Rasipuram Reflections - I

The name Rasipuram immediately brings to mind the legendary Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan (R.K.Narayan) and his memorable oeuvre. Yes, how can one ever forget the young and mischievous Swami, and his ‘mighty good-for-nothing’ friends who have been our childhood reads for years and years!

Ambassadors - they still rule the roost in Rasipuram...

Well, it was for the first time I stepped on the soil where R K Narayan was born – Rasipuram! Lucky that I was able to take a direct train from Chennai to Rasipuram, and only after I alighted in Rasipuram, I was told by my ushering friends here that the new broad gauge line was opened for traffic only in May 2013. Well, the train was indeed overflowing with passengers, which was greatly suggestive of the massive surge in demand for this route! Kudos to this largesse of the Southern Railways!

After my programme at Paavai Engineering College was over for the day, had an equally refreshing rendezvous with faculty friends here who gave me tips on the various tourist locations in and around Rasipuram.

 ‘What is Rasipuram famous for?’ I asked one of the faculty friends, rather unduly curious!

‘GHEE’ came voices in varying vocal ranges – [SATB? ;-) ] exemplifying the local pride in all its magnificence, in their happy voices!

Such is the name Rasipuram has earned for herself over the ages for her ghee and butter. Then I asked him for shops where I can get good ghee, and he directed me to one famous Veerappa Chettiar Shop down the busy market street, where he said, you should ask them to give you the ‘first quality ghee’!

Okay! I nodded, and prodded him again, ‘What else is the town famous for?’

Monkey and the Mobile

Perch Theatre with the support of Alliance Française of Madras, India Foundation for the Arts, The Heterotopian Design Group (A division of Human Factors International Inc.),

Sundaram Finance Group & Z Enviro Industries

presents

MONKEY AND THE MOBILE

a play by Perch Theatre

October 31st – 7 pm

November 1st – 3 pm & 7 pm

at Edouard Michelin Auditorium

24, College Road (Opp Good Shepherd School)

Nungambakkam, Chennai

Duration – 75 minutes

Language – English, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi

Free passes available on eventjini.com

 *****

Synopsis –‘Monkey and the Mobile’ uses the mobile phone and technology as a theme and explores their impact on our lives through stories – some real, some imagined.

Personally with my I MA Students...

Dear Students of I MA English,

I am so happy and delighted to have read all your book reviews that you’ve submitted to me via email. I’ve posted them all on the MA weblog separately. Can’t wait to give you all my comments and feedback for each and every review of yours. However, due to lack of time, I am not able to write to you all personally. In case you need an elaboration/analysis on your style, your manner of articulation, your presentation, etc., feel free to drop in a line via e-mail, to rufusonline@gmail.com and I shall reply in right earnest.

Moreover, now that you’ve become an expert on one good & precious book, go ahead and start reading your next one rightaway!

In case, you want to do a revision of your book review that has already been posted, please do submit a revised review of the same, so that I shall upload the revised one on our blog. But do it before the semester reopens!

Next semester you’ve got to read two good books and give me your wonderful impressions aka personal reviews on the same. So sift through landmark / starmark / higginbothams / bcl / Anna centenary / Connemara etc during the weekends or during the holidays and grab your pick at the earliest possible.

I am uploading your model QPs too at the earliest possible. By the way, i've uploaded all your reviews without editing, on 'as-is-where-is' condition :-)

Here's wishing you all great success in your maiden tryst with exams @ MCC! Go ahead! Conquer! Shine!

God bless.

Best and regards,

Rufus

Dr. Seshasayee on Linguistics

Dr. Seshasayee was in his elements throughout his phenomenal elucidation on the nuances of linguistics for our I MA Students. Linguistics is, for many the achilles heel, and for some, the very mention of the term sends alarm bells ringing, especially if you've gotta write half of your Question Paper devoted to this 'back to the wall' subject. Of course, help wasn't far behind!

Guest Lecture by an Eminent Linguist

In fact, the moment I contacted Prof. Dinesh (a vibrant alumnus of ours) to get Dr. Sesha's number, he promptly obliged, and very soon I got in touch with our good ol' friend Dr. Seshasayee. The moment I asked him for his help in this 'hour of crisis', he immediately obliged, and also gave me a long mail detailing at length about the specifics that he would deal with, the strategies he will use in broaching issues, and added that, although he was excited to come over to MCC, at the same time he was also slightly nervous, as he 'had lost touch with his subject ever since his retirement, a couple of years back'!, he said.

But...! his lectures on both the eventful days proved otherwise! Phenomenal by all means, to say the least! Well, Initially Dr. Sesha told us that he would give a two-hour lecture on both the days (26, 27 Oct). But the very first day he helped our students to break the back of the beast, albeit with alacrity and ease, and in no time the students were as keen as mustards listening to the wizard in rapt attention. Mid-way through his lecture, I strategically pit stopped him, (concerned about his health), and asked him to wind up for the day if he found the going tough. But Dr. Sesha, by all means, is made of sterner stuff. In fact, it was only after the midway break, when we had tea with him, that he put the pedal to the metal and there was no stopping this legend after that.

On Day 2, Dr. Sesha talked the students into the nuances of Morphology and Syntax. At the end of the day, the students were, - bright-eyed and bushy-tailed - raring to go - and heaved a great sigh of relief at having got a wonderful elucidation on an otherwise 'ball and chain' subject! We're glad that the lectures have had a great and salutary effect on their LQ, going by the very vibrant feedback we've got at day's end!

In short, 

Thank you Sesha Sir. You made our day! [both days inclusive] ;-)

Dear Students of I MA English, 
As I had promised you today, I'm uploading your earnest and vibrant book reviews HERE. 
Regards and all best wishes, 
Rufus

MIDS Monthly Lecture Series

Serampore Musings

When Dr. Thomas asked me if we could make it to one of the oldest Arts & Science Institutions in India, at Kolkata, for a Conference on ‘Multiple Shakespeares’, I was thrilled to bits, and gave a big ‘YES’ rightaway! Well, Thomas Sir was talking about Serampore College, Hooghly, Kolkata, which was founded by William Carey, Marshman and William Ward, way way back in 1818.

My great fascination for all things Bengal was the second impulse which spurred me on to go ahead!

The Scenic River Hooghly viewed from Serampore College

Indeed, it had taken us a month’s patient planning to chart out our itinerary for the course of the week.

Now, over to Didi's land: 

The moment we alighted in Calcutta, at Dum Dum Airport, I promptly (and instinctively!?) turned on my ola app to browse for cars in the vicinity and happily ‘confirmed’ one. Mr.* will pick you up in 17 minutes from now, said ola! We waited and waited! More than 25 minutes flitted us by with no signs of the promised ‘ola’. 

In the meantime, with a sense of curiosity writ large on our visage, we wanted to take a look around the precincts of Dum Dum, and our eyes rested on a pre-paid taxi service run and managed by the Calcutta Traffic Police, where passengers were queuing in. We rightaway booked a prepaid cum regulated taxi with them, (cancelling the belated ola, which must have been tottering in on of the byways of yet another corner of Bally, by then, we presume!) and in no time we were blissfully striding along the alleys and byways and highways of Calcutta in an old 1999 model (I guess) amby (ambassador). Thank God the brakes were still at work! The driver was at his rashy wishy washy best and we had to slow him down periodically, enticing him with a cuppa tea, that made his tattered Amby come to a rugged and screeching halt in one of the immediate tea jaunts that adorned the NH. Yet, our driver was a pleasant fellow, and the first thing he asked us on our stopover was, ‘saab, do you know Bengali?’ “mujhe nahi maloom!” we replied, and he was glad to offer his own bengalish hindi-ized commentary on life and society in Bengal and in New Delhi!!! which spanned a huge realm from local ‘Mamata didi’ to ‘Modi ji’ to the local body elections that had recently concluded! Our 22 km-long adventurous journey in this amby was interrupted only by this brief stopover for a cuppa chai (and guess what, for a mere Rs.5 in 2015!!!) He was well-read, going by his panoramic sweep of current affairs! Way to go bhaiya!