'Beyond the Written Word' @ Aluva! ❤️

International Conference @ St. Xavier’s College for Women, Aluva

& Introducing Ms Parvathy Salil, a Dashing Young Poet

A Report | 19 February 2024

The Super Fast I’d boarded the previous evening in Chennai, was cruising full throttle towards Aluva, albeit a tad bit late behind schedule!

However, quite early into the morning, by 5.45 am itself, Dr. Mini, HoD, had called me up to enquire about the arrival of the train at Aluva station.

Dr. Mini and her husband warmly received me at the station, first for a cup of coffee -😊 and then ushered me to their College Guest House, that made quite a delightful stay.  

Dr. Mini had also brought me tea in a little flask. I regally sipped the lovely home-made tea, which was so yummy as well!

Special home-made chai

I was then introduced to the Principal Prof. Dr. Milon Franz [by Dr. Mini, and Dr. Saumi], who is also from the Department of English. There I was introduced to Dr. Molly Joseph, Retd Professor of English, St. Xavier’s, who’s now into writing books.

As they say, real creative output for a professor of literature starts only after they retire, when they don’t have any academic commitments of any sort, hanging over their heads like a sword of Damocles! 😊

When NAAC & IQAC take a backseat, and data capture gets relegated to the margins, when academic commitments of endless hues come to a grinding cessation, that’s when real creativity starts working overtime! 

Dr. Molly Joseph

Dr. Molly is ample example to this lovely credo! Making creative use of her retired life, with the dictum, ‘The best is yet to come’!

Dr. Molly also gave me her card, and I promised to invite her over for a programme in MCC.

Then we all proceeded to the Conference venue.

I was so happy to be given the honour of giving the inaugural address, after the traditional lighting of the kuthuvillaku.

And this was followed by the key-note address by Ms. Parvathy Salil.

Well, to me Ms. Parvathy is a real revelation of sorts. She had us all in awe with her spontaneous outburst of literature! 

A bundle of talent personified, Parvathy’s got this vibrant joie de vivre in her very veins. So passionate about everything she does! Intertextuality is her forte, or should I say, she’s an incorrigible intertextualist of the highest order! 

For every reference she’s bang with an allusion, cross-reference or literary interpolation which nourishes, enriches and augments one’s perspective!

‘Parvathy, you’re such an inspiration to all the youngsters today’, I told her proudly – not once! Any many times!

Well, you just gotta Google ‘Parvathy Salil’ to get to know more about this dashing, vibrant young poet, of myriad hues, and you’re simply inspired beyond measure’.

I’ve pulled out some from Google, myself for us all.

That’s a short intro to Ms. Parvathy Salil for us all, dear readers.

Special congratulations to these two vibrant students - Dhara and Vishnupriya, who had come all the way from Christ University, Bengaluru, to present their insightful paper at St. Xavier's. It was a very fertile area for a very fruitful interaction that followed their presentation.

Was so joyous to meet a host of other friends, including an illustrious alumna of ours – Prof. Chaitanya, Prof. Sruthi among others.

Prof. Chaithanya presenting a highly impressive paper

Then followed the plenary sessions.

Felt so happy to deliver the first plenary of the day on the topic, Textuality 3.0. This was followed by a spirited time of questions and discussions.

With the dashing young poet Parvathy Salil

Paper presentation sessions followed. I was joyous to listen to our own MCC-ian and illustrious alumna Prof. Chaitanya [MCC: 2005 – 10] who’s doing so well as Professor with Mar Thoma College for Women, Perumbavoor.

I was equally touched by the hospitality extended to me by the College, particularly by Dr. Mini and Dr. Saumi. During my inaugural, in fact, I was looking out for Dr. Saumi, just to thank her. Such was the hospitality, and the meticulous way in which they had organized this International Conference.

Finally, was so surprised and intrigued to find a host of lovely books, including Essays in Cultural Studies at the Mathrubhumi Book Stall, Aluva Railway Station. 

To sum it up, 

A highly rewarding day in every way today!

Thank you Dr. Saumi ma’am and Dr. Mini ma’am! In fact, no words to thank you.

PS: You may want to listen to this blogger’s Plenary on Textuality 3.0 at this vibrant Conference, HERE on YouTube.

You may also want to listen to Ms. Parvathy Salil’s highly engaging talk on Texts, Cultures, and Ecological Dimensions HERE on YouTube.

Cordially Inviting you for the National Workshop @ Loyola College, Chennai ❤️

 

‘It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages’. ❤️

Cupid & Co., vs The Unsinkable Ship

Friendship or Love?

II MA English Class fights it out!

Debate Hour

So who won in the end? Read on… to find it out 😊

Sharan, their Class Rep tossed the coin! The Unsinkables won the toss, and elected to give the first knock.

Joanna launched their fiery attack on behalf of the Unsinkables!

Quoting from the Friends show, she said,

‘Boyfriends and Girlfriends are gonna come and go, but this is for Life,’ emphasizing the importance of friendship in a person’s life.

Sneha, launched the Cupid & Co., attack, saying, ‘That particular show itself is centered around Friendship, and hence the emphasis on friendship. I feel that, love is the basis of any friendship’.

Kevin, for Unsinkables, said – ‘If you cannot be friends with the person you love, then that relationship will never last’.

Benita, adding to Kevin’s views, said, ‘Friendship is unfettered and without boundaries, while love has lots of boundaries and restrictions!’.

Beera, for Cupid & Co., responded, saying, from womb to the tomb we receive various kinds of love, in every occasion of our life. Hence love is an essential part of our entire life, and it gets priority over friendship.

Tamil Mani, for Unsinkables, said, ‘Friends will accept every single part of you. But circumstances will affect love’.

Teresa for Cupid & Co, remarked, ‘It’s not right. You say that friends correct our mistakes, and accept all our mistakes and still they’re friends with us. But don’t you think our parents also accept all our mistakes.  

Joanna for Unsinkables, retorted, ‘Do parents really understand what we really want?

A love relationship has a lot of requirements and commitments. Even if you miss a call, you’re in soup. But in friendship, it’s the other way round. Even if you don’t talk to each other for months, still you strike the same warmth and the same bonds!

Beera for Cupid & Co., said, ‘In love there’s understanding. We normally don’t share everything with our friends, the way we do with our parents’.

Sneha for Unsinkables, said, ‘In friendship we have the freedom to share everything, but in love we can’t’.

Shruti for Cupid & Co., said, ‘Not every relationship is restricting. In love, you have a ‘sense of belonging’, which you don’t normally get in friendship.

Abhishek, rooting for love, supporting Cupid & Co., said, ‘Family is a unit made of love, and it’s our priority. Not friendship’.

Sneka, for Unsinkables, said – Love is a filtered relationship filled with lots of responsibilities. However, friendship is unfiltered relationship, which doesn’t force any responsibilities on you.

Kevin, adding ammo to Unsinkables, said, ‘If I’m hungry, and go to my friend’s house even at 12 midnight, his mom will cheerfully give me food, and care for me. That’s the power of friendship’.

Sneha, for Cupid & Co., said, ‘I don’t agree with Joanna. I confide everything with my parents. I don’t hide anything from them. To me, friendship is platonic love.

Diya, for Unsinkables, quoting Friedrich Nietzsche, said, ‘It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages’.

Joel, for Cupid & Co., said, ‘The topic for debate is highly subjective, and hence we cannot generalize based on specific instances. We can’t necessarily say that ‘love has boundaries’. By showing your love to your neighbour, you can break those boundaries.

Cos Love has no boundaries!

Sneha for Cupid & Co., added to say, ‘Why are there so many love songs, rom-coms, and why do people want to be in love? Why do they whine when they’re single? Of course, you have fun with friendship, but at the end of the day, to whom do you go home to? NOT to your friend, but to your family, who love you.

Love is a covenant for life.

Vinaya for Cupid & Co., said, ‘I just want to add to Sneha’s points. Back at home, I’ve seen my parents fighting their hardships and battles all by themselves, both of them together, without any help from friends. That doesn’t mean they don’t have friends. But together, in the bonds of love, they fight all their hardships together. So I feel that, in the later part of one’s life, it’s not friendship but love that matters the most! Friends may come and go like guests, but love lingers on forever!

Now Joanna launched the next missile for the Unsinkables, saying, ‘Now, why do you think there’s so much hype for love? Cos only when you don’t have something, it’s hyped. Movies idealise love, but behind every sad person, there’s a friend who supports you in your failure.

The whole world celebrates friendship, but Valentine’s Day is only for lovers, and it’s a convenient strategy to market their ‘love-related commodities’ and thereby improve their sales.

However, there’s no propaganda needed for friendship. For emergencies, friends are always there for us!

Diya, adding ammo for Unsinkables, said, ‘Cadburys came up with their Valentine’s Day special ad, which says, ‘‘how far will you go for love’. Yes! Love is limited edition. It ends in February itself. But friendship goes on and on!

Sneha for Cupid & Co., said, ‘Romantic Love is so strong. There’s a physical celebration of love as well. It’s so natural and it’s in our genes as well’.

Kevin, speaking for Unsinkables, said, ‘If so, why do so many divorces happen? That means the only focus in romantic love is to create children! Statistics say that 50% of marriages end up in divorce.

Snigdha for Unsinkables, added to say, ‘Once we are married, the feeling is new. Love is new. But soon it vanishes, as days go by. Only friendship lasts forever. She also quoted from Aldous Huxley's Essay "Sermons in Cats" to support her views.

Beera for Cupid & Co., said, ‘If the feeling vanishes after a particular point of time, then, that feeling is not love. You just thought it was love.

In the Animal Kingdom, among the wolves especially, even if a partner dies, the other may become depressed and stop eating.

Benita, for Unsinkables, said, quoting Shakespeare, ‘Desire dies, the moment it’s fully satisfied’.

Sneha gave a rhetorical tat, saying, ‘The same Shakespeare wrote 158 sonnets for LOVE, not for Friendship!’. She also cited an incident when a mother and child were almost buried under debris, and the mother risked her life to save her child.

Kevin for Unsinkables, responded saying, ‘It’s just about adrenalin rush. Not necessarily mother’s urge to protect her child. Anyone there would have done it!’.

Hari for Cupid & Co., said – We are made of love, and created in such a way that, after a particular age, we bond with a person, for the simple reason that the human race should continue to thrive and exist!

Harini, for Cupid & Co., said, ‘It’s not about getting a person. It’s about partnering with a person. In love, it’s not about possession. It’s about partnering with another person, and treating them as equal!

Moderator’s Remarks: Well, the debate went on and on, but for paucity of time, the moderator had to cut it short for the day. Students were at their creative best, sharing healthy vibes even while giving rejoinders to their counterparts from the opposing side!

To sum it up –

A gentle tit for a rhetorical tat!

That’s the Friendship vs Love debate for us, at the QSC Building today, dear Ladies and Gentlemen!

The 'Early to Class' & 'English for Life' Challenge ❤️

THE ETC Elite Club ❤️

II MA English | The Day Today 

12th February 2024

Students of the II MA English class had resolved last week itself, to come early to their class today.

I was surprised to find almost 20 students seated in their class, well before 8.30 am.

Felt so happy and proud of them all. I wish to acknowledge them here as well.

Beera Rajan

Brindha A R

Dhanavaishnavi M

Jelshiya R

Joanna Obed

Lalitha J

Shruthi Christian

Shruthi R

Sneha Dominic

Sneka M

Snigdha Roshini R

Tirshatha K

Vivilia D

Yasindhra R S

Yovanna Merlin S

Joel George Skariah

Kevin Michael Woods

Saru Krishna R

Sharan Srinivasan SR

Here's welcoming you all to the elite ETC Club! Keep it up, dear class!

At 11.45 am, Lalitha, Jaysudha and Joanna kept their appointment with me. 

Soon, by 1 pm, [thanks to Dr. Sebulon], we had five students from the I BA Tamil Literature Class who accepted to be part of the great challenge.

This unique, one-of-its-kind challenge is a Project done under the Principal Investigator Ms. Jaysudha, with co-investigators Ms. Lalitha and Ms. Joanna. 

They have also launched a very lovely and impressive poster as part of their Project. Feel so happy and proud to share it with us all.

The students were gracefully handed over to the Project PIs, in the SRO. Promptly, the students introduced themselves to the PIs and they even formed a group.

Here’s wishing them all success in their vibrant endeavour.

Special best wishes to the vibrant team of Jaysudha, Lalitha and Joanna, for having come forward to take up this challenging project.

We wish them the best!

In the Department front,

Yesterday, Dr. Mekala had posted in the group about today’s Pre-Board and also exhorted us to come to College dressed in red or in blue for a photo session. 😊

This sweet snap is the result!

DoE Rocks! As Alwaysss!!! 😊

"Here’s a beauty. Always been one of my favourites!" ❤️

How often does the queen visit the storage?

Never!

The Royal Treatment | Movie Takeaway

7th February 2024

Well, I guess some of you [who like rom-coms] would have sure watched The Royal Treatment on OTT recently. 😊

The movie is about Isabella, (Izzy) the female lead - a free-spirited young girl, who enjoys following the dictates of her heart,

and

Prince Thomas, the male lead, who on the other hand, though a ‘prince’, doesn’t have control over his life! 

He simply follows the will and wish of his parents all through his life, and even commits to marrying the daughter of a business tycoon, more out of a sense of duty, than out of love.

When sparks fly between Izzy and Thomas, what happens next, forms the rest of this merry rom-com!

Well, this post is inspired by one particular scene that I quite loved in the movie. 

It’s about how we end up stacking most of our unused things including our books, utensils, clothes, etc., for ages and ages in the storage vaults in our homes, and wouldn’t wish to part with them for the rest of our lives.

In this scene, Isabella is busy raising unused goods to donate for charity. For this, she collects unused collectibles from all and sundry in her neighbourhood.

Prince Thomas, observes Izzy’s love for charity, and he is also excited about this idea. 

They both go to the Queen’s storage chamber to inspect the vast reserves of precious things including furniture, rusting in the storage area.

One of the store-keepers, by name Francis, is surprised when the Prince pays a visit to the storage. It was like a bolt from the blue for him.

The Prince inspects the huge inventory of collectibles in the storage. 

The royal store-keeper, pointing to a royal chair, says –

Here’s a beauty. Always been one of my favourites!

Why isn’t it in the castle?, asks a curious Izzy (Isabella)

Anything she doesn’t fancy ends up in the storage, replies Francis.

Can’t the staff use the furniture in their houses? asks Izzy.

Against policy I’m afraid!

Absurd! Let’s load them all in the truck, says the Prince.

Respectfully Your Highness, they’re not allowed to leave the storage.

Francis, how often does the queen visit the storage? asks the Prince.

Never.

Well, then she’ll never know.

And then Francis, happily obliges the Prince, and helps in shifting the furniture into the truck to donate for charity.

Well, this scene really set me thinking! 

How many times we ourselves do this in our lives, ain’t we? 

Piling up clothes, utensils, jewellery, gift items, books, etc, and stacking them all in the unused attic in our homes, for years and years until they become completely useless to the core!

How often does the queen visit the storage? Never?

I remember this movie titled, 3-Iron by the famous South Korean film director Kim Ki Duk, which explores on the theme of unused goods, lying in waste at homes.

The protagonist of the movie is a wanderer who doesn’t speak a word throughout the movie. His only possession in the world is a bike, by means of which he travels from house to house, on the lookout for locked houses.

He then breaks into such uninhabited houses, and makes himself at home there albeit for a brief period of time.

While there, he simply enjoys the luxury of the place. 

This wanderer is by no means a thief.

So his intention is not to steal anything. While there, he scans through a whole list of unused books, unused CDs, utensils, etc.

He then proceeds to read the books, wash the utensils, which have accumulated dust over the days, and plays the CDs in the CD player, since they’ve not been used for ages.

Through this particular scene, I guess, the director gives his viewers a subtle message as a takeaway.

If you don’t use anything for long, even if it’s a talent or a gift, it loses its purpose and value. A gift loses its property when it is not shared, says Lewis Hyde, in his book titled, The Gift.

Each of us is endowed and blessed with a plethora of mesmerizingly beautiful gifts and talents.

When I share a gift with my friend, and my friend in turn shares it with his friend, who in turn shares it with her friend, the gift thus shared has a transformative, therapeutic appeal to it, whose measure is beyond compare, enriching and enlightening both the receiver and the sender in the process!

Thus, an artist takes his inspiration from the world, transforms it through his art, which in turn, transforms the world, and all that therein is!

When you are blessed with a gift, share it with the world.

A gift must always be shared! Because the gift is a ‘property’ that perishes!

A gift loses its property if its not shared.

If you have the gift of writing, share it!

If you have the gift of speaking, share it!

If you have the gift of drawing, share it!

If you have the gift of inspiring others, share it!

If you have the gift of making lovely videos, share it!

If you have the gift of writing poetry, share it!

Do not worry about the fruits to your labour.

One of the beautiful precepts in the Bhagawad Gita states that –

‘Do your duty, do not expect the results’.

Yes! Likes, or Subscribers or Views or Comments should not be a bother to you anytime!

If you overthink, and bother excessively about the ‘Likes’, and the ‘Views’, for your creativity, that means - you are disregarding your precious duty or disrespecting your sacred duty, your gifts and your value!

That’s also because you are not focused on the duty, but only on the reward!

You are given your gifts to share them with the world, without worrying about the results.

Let’s today take a resolve to use our gifts, our talents and our abilities in the service of others.

How often does the queen visit the storage?

Now, the question to you, we and me –

How often do we visit the storage? (the reservoir of talents, gifts and abilities we are endowed with?)

Never or Everrr!? 😊