I came across this book during one of my desperate hunts at the college library. I was holding onto a huge book by Amitav Ghosh, which I had trouble placing back on the shelf, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it before I leave for my hometown in a week. So the only way to get that book from me was to replace it with another book, which I might be able to finish reading in a week. The search thus began. It must be fairly obvious from the picture above that one

As part of our Bioregional Studies class, our Professor, Dr Samuel Rufus, encouraged us to explore the flora and fauna of MCC. We were asked to go around the campus, click pictures of the birds we spot and identify them using Google Lens. And thus began our birdwatching adventure that started with the allotted hour and extended into two days of after-class group excursions. In the book, The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place , a bioregion is defined, l

You clutch onto it— the little light in the dark. You chase after it, yet stand still when it parts. You offer everything for that presence; a short-lived moment of honesty alive. Is it a wish that craves or a need that braves, this strong faith in a passing mate. A stubborn impulse, an idealistic leap— when you mute all doubts and chose to believe. A joy that mourns, a hope that burns but still takes flight knowing well its plight. I still look up— when hope comes by, and lo

The picture is purely for fun. I just couldn't keep my imagination in check. A week back, I gradually started a morning exercise routine—following my doctor's suggestion—to manage my allergy levels. I also started putting even more thought into what I ate, since I had a list of food items to avoid for the time being. It has been a week of gradually easing my body and mind into working out regularly, and that naturally piqued my interest in understanding what my body needs

It was by chance that I came across a scanned copy of a poem I had written during my UG days, which I believed to have been lost forever. As a class, we were asked to create a class magazine that would feature literary and artistic works by the students in our class, taking inspiration from the texts we studied in the syllabus. Paintings, sketches, poems, cartoons and other creative submissions came forth, and every student in the class contributed. My contribution was a poe

Yo! Have you had these moments where two to three bulbs glowed in your mind after reading or watching something thought-provoking. When new paths of organic thoughts unfold before you like cool breezes from the sea and your mind runs after them like an excited child behind butterflies. That's how I got lots of topics to write about and finally decided on writing about writing itself! My initiation into writing, like for many, started with diary entries as summer a

No road trip requires the traveller to be constantly on the road. Occasionally stopping for fuel, rest, and repair is a must. It is also okay to pull over to check the map and reroute instead of getting lost. Similar is the case with life. Early twenties is a defining period in life. It is beautiful and chaotic; you explore yourself and make decisions for your future self...scary but true. It can be confusing to chose one option over many others based on assumptions

Today in class, our professor introduced us to a new form of poetry called Erasure poetry or Blackout poetry. We were reading the poem Refugee Mother and Child by Chinua Achebe for our Postcolonial Studies paper and were asked to interpret the poem. While everyone pondered over the words, Sir encouraged us to write our own sentences or poems from the given text, by selecting a word from each line. Erasure poetry or blackout poetry is one where "... a poet blacks out or in

The Art of Carrying Pain by Lekhaa MeenakshiSudaram and Veda Vardhini Maria Praveen Novel Interview with Veda Vardhini Maria Praveen. Her co-author, Lekhaa MeenakshiSundaram, is currently out-of-station and hence she is not present for the interview. Q) What inspired you to write this book? Was it a person, an idea, or a specific moment in your life, or a little bit of everything? A:  So usually this book was based on heartbreak and usually people face it but they don’t have

Metaphorically Metaphorise by Veena J Metanafic (Metaphor-Narrative-Fiction)- a new genre Q) What inspired you to write this book? Was it a person, an idea, or a specific moment in your life, or a little bit of everything? A: My inspiration for the book is all about children, basically. So, usually children learn poetry or poems for marks, okay. It is based on the devices that they learn, and they don’t get into the poetry or get the essence of it. Usually, the adults too do

T Thoughts by Terese Maria Broosily Collection of Quotes Q) What inspired you to write this book? Was it a person, an idea, or a specific moment in your life, or a little bit of everything? A: Actually, from the beginning itself, while studying Literature, I wanted to write, but I didn’t know what to write. So one day, Rufus Sir came to our class and he talked about writing and all. Then, some spark came to my mind, and I wanted to write. Then I sent a message to Rufus Sir,

BYE SWEETHEART! by Dhanush Kumar Novel Q) What inspired you to write this book? Was it a person, an idea, or a specific moment in your life or a little bit of everything. A: Actually, at first, I didn’t have any idea to write a novel or anything. Rufus sir told me to write something and at that moment i thought, why should i not write a novel? First, I promised him a date–I will finish my writing within 1 September. I just have only three months, I guess. I don’t know how man

Red Verses by Pearlina Gracelyn Poetry Collection Q) What inspired you to write this book? Was it a person, an idea, or a specific moment in your life, or a little bit of everything? A: The main thing was my professor, Rufus sir, because I didn’t really write the book to write a book. It was just, like, poems which I wrote when I was in school, when I was really sad about something or really happy about something. So when Sir encouraged us so much in class, it made me think,

People are often aware of the journey of a book from the moment it appears in bookstores and e-commerce, but how did they reach there? What are the inspirations and challenges that marked the birth of these books? This interview series is a humble attempt on my part to demystify the process of writing and publishing to provide inspiration and insight to aspiring authors. The series consists of 12 interviews presented in 6 posts and ranges from poetry collections and novels t

" The people you meet in life are not just people, they are walking libraries " - Rufus Sir This line struck a cord in me when one of our professors shared it with us in class. Libraries are sacred spaces for readers. To call someone a "walking library" is a mark of respect and acknowledgement of their valuable experiences. This idea could also encourage shy, socially-anxious, book-loving people to approach and interact with people more comfortably. Apart from the comfort

It has been a while since I posted here. Exam week was hectic, to say the least—not just because of the exams, but also because I kept falling sick on and off. The illness stretched beyond exam week, but finally, I’m back. Even though I didn’t write anything during that time, ideas kept coming to me as I prepared for my papers. While reading some of the prescribed essays in my Critical Theory course, I discovered a faint thread of connection between the concepts discussed the

Recently, we had the opportunity to attend a talk by Johny Tom Varghese , an alumnus of our college and an IAS officer currently serving as the Director at the Department of Child Welfare and Special Services, Chennai, Government of Tamil Nadu. His talk, titled “How I Was Shaped as a Leader in Madras Christian College,”  drew our attention instantly. Figures like him, whom we consider as successful people, naturally spark curiosity, and that curiosity isn’t limited to UPSC as

This post cannot be termed a movie review per se , but I wish to share something that struck me about two movies I watched this summer: Sinners  (2025), produced, written, and directed by Ryan Coogler, and Kpop Demon Hunters  (2025), directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and based on a story by Maggie Kang. Both these movies are connected in how they explore the different dimensions of music, grounded in culture, mythology, history, and the supernatural. While Sinners

“You’re not a copy. You’re a customized version of yourself—crafted with care, curiosity, and choice.” The Search for a Role Model “Role models”—it’s a term I heard a lot as a child. Like many kids, I was on a quiet quest to find mine, usually among the people I spent the most time with: my family. As a little girl, I naturally looked up to the women in my household. I think most of us go through that phase—imitating the cousin we adore or the friend who seems effortlessly co

A lecture is a formal talk on a serious subject given to a group of people, especially students. Many things go into the delivery and success of a good lecture. A few include the quality of content, clarity of thought and speech, voice modulation, body language, attitude, and most importantly, keeping the attention and interest of the audience. Fortunate as I am, I had the opportunity to attend a few such lectures by inspiring professors during my college days. I'm writing