Are they just one of us? Or them once us?

During the Psychotic Seminar on Ladies Cykologi, which happened last week, I got a chance to chat with ol' Sole and Paddy. Sole had just presented a paper on Women's writing and i apprecitated him for ending it on a constructive as well as postitve note, rather than just bash the ladies in retaliation towards many who were doing that through their papers, with the Hood of The Department Ms.Goldie in the lead (she got quite emotional and was applauded loudly by the mostly female audience). I had no regrets on attending the seminar. It was interesting to see how life was on the other side of the fence.
Coming back to Paddy and ol' Sol, we had tea together were I laughed when they cracked some joke in Tamil. We talked just like I would talk to anybody in my class. They were out of their Guru-garb and were just plain human beings, perhaps a bit senior to me. They seemed to have been me, once upon a time. (Do they miss being like us? Nothing is forever). They also treated me like a friend and answered my questions regarding the novels they were handling in klass. Paddy gave me a great perspective on how to read David Malouf's 'Fly Away Peter', which I thought was filled with very boring nature descriptions (Oh, but not as bad as Thomas Hardy). He said, that Malouf expected us to imagine the landscape, make it real the way he saw it, so that we could get an insiders view towards it. Now, that suddenly seemed something beautiful to do. An excercise for my empty brain, which would stimulate my imagination and creativity. Thanks Paddy. I still think your classes are academically enriching with all those points you expect us to discuss. And Sol, you rock with all those descriptions on Post Colonial literary works. I wish more people listened to you guys in class. They'd gain much more from you all than the Abnormally Psychotic Classes. No offence to Cyko, cos that's the field I'm going to be in!

Announcement: New Magazine.

For all those who are feeling quite strongly about the way the system is functioning, or rather malfunctioning... here's an outlet. I'm attempting to vent our concerns, in many ways through a News Letter called :

automoney

It's going to be a satirical magazine in collaboration with BHL. I'd love to get more ideas, comments, thoughts and issues which we can raise up. Actually, this magazine will concentrate, step by step on issues which are of concern, but are down played in our institution. Those who aren't from the institution can also contribute, if you are that jobless. Please spread the word. Thanks.
Mail your stuff to:

editors.automoney@gmail.com

We appreciate humour and would like to have a lot of it. But then, you write the way you want. Sarcasm accepted.

Thanks!
Low profile guy and BHL.

The Sound guy of music

The Sound guy of music
By the end of two years being in the Kul team of the institution, one reaps many benefits as long as one is willing to interact. Knowing the ‘sound guys’ when you go for a fest and take part in a stage-music event, helps you in many ways. First of all, you get all the equipment and, generally, how many ever mics you want. Then you don’t have to worry about the kind of sound that comes through the PA , as they’d manage it because you have already gone and said a warm hello to them and have asked the guy to assure us of a good sound. Actually, genuinely recognising their work and their ability and letting them know about it, creates a friendship between you and them because they know that you actually are grateful for the service they did, which most people often find hard to remember. Then there is the fact the, you ask for more or less volume, they’d do it gladly for you. It IS important to say a thank you from the heart once the programme is over, irrespective of how it went.
I forgot to do that at the Jaw-Chef fest. Wanted to say thanks to Joe who gave us an awesome sound and output on the PA. Thanks to you Johansson, if you ever happen to read this.
***

Deportmental Fixation

Deportmental Fixation

My friend told me a deplorable story with the Deportment of Cykologi cast as the villain, yet again. For the end semester practical exam, the second year students were asked to bring school students as subjects. They claimed that they were to make it authentic experiments. 60-70% of those doing Cykologi courses are not from Bangalore and do not have many contacts locally. In spite of this limitation, they were asked to bring school students as subjects (or guinea pigs), that too on week days. I wonder why the department which studies human psyche did not even pay attention to simple things like the difficulty for out station students to fulfil this requirement. So students ran around in a frenzy trying to get school students.

Many disguised pre-university course (PUC) students as High School-aged subjects. Some bribed people to come. Some walked in to a near by school with their powerful contacts and loaned the students for an hour. Towards the end, there was such anger and frustration among the students that they began cursing the department loudly in the college corridors. The anger touched its peak when those who could not find school aged subjects were allowed to conduct experiments on the usual subjects (friends, mothers, friend’s friends, etc), without any punishment, unlike threatened by the Deportment before. Towards the last batches, anybody and everybody were allowed to bring a subject of their choice.

What injustice! First, they threaten to cut Assessment Internally Continuous marks if the subject was not of the required age, causing dissatisfaction and frenzy among students due to the mounting difficulty and inconvenience in a city not their own. And in the end, once they had been through all the trouble of bribing and fancy dressing friends and strangers, the Deportment just overlooked those who didn’t even care to at least attempt following the rules. This was absolutely thoughtless of the Deportment of Cykologi and at least in the future, should not act like a stubborn child when it comes to trivial matters like these. And if they act stubborn, they should stick to what they say and not become partial and let some students not care for the guidelines, which are at the first place, crazy. I wonder what kind of a fixation a Deportment forms as it develops over the years in to a fully grown, still stubborn child.
***

The other side of the curtain.

The other side of the curtain.

(Thoughts from the seminar)
One is so easily susceptible to believing and accepting someone else’s beliefs and ideologies in such a short time, how much ever you used to oppose them. It is so difficult to not believe when they convincingly state the facts while drawing a curtain over the other side of their argument, often narrowing the visions of those who have not gone to the other side of the curtain. It is the easiest to fall prey to such one sided arguments when there is no one else to bring up the other end of it, which often appears sugar coated and goes down easily, unlike truth which tastes like bitter medicine.
***

You and your neighbours.

In my sixth grade, came a new guy. His name was unusually long for any person from our community (which is notorious for giving weird names to their new born children. Eg: Flubbeesh). Mr. Moncy (There! I told you), our class teacher, who was a strict but funny man, asked him his name during the introduction at the beginning of the academic year.
"Jerrin Antony Joseph Thottaan".
"I didn't ask all your neighbours names, just say yours", said the 'strictly funny' man.
The class laughed away.

11 years later, I came across a person who taught in a famous college in the Pub city. Name?
'Jesus Milton Rousseau S.'
My best buddy asked me, on telling her, about him:
" Does the 'S' stand for Shakespeare?"

With little children after a long day.

After the long wait and the sweet victory at a fest which was everything but "KALA" (hey...perhaps, it was 'kaala'), I asked BHL if he'd join me for a programme where I thought I'd have to be alone. The programme was to be with kids and entertain them with songs stories, games and all that, while their daddies and mummies sat next door in a garden saying "I still do" (It's the Valentine's thing coming up). BHL, to my suprsie agreed and as usual we had a great time talking about a wide variety of things, from salt to camphor, to use a local term. The journey to Indira's Nagar was great, though we ended up paying the Autoguy through our nose!

The children sat on the turning thing and swings and slowly we got close to them and it went on for an hour, effortlessly, by God's grace. We played Follow the Leader (his idea), then an instant improvised game: What-occupation-am-I-acting-out? which wasn't all that heavy as it sounds. then we taught them, the songs "Telephone to Jesus", and then when we went indoors- "I want to be your friend a litle bit more". This last song was awesome with all the uncles who were there to helP JOINING IN THE SUPER KIDS ACTION. wAS FUN, MAN..

The dinner was great and we all had to our necks fill. Yeah, uptil our necks. Afterall, the dinner was the main attraction of the programme. At least that's what Vinay and Tom said.
We walked through silent Indiranagar, which is noisy by day, in search of a bus. But BHL's idea was to take a cab to Koramangala. He was the rights. We got one all the way to my bus stop and then we parted ways. Good night. It was great fun and filling.