Invitation for Seminar on Opportunities for Higher Education in France ❤️

24th September 2025

Dear All,

Sub: Invitation for Seminar on Opportunities for Higher Education in France, tomorrow, Wednesday, 25 Sept 2025 at 9.30 am – Reg.

Ms. Shruthi Miriam Joseph, Manager, Campus France (Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry), will be giving an Orientation followed by a Q & A Session on Higher Education Opportunities in France, at 9.30 am, Thursday, 25th September 2025 in the Chemistry Seminar Hall, MCC.

Since the seating capacity of the Hall is 80, kindly be seated in the Chemistry Seminar Hall by 9.25 am.

Campus France is the official French government agency responsible for promoting French higher education abroad and welcoming international students and researchers to France.

Kindly forward this information to students who are interested in pursuing their Higher Studies in France.

Office of International Programmes

MCC

"In the golden age of Asia, Korea was one of its lamp bearers, And that lamp is waiting to be lighted once again!" ❤️

Korean Foundation Day Celebrations

22nd September 2025 | 6.45 pm

The Leela Palace, Chennai

This evening at 6.45, our Principal Dr. Paul Wilson and myself – we were part of the Korea Foundation Day Celebrations at The Leela Palace, Chennai.

A host of other dignitaries including Mr. Venu Srinivasan, the Chairman Emeritus of TVS Motor Company, Mr. Kalanidhi Veerasamy, Member of Parliament, Senior IAS officers, Ms. Mallika Srinivasan, the Prince of Arcot, among others, were part of the celebrations.

The Korean Consul General welcomed the gathering. This was followed by the playing of the National Anthem of both the countries.

Speaking on the occasion, the Korean Consul General Mr. Chang-nyun Kim said –

It’s been two years since I arrived in India, and I’ve been able to see the way in which both our nations – India and South Korea – two of the world’s leading markets - are expanding on our bilateral ties as strategic partners for mutual prosperity. Be it our collaborations in semi-conductors, batteries, or body building, we have been able to progress together with great success.

In June 2025, at the G7 summit held in Kananaskis, Canada, the President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Jae-myung, and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, held a bilateral meeting. It was President Lee Jae-myung’s first foreign trip after assuming office. The two leaders discussed a range of issues aimed at strengthening the “Special Strategic Partnership” between our two countries.

Areas of cooperation included - Trade and Commerce, Technology, Energy, Shipbuilding, Defence, People-to-people exchanges, etc.

During the meeting, the Indian Prime Minister Modi also reiterated his invitation for President Lee to visit India. In deference to the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister, the Korean President is expected to visit India early next year.

The legendary story of Princess Suriratna of Ayuta, also known as Queen Heo Hwang-ok, is chronicled in the 13th-century Korean historical text, Samguk Yusa.

In 48 CE, Princess Suriratna, who was 16 years old, embarked on a sea journey with her entourage. Upon her arrival in Gaya, King Suro was waiting for her, as he had also been divinely informed of her coming. He married the princess and gave her the new name Queen Heo Hwang-ok.

The royal couple had ten sons. The legend states that Queen Heo requested King Suro to allow two of their sons to bear her maiden surname, Heo. The descendants of Queen Heo and King Suro form a significant portion of the Korean population, with almost seven million of Koreans tracing their lineage back to them.

Today, interestingly, we see a new wave of connection between South Korea and India – through K Drama, K pop, K Culture, K Language, etc. For this I am truly thankful,

he signed off.

Mr. Venu Srinivasan, of TVS Motors, then said that –

Both of us – India and Korea have gone through the colonial rule. Korea is a great country of inspiration. The reason is, Korea was once a very poor, feudal nation with agricultural economy, unlike other industrially advanced countries.

However, from the 1960s, they built the highest levels of technology.

In 1929, Rabindranath Tagore wrote a famous poem where he observes that, Korea will rise to be the ‘Lamp of the East’.

In the golden age of Asia,

Korea was one of its lamp bearers,

And that lamp is waiting

To be lighted once again

For the illumination of the East.

In fact, this poem was a message of hope to Koreans suffering under Japanese rule, foretelling Korea’s future resurgence and illumination of the East. The poem is a revered text in South Korea, where it is included in school textbooks and celebrated for linking Korea's historical legacy to its future as a prominent nation,

he said.

This was followed by a fusion music. As a prelude to the musical performance, the MC had this to say -

In ancient Korea, people placed their wishes in songs – prayers for a bountiful harvest, melodies of love and strength to endure challenges.

Manpasikjeok became the music of life, a resonance that united hearts as one.

It is a legendary flute from the Silla period of Korean history. The name literally translates to “Flute That Soothes Ten Thousand Troubles.”

According to the legend, it was a divine instrument that could solve all of the nation’s problems, from dispelling enemies to bringing rain during a drought. While the original flute doesn't exist today, the legend is a significant part of Korean mythology and is referenced in various forms of art and literature.

This was followed by a divine musical rendition on the Manpasikjeok, with a host of accompanying instruments by Korean musicians, enthralling the audience.

Our Principal Dr. Paul Wilson along with the Korean Consul General

A Memorable Day in Every Way | Seminar @ Anna Adarsh College for Women, Chennai❤️

Seminar at Anna Adarsh College for Women, Anna Nagar, Chennai

A Report

22nd September 2025

#lovelymemories #rewardingday #AnnaAdarsh

I was so happy when Dr. Aparna Suresh, my very good friend, and an accomplished poet, invited me to give a Talk in the Seminar hosted by their Department. I gladly accepted the Invite. 

The Head of the Department, Dr. Soupraja also called me up soon after, extending a cordial invite to me. Last evening, the Vice Principal Dr. Meena Kumari had also called me up for courtesy, just to say a ‘hi’ and formally invite me.

I was touched by the courtesy, the cordiality and the camaraderie shown by the Department of English. It was so nice of them to call me up personally to invite me.

And this morning, - the red-letter day - sharp at 9.15 am, as promised, I was at Anna Adarsh College for Women.

The sprawling streets that lead to Anna Adarsh College are so elegantly adorned on either side with such sylvan avenue trees, that give the Anna Nagar streets their unique aura.

In fact, on an aside, Anna Nagar is one among the posh and elegant localities in the whole of Chennai, with well-maintained parks, huge streets, high-end houses, and neatly designed sidewalks.

It was such a joyous festive spirit in the Department. The entrance to the Seminar Venue was so beautifully decorated in pink. The organising team was also gracefully attired in pink.

Added, the entire vicinity was adorned with such beautiful decorations, balloons, rangoli and the ceremonial decorative trays at the Reception Desk.

What arrested our attention and struck us all bigtime was the beautiful rangoli, at the entrance to the Seminar Hall. It was so beautifully done, that we all stopped to take a few pictures with the rangoli.

After the ceremonial lighting of the kuthuvilakku, and the inaugural ceremony, we were all entertained with a lovely Mime performance by the students of III BA English Literature.

After the Mime, we had my Talk on the topic, Textual Praxis: Gender, Justice and Resistance in Literature.

I spoke on the importance of Textual Praxis and its importance to literary studies, giving the students a simple formula on Textual Praxis, with gleanings drawn from Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Paulo Freire etc, as follows –

Praxis = Reflection + Action + Transformation

Dr. Meena Kumari, the Vice Principal, a long-time friend and a wonderful human being, gave the Conference prologue. The HoD Dr. Soupraja then gave a very insightful introduction to the theme of the Seminar, following which Dr. Aparna introduced the Speaker of the Day. I felt so happy when Dr. Aparna said a few lovely words about our academic blog – a space for deep living!

Extremely happy to note that, my talk was followed by a lot of insightful questions from students. We had almost six questions in quick succession. Bespeaks to how well the students had keenly followed my Talk.

After the Talk, we had a theatrical performance on ‘Bayen’ by Mahaswetha Devi, a powerful play about Chandidasi, a woman from the Dom (cremation attendant) community who is wrongly accused of witchcraft, or “Bayen”. The play explores themes of social exclusion, gender inequality, and the oppression of marginalized women in a patriarchal society.

It was a mind-blowing performance that the students had aced with such passionate acting.

So happy to note that Dr. Aparna had directed the Mime and the Play. So proud of you Dr. Aparna.

After the Q & A, we had the Certificate and the Prize distribution ceremony.

Hearty congratulations to the organisers on hosting such a memorable and rewarding Seminar. 

A memorable day in every way!

"Science fiction to Critique Society" | "Horror to examine the fears, anxieties, and moral struggles of the individual within that society" ❤️

Stephen King, The King of Horror

and

H. G. Wells, one of the Fathers of Modern Science Fiction

#onhisbirthdaytoday

21st September

[Cosmic pessimism, Vehicle for Social Commentary, The Most Terrifying Monsters, Bestselling Bestseller, the Stephen King Phenomenon, King’s Constant Reader, King’s Imagination]

Two literary giants – doyens in their own right – in their chosen field - have their birthdays today!

To H. G. Wells considered one of the “fathers of modern science fiction,” the use of futuristic and scientific concepts in his novels, are not just for entertainment but a vehicle for social commentary. For example, in The Time Machine, the Eloi and Morlocks represent a grim future of class division taken to a terrifying extreme.

Same with Stephen King, who is often called the “King of Horror!”

His work is far more than just scary stories. His work often suggests that the most terrifying monsters aren’t from another world but are the ones that lurk inside people, like the abusive father in The Shining or the obsessive fan in Misery.

As he notes in his autobiography, Wells was variously called the next Jonathan Swift, the next Jules Verne, the next Robert Louis Stevenson, the next Rudyard Kipling, the next J. M. Barrie, and so on.

Prior to World War I, such works as A Modern Utopia (1905) and The New Machiavelli (1911) established Wells as a leading proponent of socialism, world government, and free thought.

His critical and popular reputation rests primarily on his early works of science fiction. Wells’s science fiction was profoundly influenced by his adaptation of Huxley’s philosophical interpretation of Darwinian evolutionary theory, contending that the course of life on earth, like that of any organism, follows a pattern of quickening, maturation, and decadence. Writing at a time when the notion was seriously advanced that ‘‘everything had been discovered’’ - that only refinements of existing scientific and technological advances remained to be made - Huxley’s ‘‘cosmic pessimism’’ was deeply disturbing, implying that humankind faced inevitable decline.

Wells adopted this chilling notion in the stories and novels that he wrote in the 1890s, such as The Time Machine (1895), When the Sleeper Wakes (1899), and The First Men in the Moon (1901).

As regards Stephen King, I wish to quote from a profound book on his oeuvre, that I found quite awesome! It’s titled, Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism. 

Here goes snippets -

During his literary career, Stephen King has published four dozen novels, about a dozen novellas, and over a hundred short stories. He has also written two nonfiction books, a number of screenplays and e-books, even a comic book. Stephen J. Spignesi maintains that the total body of King’s fiction includes an astonishing 550 individual works.

Michael R. Collings, who has reviewed national bookseller lists and drawn the conclusion that King can be referred to as “a bestselling bestseller” or simply “the Stephen King phenomenon”.

But what makes him such a popular author? Ben P. lndick states that it is the combination of fear and realism in King’s fiction.

Literary characters and people in real life seem to have in common a cognitive model of the nature of human beings. Since both fictional characters and real people are cognitively understood in a person’s consciousness, they are understood in much the same terms. They are not identical, however.

Similarly, King lays great emphasis on his characters and openly admits that he induces fear in his readers by making them love the characters. In horror fiction, King claims, readers are not frightened by monsters; rather their fear is an expression of empathy with the main characters.

When identifying with the characters, the reader fears for them, feels sympathy, and takes a stand - that is, actively participates in the development of King’s stories. Presumably King’s popularity can partly be explained through his Gothic, mythical, fairy-tale, and naturalistic characters.

Finally, let me introduce King’s Constant Reader, the permanent resident of his multiverse. In King’s vocabulary the Constant Reader is anyone who reads his fiction on a regular basis. I would not go as far as Wiater, Golden, and Wagner to define the reader as a character of King’s imagination.

In King’s world imagination and laughter are the most powerful weapons against any evil. In short, the reader and his imagination act in close interaction with the writer and his imagination in King’s works-a crucial reason for the author’s popularity. In addition to effective genre blending and memorable characters, this reader-writer interaction constitutes the bedrock of King's appeal.

The central aspects of Stephen King’s fiction and his choice of genre can be analyzed in the context of both American society and the course of his personal life. Four factors have contributed to his worldview of the United States: Puritanism, the Gothic mode, “the Emersonian drive,” and naturalism,

says Heidi Strengell*

To conclude then on Wells & King –

While Wells used science fiction to critique society from a broad, intellectual perspective, King uses horror to examine the fears, anxieties, and moral struggles of the individual within that society.

Works Referenced

Heidi Strengell. Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism (2005). This work is based on her doctoral dissertation in English philology.

Gale’s Encyclopedia & Brittanica

Today's Special Spottings at Vayalur 💚

Birding @ Vayalur Today 💚

The Lesser Whistling Ducks

The Purple Moorhen

The Lesser Whistling Ducks

The Lesser Whistling Ducks

The White-throated Kingfisher

The Pond Heron

The Indian Spot-billed Duck

The Common Moorhen

The Little Egret

The Purple Moorhen

The White-breasted Waterhen

The Indian Peafowl

The Rose-ringed Parakeets

The Rose-Ringed Parakeets

The Indian Golden Oriole - Male & Female

The Indian Golden Oriole - Male

The Lesser Flameback

The Red-wattled Lapwing

The Grey Francolin

The Common Hoopoe

The Pied Kingfisher

The Rufous Treepie

The Purple-rumped Sunbird - Female

The Purple-rumped Sunbird - Female

The Common Hoopoe

The House Sparrow

The House Sparrow

The House Sparrow

The Bushlark

The Purple-rumped Sunbird - Male

The Asian Green Bee-eater with its prey!

The Grey Francolin

The Little Grebe

The Garden Lizard

The Indian Roller

The Baya Weaver

The Baya Weaver

The Baya Weaver

"In Martin’s World, Heroes can Die Without Warning! Heroism doesn’t Guarantee Survival"❤️

Meet George R. R. Martin

The American John R. R. Tolkien or the American Tolkien!

#onhisbirthdaytoday

20th September

[The World of Westeros, The Game of Thrones, Gritty Realism, Eucatastrophe, Moral Ambiguity, American Tolkien, Anti-Tolkien]

George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, has highly influenced and redefined the fantasy genre – with a narrative structure that subverts traditional fantasy tropes.

His characters are morally ambiguous. They are flawed, make questionable decisions, and their motivations are often a mix of noble and selfish desires.

And unlike J. R. R. Tolkien, he subverts and de-emphasizes magic and fantastical creatures in favour of political intrigue, character development, and realistic consequences. Hence, in his world, heroism doesn’t guarantee survival, and good deeds often have terrible, unforeseen outcomes. He creates a world where the “hero’s journey” is not a given and anyone, even a central character, can be killed, adding a sense of genuine danger and suspense.

His meticulous and detailed world-building, with a myriad setting, a deep history with complex cultures, religions, and social structures - the world of Westeros feels alive, with its own rich lore, ancient conflicts, and a sense of history!

This solidity of specification, and attention to detail, from the food characters eat to the specific dialects they use, makes the world feel incredibly believable and lived-in.

Well, similarities galore between both George R. R. Martin and J. R. R. Tolkien!

Both authors are credited with defining and revitalizing epic fantasy in their respective eras. While Tolkien is considered the undisputed “father of modern fantasy,” whose work created the blueprint for the genre, Martin is seen as the one who broke that mould, pushing fantasy into a new, grittier realism.

Both authors are known for creating vast, detailed, and intricate fantasy worlds with deep histories, complex political systems, and a large cast of characters.

Both The Lord of the Rings and A Song of Ice and Fire became massive cultural phenomena, first through their books and then through highly successful film and television adaptations that brought fantasy to a global audience.

At the same time differences far outsmart the similarities!

Tolkien’s work is often seen as a fundamentally moral and mythological in its scope. It’s a clear-cut struggle between good and evil, with a sense of hope and “eucatastrophe” (a sudden, joyous turn of events).

In contrast, Martin’s work is cynical, realistic, and morally gray.

In Tolkien’s world, the lines are clearly drawn between noble heroes and incorrigible villains. However, in Martin’s world, heroes can die without warning, and even the most seemingly evil characters are given humanizing backstories and motivations, making the moral landscape ambiguous.

Interestingly, Game of Thrones – the hugely successful fantasy television series on HBO, is an adaptation of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. The show premiered in 2011 and ran for eight seasons, becoming a global cultural phenomenon.

To conclude, then, it would be quite apt to call him as an “Anti-Tolkien,” rather than an “American Tolkien”, 😊 for his ability and his prowess in deliberately deconstructing the tropes established by Tolkien. 

Sources: Gale’s Encyclopedia / Britannica