

Currently, Phia is pursuing her Law Degree in Chennai. Over lunch today, we discussed her current reading, her novel writing, her diary writing etc.

“So what are you reading these days, Phia?” I ask her.

“Rufus uncle, I am literally devouring Toni Morrison these days. I’ve been reading her novels one by one these past months, and I find her quite amazing!”

So which of her novels is your favourite, Phia?

Promptly comes the reply, The Bluest Eye, Rufus uncle.

Are you still into writing your diaries every day?

With a resounding ‘Yes’, she says, ‘Yes, I do, Rufus uncle. Ever since Dad gifted me a diary during my childhood days, I’ve been continuously indulging myself in writing my daily diary every day without fail”.

“Great! Do you see any palpable difference in your writing style today, when compared to your past style of writing, Phia?”

Phia's lovely collection of books at home! (2019)

“Well, Yes! Looking back, I’m also able to trace how I’ve evolved over the years in what I capture in my daily diary entries. Back then, the things I wrote sound a bit childish, especially when I read them today, and today I feel my writing today sounds a tad bit more responsible, and grounded in yet another mode of reality! And guess what? I’ve started writing essays, and hence temporarily I’ve put on hold my novel writing,”

says Phia.

“Phia - the books that you read – do you prefer reading the soft copies or hard copies of the book?” I ask her out of curiosity.

“Always the hard copy, Rufus uncle. Of course I order those books through Amazon or Flipkart and stack them neat amongst my little library collection,” she adds.

“So what happened to your love for Michelle Obama’s Becoming, that I saw you reading, seven years ago?”

Oh yes, Rufus uncle. I’ve even read her latest book titled, The Look, which was released last year. It’s a lovely illustrated memoir that explores her fashion evolution, the meaning of her clothing choices, and her personal style journey, and I’m eagerly waiting to read her upcoming book as well, says Phia.

After interacting with Monsingh and Phia, I turn to my sister Susan Paul and tell them proudly about how voracious a reader, their Susie Aunty has been, ever since her childhood days.

Dr. Susan Paul currently (an expert in the Japanese language) heads the Department of History at Stella Maris College, Chennai.

To the far left is Dr. Shubha, my maternal aunt, (Chithi) who had christened me - Rufus :-)

Then, my brother-in-law Mr. Vinodh, took us all upstairs to show us his vast library collection. He said it had taken him more than 10 lakh rupees to set up this library, and he has opened it up to a few of his friends to make use of these rare collections.

Felt so happy to be in the company of bibliophiles!

Indeed, a rewarding day in every way! 😊

PS: This second part of the blogpost is a lighthearted addition to whoever wants peacefulness and wholesomeness to their Sunday evening, especially for nature lovers or anyone who enjoys bird-watching! 😊

Well, yesterday, we had a rewarding time of fellowship in Mala aunty’s home in Ranipet, Vellore. I was so surprised to see birds of all hues, lining up in such large numbers to most of their houses in the vicinity.

Especially, it felt so heartwarming to see the return of the house sparrows, so beautifully taking their turns at the ledge for their share of the pie! And what started as a quiet munch for the bulbuls, soon turned into a bustling bird buffet of sorts.

I was so in awe of this noble gesture! You may want to watch the cute video on our vlog HERE. 

Let’s take some little time to share food and water with our feathered friends and our local animals - dogs and cows – that would be a beautiful reminder of the joys of dwelling in peaceful coexistence and interconnectedness with our neighbourhood’s unique local wildlife – our priceless local treasure!

The Discipline of Time | Celebrating the New Top Cop of Greater Chennai ❤️

Punctuality and the Clock | Leadership Lessons from Mr. Amalraj IPS

& A Few of My Lovely Students

#newspaperinlearning #rolemodels

23rd May 2026

I was so happy to read a news article in today’s The Times of India & The Hindu newspapers, Chennai Edition, on Mr. Amalraj IPS, taking charge as the Police Commissioner of Greater Chennai.

Yes! I felt so happy for him on his promotion to this prestigious office.

The reason?

I’ve had the blessed opportunity of witnessing first hand, his amazing sense of punctuality and discipline, during my tenure in the Deanery of Student Affairs.

On an aside, personally, I’ve got the greatest admiration for Mr. Amalraj, because of the fact that he is an accomplished writer as well. He has authored several successful books as an IPS Officer. An IPS officer doubling up as a writer is a lovely combo, ain’t it?

Coming back –

In June 2022, Mr. Amalraj had taken charge as the new Police Commissioner of Tambaram.

As part of the Deanery of Student Affairs, we had then wanted to organise a Road Safety Awareness Programme, in collaboration with the NSS Unit of our College. Our Principal had wanted me to invite him personally for the programme, and so we got an appointment from his Office to meet with him.

We were promptly informed that, he would like to meet us at 11.30 am in his (Commissioner’s) Office. We were there much ahead of time, waiting to meet, interact and invite him. Sharp at 11.30 am he asked his Private Secretary to invite us into his office. We had a short and rewarding time of interactions with him, and the gentleman promised us that he would be there in Campus on time.

As promised, he was there on time – in fact 20 minutes ahead of time – and then after the formal welcome and honour given by our Principal, he came to the event venue sharp at 10 am.

During his lecture at the event venue – the Chemistry Seminar Hall – he gave some very valuable advice for students.

Here goes Mr. Amalraj IPS -

When does rashness happen?

Rashness happens only when you’re late. So you should remember to start early. By habit you should make it a point to start a bit early.

In the police force, we have a saying –

‘To be a successful police officer be a bit early to office. Remain a bit late in office’.

Never rush.

We used to have periodic meetings in the Marina office. Some officers always come well in advance.

For them it’s become a habit. When the Chief Minister calls for a meeting, we’re there on time. Once you make it a daily routine, it becomes part of your habit.

80% of the work that we do, happens because of our habit: be it the dress we wear, the food we eat, or the friends with whom we talk, etc.

Similarly, the habit of being early a bit always helps in preventing accidents.

To catch a bus, be there a bit in advance. Tell this to your friends and relatives as well.

The beauty of life is not just winning. It’s about following rules.

Winning is always there. You will always win. Win depends on your opponent. If your opponent is a child, you win easily. At the same time, if your opponent is tougher than you, then it’s quite a task to win!

So what matters is, follow the rules and win. When you write an exam, no one is watching, still you follow the rules. That's integrity. Winning that way, gives you credibility and integrity.

So to sum up what I’ve said –

1. Follow rules always

2. Be a bit early by habit on a regular basis.

3. Lead by example. Be a perfectionist.

said Mr. Amalraj, IPS. You may want to read his entire talk on our blogpost HERE. 

Even as Mr. Amalraj IPS, takes on the prestigious mantle of Police Commissioner of Greater Chennai, his amazing sense of punctuality and discipline stand as living testaments to the fact that true leadership is not an accident; rather, it is the ultimate reward of a life governed by punctuality and discipline!

I am reminded of this timeless thought by eminent critic Scupin Richard –

Punctuality is not just about arriving on time; it is a profound expression of respect for your own commitments and the time of others.

Now, on a personal note –

I’ve always admired students who come to my classes ahead of time. Late comers? I really pity them and I feel so sad for them, and I so wish and pray that they come out of the chaos that has engulfed them! 😊

I would love to quote from a recent message I received from one of our best students – Fr. Jomon Joseph, (2022-24 Batch MA English) who has always been to my classes a record 10 - 15 minutes ahead of time.

You may want to read through our past blogposts on his name featuring in the Early to Class Club HERE.

Just two days ago, I heard the blessed news that he has been promoted as Vice Principal of a famous School in Kerala. So proud of you Fr. Jomon Joseph!

There’s a classic proverb that goes like this –

“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men”.

A timeless reminder that punctuality, dedication, and true discipline will always open doors and bring elevation in life!

On that note, I take this opportunity to sincerely appreciate all my lovely students who have been consistently writing their blogs with such punctuality and discipline all through their holidays. I admire you guys. Keep it up!

I’m sure you will stand before kings!

“I’m Ordering Ten Copies of the book Rightaway, Thambi” ❤️

“I’m Ordering Ten Copies of the book Rightaway, Thambi”

Programmed Selves | Ms. Catherin Sabu

#bookreview

This morning, I had scores of students visiting our office to discuss and to interact with us on higher studies.

I also had a brief meeting with our vibrant Associate Deans of International Programmes – Dr. Serena and Dr. Arun (whom I call the angels of our office) 😊 on a few important matters.

I was also overjoyed to have a special guest today in our Office – Dr. Rama Subbiah, the vibrant Principal of the renowned Mannar Thirumalai Naicker College (Autonomous), Madurai, who had come along with two of his Heads of the Departments. It felt so joyous to see Dr. Subbu Anna today.

I was so happy to learn about Ms. Lekhaa’s new assignment – a Bootcamp that she’s coordinating along with the MCC-MRF Innovation Park - a “Gamified Entrepreneurial Training Programme” that is led directly by actual “Startup Founders” rather than academic instructors in the last week of May 2026.

Then I had Ms. Catherin Sabu presenting me her first publication titled, Programmed Selves, which is now available on Amazon as well.

She also gave me a beautiful card from Mr. Ben, that he had personally handcrafted for me! Ben is one of my favourite students, and an efficient Quiz Master at Think Tank! Thank you dear Ben. You really made my day today.

Coming back,

I handed the copy of the book, Programmed Selves to Dr. Rama Subbiah, Principal, MTN College, Madurai.

Dr. Rama Subbiah, read through the book, and the title of the book intrigued him the most. When she explained in a nutshell the gist of the book, and the significance of its title, he felt so happy, that he immediately ordered for ten copies of the book for his College Library, and he also said that he’d invite her to give a lecture at his College sometime later this year. Congrats Catherin. We are so proud of you.

On that same vein, me thought of presenting a short review of her book here, for our readers.

Well, it is indeed a profound joy to see our student Catherin Sabu – who has just completed her five years of literature at MCC, authoring a very highly insightful book that foregrounds a highly relevant central premise: in today’s world, gender is no longer just socially conditioned by family and culture; it is algorithmically programmed by the screens that we hold in our hands – and this algorithmic conditioning in social media not only constructs but also subtly reinforces modern gender norms.

Catherin foregrounds Laura Mulvey’s “Male Gaze” and Stuart Hall’s representation theories in the context of Instagram filters, meme pages, and the exhausting pursuit of the “that girl” aesthetic that is widely disseminated on social media.

Moreover, the book also presents a highly empathetic perspective on masculinity to examine the emotional isolation of young men. It highlights how their vulnerabilities are commercialised into “masculine discrepancy stress” by an “Algorithmic Broligarchy”.

The book scores skyhigh in contrasting the quiet, habit-forming gender expectations of a traditional Malayali household (“Kalloor House”) with the liberating, nonchalant academic space she found at Madras Christian College.

Tweaking a bit on Mulvey’s concept of the gaze, Catherin highlights the Digital Gaze and how young women are forced to self-curate and filter their identities, not out of vanity, but as a defence mechanism against the constant surveillance of comment sections and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV).

On this note, it’s indeed quite heartwarming to note that, she positions literature and critical thought as our best remaining tools for unlearning these programmed binaries, allowing us to humanise others before we judge them.

In a world where we are constantly filtered, curated, and quantified through the Digital Gaze, Catherin’s book offers a beautiful rebellion - reminding us that humans are not data to be processed, but poetry to be understood!

Therein lies the success of her maiden publication! 

Of Minds, Machines, and Mentors: A Memorable PhD Viva Voce at PSGK Today ❤️

A Memorable PhD Defence

Today | @ PSG Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore

30th April 2026

This morning, after having my dawn cuppa coffee, I was having a stroll through the by-lanes of Coimbatore, and I was so delighted to see two eager-beaver newspaper readers reading the day’s newspaper without a tinge of distraction on them. Felt so happy on seeing the sight, that I thought I’d click a pic of this scene for posterity’s sake! 

By 10.15 am I was at PSG Krishnammal College for Women, and it felt so happy to be back at the reputed PSGK, - a vibrant Institution of repute, that has now climbed to the 9th Position in the latest All-India NIRF Rankings. Congratulations PSGK! 

Dr. Mathangi, the Research Supervisor, and Dr. Sushil Jess, the Head of the Department welcomed me warmly along with a host of their vibrant colleagues. We had a very rewarding discussion from 10.30 am to 11 am over coffee, - along with their committed team of faculty members - on how both our Institutions can collaborate on various avenues.

Then at 11 am, we headed to the Conference Hall, for the PhD Viva-Voce Exam of Ms. Aiswaria Samyuktha S.

On an aside, although it was summer vacation time, and hence a holiday today - to my pleasant surprise, I was so happy to see more than 70 participants turn up to witness the Viva-Voce exam of Ms. Aiswaria.

Ms. Aiswaria made an impressive defence of her thesis on “From Anthropos to Automaton: Exploring Human - Robot Relations in the Select Novels”.

Hearty congratulations to Dr. Aiswaria on her red-letter day today, and many congratulations to her Research Supervisor, who had soulful words of appreciation for her ward.

Ever since her first UG days in PSGK, she used to come to me regularly for guidance, and for literary interactions. I am so proud to note that she has got the JRF and SRF awarded for her PhD work. Added, she used to share a lot of her reading with me. I also gave her a disciplined routine for finishing her PhD in a time-bound manner, and she meticulously did her research work and completed it in the stipulated time frame. She has been presenting papers in Conferences all across India, and she used to regularly visit libraries for her course work,

she said with a teacher’s unique sense of satisfaction, that is really beyond description.

One heart-warming incident I wish to record here - 

Dr. Aiswaria in her Vote of Thanks, thanked her parents, her grandparents, all her professors, her lovely Krishnammal sisterhood, relatives, friends, well-wishers, etc. And after the Viva-Voce exam, I met with her overjoyed parents, and her father proudly introduced his Professor – Dr. Palaniappan, (who had graced the occasion along with his wife), who was his mentor and role model – and the verysame ‘grandparents’ that Ms. Aiswaria had thanked profusely in her Vote of Thanks.

For more than 50 years, with his simplicity and dedication, he has been an inspiration to many generations of students, and I am one among them, sir. That’s why I wanted him to be here for my daughter’s Viva-Voce to get his blessings, and my daughter cherishes him as her own grandfather, sir, 

he said with gratitude beaming on his face. Dr. Palaniappan responded gracefully, and we then had a rewarding discussion after lunch, on the ‘mind of the machine’, which Dr. Palaniappan felt, has a lot of potential for future research in the field. Felt so happy on seeing this great respect the grateful Student has been cherishing all these years, for his legendary past teachers. 

On an added note, as her External Examiner, I took time to congratulate the candidate for meticulously using the UK spelling in her thesis and in her presentation as well, something that has not received considerable attention amongst practitioners and guardians of language and literature today across academia. 

Secondly, in mapping posthuman thought, the candidate has drawn upon post-phenomenology, posthumanism, and psychology, to analyse how the emotional, ethical, and existential dimensions are embedded in these narratives. And in this regard, she has made use of Mark Coeckelbergh’s Linguistic Construction, Daniel Dennett’s Intentional Stance, and John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory that have provided a rigorous and solid foundation for examining the affective and sociocultural dimensions of human-robot interaction.

Congratulations Dr. Aiswaria on your successful defence today, and to her vibrant Research Supervisor Dr. Mathangi for being such a great inspiration on your ward.

A rewarding day, in every way!

And the Lovely Sight...

PS: You may want to read our past blogpost HERE on why we continue to stick to the UK way of spelling this long, in India.

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

Unboxing Berger’s "Ways of Seeing" ❤️

So who came first? Mulvey or Berger?

Ways of Seeing | John Berger

When the Cover is… Chapter 1 !!! 😊

A Cornerstone Book for Cultural Studies

It’s a fact, universally acknowledged, that a literary being in possession of a good collection of books, must be super-excited to gift it to a kindred spirit! 😊

And so it was, that, when Dr. Ganesh, my kindred spirit called me up this morning, (I was then in the Council Room along with our Principal, Deans and a host of other officials, facilitating the signing of two MoUs – one with USA and one with South Korea - an eventful MoU Signing it really was, today, since for the first time, in a long time, we had two MoUs with two International Universities happening on a single day - and more on that in a special post),

I impulsively rushed down to meet him, and after exchanging that memorable hug, - there he was, as ever, gifting me a lovely book – a lovelyyy gesture that I cherish a lot!

It’s titled, Ways of Seeing by John Berger.

Interestingly, just this morning, we were discussing “Ways of Seeing” and the “Politics of the Gaze” in my II MA English class and the III BA English class as well.

We are all of the opinion that it was Laura Mulvey who first popularised the term, ‘male gaze’. However, we are slightly mistaken here. It was indeed Berger who deserves the ‘pioneering’ credits. 😊

Berger identified the social behaviour of looking at women as objects in art history, in 1972. Later, in the year 1975, Mulvey gave that behaviour its academic name and analysed it within the context of film.

It was Berger who famously pointed out the difference between being “naked” and being “nude” –

“To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others… A nude has to be seen as an object in order to become a nude,” he observes.

He demonstrates how Western oil painting has historically positioned women as objects to be looked at by a male spectator! By this - his rock-the-boat remarks, he brought art criticism down to earth-level, insisting that art is a reflection of power, property, and class!

Again, just this afternoon, over lunch, when I saw a vibrant I MA student reading Orwell’s 1984, I asked him what he particularly liked about the book. He came up with some amazing responses. I was so happy to listen to his observations on the book. More so, just because of the fact that he carried a book with him, all the time, and spoke with such excitement about the book.

Felt so happy, and so I also exhorted him to read the ‘paratexts’ of the book – which refers to everything in a book that isn’t the main body of the text – it could be the cover, the font, the layout, and even the “blurb,” which conveys and transmits ‘significations’ in equal measure.

In that sense, in Berger’s Ways of Seeing the Paratext is revolutionary by all means!

That’s because it was designed in such a way to deconstruct or to ‘destruct’ the traditional authority of ‘the book’. 😊

Starting from the cover, you’ll be surprised to find that, the text of the first chapter actually begins on the front cover itself. OMG! 😊

Added, the book uses a heavy, sans-serif font, which feels quite thick or dense – in a way which we haven’t seen or read before! In short, the typesetting isn’t quite elegant on the eyes at least in this book!

Curiously enough, even the images do not find a separate section at the centre of the book. Rather, they seem to be forcibly dropped into the flow of the sentences, often interrupting our readability, and thereby forcing us to ‘look’ while we ‘read’.

In essence, Berger seems to say that, looking also is a form of reading. Or, a book doesn’t communicate to us through the verbal argument, alone! Everything in the ‘text’ then becomes a ‘text!’ 😊

Now, let’s just look at the front cover of the book –

The statement “Seeing comes before words” is both the first sentence of the book and perhaps his life motto as well! (Reminds us of J. Krishnamurti here] 😊

In fact, Berger has used Rene Magritte’s painting for the cover which heightens the poetics and the radicality of the paratext!

Magritte shows a horse labelled “the door,’" a clock labelled “the wind,” a pitcher labelled “the bird,” and a suitcase labelled “the valise”.

Berger uses these images to immediately destabilise our trust in language. It forces us to realise that the labels we put on things (words) are often arbitrary and can actually distract us from the reality of what we are seeing.

If we carefully look at the sentence right above the painting –

“The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled.”

This is indeed the “wow” moment of the cover, you see! Berger is so subtly telling us that even though the reader knows that it is a horse, the word “door” creates a friction. This friction is where critical thinking happens, and it’s exactly what he wants the ‘critical reader’ to apply to every painting and advertisement in the chapters to come. 😊

And lastly, if you observantly look at the very bottom of the cover, the sentence is cut off – “The way we see things is affected by what we...”

A real cliffhanger of a sentence. What does this mean?

Well, let’s continue our discussions on this aspect, tomorrow 😊

You may want to read more on Dr. Ganesh HERE on our past blogpost!