Meet the Gentle Giant 💚

Not a Giant Mosquito! Meeting the Harmless Crane Fly!

#intothewildwithrufus #birding

I spotted this lovely Crane Fly today right inside the room in which I was housed.

The Crane Fly is known for its unique white-tipped legs. Also, unlike their little sisters – the mosquitoes – these ‘giant mosquitoes’ are completely harmless and they do not bite or sting as well!

One striking feature of this Crane Fly is that, adult crane flies have a fleeting lifespan of just 10 to 15 days, which is dedicated entirely to reproduction. Almost similar to the beautiful moon moth we’d discussed last week in our blog, many of the crane fly species have drastically reduced mouthparts and do not feed at all during their adult stage, relying strictly on the energy reserves they built up as larvae.

Crane flies are not endemic to India. They are a globally distributed superfamily comprising over 15,000 recognised species. While India is home to a rich diversity of roughly 1,475 documented species.

Although they are rare to be found in the city and other urban areas, they are incredibly common in rich, forested environments with a high degree of moisture.

A Memorable Academic Transition | PhD Viva Voce ❤️

Literary Cartography | Mapping the Scars of History

A Memorable PhD Viva Voce | PSGK College for Women, Coimbatore

A Report

30th September 2026

Felt so happy to be the External Examiner for the PhD Viva-Voce Examination of Dr. Poornamathi Meenakshi’s second candidate Ms. Vasumathi S, today at 9 am in the Chandra Seminar Hall.

The candidate, Ms. Vasumathi S, presented a well-researched thesis, titled, Literary Cartographies of Memory: A Study of Rupture, Remembrance, and Reclamation in the Select Partition Novels. Her research promises a powerful exploration of how we map collective memory against the devastating geographical and emotional fractures of the Partition. By framing memory as a “cartography,” the work highlights how literature helps us chart, navigate, and ultimately reclaim identities torn apart by historical rupture.

There were a lot of insightful questions for the candidate as well, after which I read out the observations and the questions of the External Examiners.

Excerpts –

The candidate has analysed six distinct novels to understand how historical trauma is remembered, contested, and transmitted across generations, thereby treating literature as an alternative historical archive.

One noteworthy aspect of the thesis is that, it has a very effective theoretical foundation. The researcher has effectively made use of frameworks like Dr. Avishek Parui’s concepts of “Matter, Metaphor, and Memory,” Pierre Nora’s “Sites of Memory,” and Marianne Hirsch’s “Postmemory” to deeply anchor the literary analysis of the selected texts.

Secondly, the diverse selection of literary texts spanning different decades and genres - ranging from Veera Hiranandani’s young adult novel The Night Diary to Geetanjali Shree’s magically realist Tomb of Sand - provides a highly representative sample of Partition literature.

Moreover, the chapters are coherent in their impact, flowing logically, from literary manifestations of memory and spatial resonances to the politics of forgetting and intergenerational healing. Also, the researcher successfully argues that literature serves as a crucial alternative archive for women, children, and lower-caste individuals, whose deeply personal experiences are often erased from official state historiography.

Yet another feature that enriches this thesis is the researcher’s integration of interdisciplinarity into her research, by bridging literary criticism with cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Especially by applying concepts like Joseph LeDoux’s “synaptic plasticity” and “chunking,” as well as “cognitive dissonance,” the researcher has provided a scientific underpinning to how characters mentally process and narrate their respective traumas.

Also, the researcher has strived to connect the 1947 historical event to modern sociopolitical realities. By referring to contemporary art like Pritika Chowdhry’s anti-memorials, or pop culture (Coke Studio Pakistan), and recent geopolitical tensions, the thesis proves that Partition remains an ongoing, evolving legacy.

Following my final remarks, and official validation of her defence, as her External Examiner, I officially recommended the thesis to the University, marking the proud moment Ms. Vasumathi transitioned into Dr. Vasumathi S. A momentous academic transition! 

Heartiest congratulations to both Dr Vasumathi S on this momentous occasion, and for defending your thesis exceptionally well, and to her Research Supervisor Dr. Poornamathi Meenakshi, on producing another PhD in such a socially relevant field. This thesis beautifully reminds us that literature does more than just mirror society - it acts as a vessel for remembering and healing by reclaiming our most difficult stories!

Poetics of the Canopy | An Awesome Avian Anthology 💚

 #intothewildwithrufus #birding

Igniting Minds in Sivakasi | Reflections on the SFR College State-Level Workshop ❤️

From Consistency to Mastery | A Two-Day State-Level Workshop on NET/SET/JRF Preparation

A Report

29th September 2026

Felt so happy to be in Sivakasi’s prestigious women’s college - The Standard Fireworks Rajaratnam (SFR) College for Women, as part of a Two-Day State-Level Workshop on NET/SET/JRF Preparation for PG students and research scholars, on 28 and 29 September 2026.

Today being National Coffee Day, I began my day with a strong cup of morning coffee – strong enough to set the ideal tone for some intensive literary engagement, you see! 😊

The COSMOS Quiz Club and the PG & Research Department of English at SFR College had organised a truly phenomenal event, gathering a wonderful dedicated bevy of young, aspiring scholars from more than five colleges.

The first day’s session was conducted by Dr. D.E. Benet, who laid the necessary groundwork for early British literary history. He was followed by Dr. K. Siva Rama Krishnan, who expertly outlined complex post-war terminology and key American texts.

Today - Tuesday - was my turn to take the stage 😊 It was an absolute joy to lead the session on Literary Theory. The entire auditorium was packed to capacity with students of all hues – pen and notebook in hand – eagerly waiting to learn the nuances of literary theory. For once, we moved away from the paper-tiger-oriented rote memorisation method, and with one heart and one mind, we focused on how to read texts against the grain using nine unique power-rubrics - specifically for the demands of the NET/SET exams.

An intellectually rigorous event of this scale requires immense meticulous planning, and for that, I wish to extend my deepest gratitude to the brilliant organising team.

Hearty congratulations to the COSMOS Quiz Club and the PG & Research Department of English at SFR College for their vision in putting together such a student-centric, academically vital workshop.

A heartful of thanks to Dr. Muthamizh Selvi, the cordial and hospitable Head of the Department, for the warmth and hospitality, and to all the vibrant faculty members of the Department for the bonhomie and the camaraderie that’s innate only for teachers of literature! 😊

My special thanks to the vibrant coordinator, Dr. V.C. Priyadharshini, who did an amazing work in organising the workshop so successfully. 

Be it the crowd management, the registrations, the arrangement of lunch, the punctuality in starting the event on time - it was so well-organised. I also wish to thank and to acknowledge the hard work of those who had worked behind the scenes on logistics and registrations, including their vibrant research scholars and student volunteers who kept the energy high throughout the two days.

The afternoon session saw one of our illustrious alumni – Dr. S. Raja, engaging the students with a sweeping and comprehensive overview of the later periods of British Literature.

It was indeed so heartwarming to witness first-hand the students’ quest for knowledge here in the prestigious SFR College. To all the lovely scholars who attended this State-Level Workshop – remember – winning lies in the difference between daily practice and deliberate practice!

Daily practice builds consistency, whereas deliberate practice builds mastery.

Like for example, regular practice can often be done while the mind wanders - like driving down a familiar route. However, deliberate practice demands complete dedication and focus.

All the best!

On an aside, 

Well, Sivakasi is famously called the “Little Japan of India”.

Apart from fireworks, (yes, Sivakasi is the hub of India’s pyrotechnic and matchbox industries, producing an estimated 70% of the country’s total fireworks and safety matches), Sivakasi is one of the most significant printing centres in the country, generating roughly 30% of India’s total printing output.

Felt so happy to know that! 

On the whole, a rewarding day in every way!

A Real High-Wire Romance of the Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters 💚

Love on the Line! A Real High-Wire Romance of Sorts! ❤️

The Curious Case of the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

#intothewildwithrufus

The Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, as their name implies, get their name from their physical appearance. The crown, the back of the neck, and the upper back feature a rich, reddish-brown plumage that closely resembles the colour of a roasted chestnut, and hence its name! 😊

Yet another unique feature of these bee-eaters is that, (unlike most of their relatives in the bee-eater family), Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters lack the elongated, twin central tail feathers commonly known as streamers.

Interestingly, both males and females display the exact same brightly coloured plumage, a trait known as sexual monomorphism, and hence it is a bit challenging for observers to distinguish between the sexes based solely on appearance.

And what’s more? Like kingfishers, they splash down into water bodies on fish-hunting mode as well!

Photography (c) : This blogger! However, as always, you are free to use them without acknowledgement also. 😊