Poem..by sruthi

I sat with an old-
distorted copper plate
with gruel upto its brim.
My mother
lean,pale and tired
came beside me and lit the lantern.

I found my Dada
- a fragile Being -
parting little stones from the gruel in the light of lantern
as we had stones rather than rice in it.

It was then I heard
an exploding sound.
Bullets started piercing through my
thatched hut.

Anxiously,
I stepped out of my house.
The rifles were roaming there in 'Khaki' uniforms,
bullets were running down
boring into bodies
and were drinking souls.

                                       
-Sruthi Sara Moses

In The Lakes Of Time

It was my first time ever to a lake side. It was a beautiful sight to behold. The still waters and the serene landscapes on the other side would just freeze you in your tracks.

 Initially I wasn't very excited about it. I thought there couldn't be anything special about a lake. I couldn't have been more mistaken. Of all the places I've been to, this one had a "Purifying Effect" on my soul.

There was this enormous tree trunk broken down on the ground, just beside the water. You could climb over it and just sit there. You could sit there staring across the lake all day and never be tired. There's just something to it, an unknown element that keeps you in place. Maybe it was the beautiful scenery of the landscapes and fauna all around. Or it could be that refreshing feeling of breathing in the cold air that soothes you. One way or another it was magical for me.  I could never really get enough of it.

Months past this trip and I'm still reminiscing about it. It was truly a blissful experience that I'll never forget.

Parvathy S. Nair

221

My Villain by Haripriya T.K

Every love story has villain . 

Mine too had one fate 

He forcefully, started to 

Direct my life . 

He took me through many gutter roads 

and left me alone at a dead end. 

He crushed away all my innocent dreams 

and bit my beautiful life into two. 

I could just look at him and wonder 

Why he was doing all these harm to me. 

He twisted and played a lot with my life 

as if it was a toy for him to play on . 

 All love story ends with the death of villain 

but I didn’t let that happen in my story . 

because he was my hero too. 

He made me ripen by giving me lots of sorrow . 

(and if someone tries to bring out the hidden best you 

then how would he be just your villain ) 

Haripriya T.K 

202

Don't tell me you're afraid by - Giuseppe Catozzella

'Don't tell me you're afraid' by Giuseppe Catozzella portrays the real events about a courageous woman Samia Yusuf Omar, who dreams to be the world class sprinter. This novel also gives a sketch about the challenges of the modern migrants face today. The character Samia is a talented and daring young girl who wishes to run in the Olympics. Ali, her best friend was her couch. Her passion and  determination led her to represent her country in Beijing Olympics. She also made her way to 2012 Games. Mo Farah was her role model. But later Samia faces tough times and worse conditions in Somalia and so she decides to leave her country behind. She then migrates across Africa and the Mediterranean sea alone. 

                                   This is a heart touching story and I highly recommend every individual to read especially those who are interested in stories of athletes. This book teaches us the purpose of our lives and how to deal with difficulties. I started reading this book casually but after few minutes I saw myself getting into the story. The author is successful for letting the emotions of Samia reach out the world as he is using first person narrative which makes it more related to the readers..And through this novel Catozzella makes the world notice Samia and her struggle. Truly, an unforgettable story.

Jubeeta Johnson 

213

LOVE STORY by Erich Wolf Segal

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erich Wolf Segal was an American author, screenwriter, educator and classicist. Born in the city of new york, Erich is a graduate from the prestigious Harvard University and holds a doctorate in comparative literature. He was also a lecturer at top universities such as Harvard University , Yale University and Princeton University and taught Greek and Latin literature. Erich's famous works, other than love story, includes Oliver's story,  Yellow Submarine, Acts of faith, Doctors, Man,women and child.

INTRODUCTION ON THE BOOK

Love Story was released in the year 1970. Segal, a screenplay writer, was unable to sell out the screenplay of this particular play and was requested by Paramount to adapt it into a novel. The book was released on the Valentine's Day and it turned out to requested that Segal adapt the story into novel form as a preview of sorts for the film. The novel was released on February 14, 1970, Valentine's Day and it turned out to become the top-selling work of fiction for all of 1970 in the United States, and was translated into more than 20 languagesA film adaptation was released on December 16, 1970. A sequel, Oliver's Story, was published in 1977.

PLOT SUMMARY

Love Story  is a timeless story of tragic love. Oliver is a child of privilege, the son of a family of importance dating back many generations. Jennifer is the only child of a widowed baker, as opposite from Oliver as one person can be. However, their union is one of strength and volatility that sweeps them both up in an uncontrolled wave, their love  surviving every obstacle except one, mortality.

A Harvard University student Oliver meets Jennifer at the library on the Radcliffe Campus. Jennifer, the clerk in duty,  disagrees with Oliver on a agruement they have, which lead to them having coffee and eventually Oliver inviting her to one of his hockey games. It didn't take long for them to spend their free time together. Oliver felt different with Jennifer and realized that he felt deeply for her.
Oliver's relationship with his father is strained and feels insecure about not accomplishing as much as his father. Jenny understands this when he takes her to meet his parents. Soon after the meeting, Oliver is told that he wouldn't to a heir to the family fortune if he proceeds on with the decision on marrying jennifer. Oliver then marries Jenny and begins his life separate from the Barrett legacy.
The first three years,  they live on Jennifer's income as Oliver competes law school. Their life is tough but they lived happily. Then, On the occasion of his father's sixtieth birthday, they were invited for the party organised by his parents. Oliver refused the offer and threw the phone in anger. This upset Jennifer a lot, which lead them to an argument for which she left the house at midnight. Oliver spend the night searching for her and finally finds her at the top of the stairs to their apartment.
On graduating from law school,  Oliver recives one of the best paid jobs and they started enjoying their new wealth by doing things that they missed out during the days of their struggle. They got themselves a new apartment too. They were on the repeated attempt on conceiving a baby,failing which they decided to consult a doctor. At the doctors, Oliver is informed that Jennifer's suffers from leukemia, on hearing this he decides on not telling this news to Jenny. Jennifer, on the other hand, gets to know the truth from the doctor as she insists on him telling what was wrong with her.
Within the next few weeks,  Jennifer's condition worsens and agrees on being admitted to the hospital. Oliver stops going to work and wants to be by his wife's side all the time. On running out of money,  he goes to his father for asking a loan and does not tell him the reason. Jenny's condition worsens day after day,and Jennifer makes Oliver promise her that her father would have a Catholic funeral for her, just few minutes before she died.  When Oliver leaves the hospital after his wife's death, he finds his father rushing in. Oliver's father has just learned of Jennifer's illness and had come to support his son. Oliver allows himself to be consoled in his father's arms for the first time since he was a small child.

REVIEW ON THE BOOK

This book has touched my heart in such a way that I wept as I reached the last few pages of the book. I wondered," why were the odds not in their favour?" and "how such deep love could exist between two people?". This book is not only a romantic story, but also depicts on strained family ties and how expectations can sometimes create a bad impact on a child. Written in the most simple words, Love story is also a story that tells one to forgive ones loved ones if they have committed a mistake. My most treasured line from the book remains,  " Love means not ever having to say you're sorry". I wished and prayed that this would not end with Jennifers death, I wished that they would be more pages, but alas their love story on earth ended there.
I would recommend this book as a must read to all the romantic genre lovers as it shows how a beautiful story with the use of simple words can touch numerous hearts in such a way that one wants to re-read the book again and again.  Oliver and Jennifer was indeed the modern day or the twentieth century Romeo and Juliet but their villains being death this time....

Sandhra Mariyam Philip

220

...

I sat with an old-
distorted copper plate
with gruel upto its brim.
My mother
lean,pale and tired
came beside me and lit the lantern.

I found my Dada
- a fragile Being -
parting little stones from the gruel in the light of lantern
as we had stones rather than rice in it.

It was then I heard
an exploding sound.
Bullets started piercing through my
thatched hut.

Anxiously,
I stepped out of my house.
The rifles were roaming there in 'Khaki' uniforms,
bullets were running down
boring into bodies
and were drinking souls.

                                     
-Sruthi Sara Moses

Review of Shashi Tharoor's India From Midnight To Millennium

According to Francis Bacon, "some books are to be read, while others have to be chewed and digested". Shashi Tharoor is now a Memeber of Parliament representing Thiruvananthapuram constituency. This book was compiled in a  socio-political scenario different from the present day and its major attraction is the vicissitudes of past case studies and interpretations by Dr. Tharoor. Flawless in articulation, Tharoor tries to focus on multifarious aspects of India as a country from independence. But no claim can be put forward to assert that the book is unconditionally objective. Our author spares time to discuss his childhood observations to the manifestations made in his mature age. The book can be marked as a good read. Since opinions matter, Shashi Tharoor's best of the best comes with a different title and India From Midnight To Millennium is not it. But reckoning the author's merit, the book may persuade you to chew and digest it. 

- Review by Athul Thejus Rajan

Teachers' Day Celebration

Teachers' Day Celebration

Teachers' day celebration was held on the September 5, 2018 in the afternoon at 3:30 P.M in the English Department Library. The morning was filled with bustling of students into the staff room to wish the teachers on the day and reward them with meticulously prepared cards, bookmarks and sweets. 

In the afternoon session, we honored our teachers with our words and appreciations, gave them a small token in return for the innumerable blessings and knowledge they grace upon their students daily. Father Sabu and Prof. Gayathri M shared their memories of their favourite teacher and most treasured teaching experience successfully. The Head of the Department, Prof. C.S Francis also celebrated his thirty
years of teaching in the college. Like Malala said, One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.