ON FESTIVE MURMURS
An exploration of the Josephite Festival of Literature, META. With a side of news arts and writing, Blue Pencil.
BLUE PENCIL REPORTING:
MORE FOOD JOURNALISM
-Varsha Chavan (222JPY08)
The clock widget on my phone kept ticking. The moment the minute hand turned towards 3:50 pm, my friends and I rushed towards the Auditorium area. What was happening? Let’s find out!
NOUS, an association under the Department of English of St. Joseph’s University, hosted its annual fest Blue Pencil, 2024. Blue Pencil offers a bunch of events happening during this time. One such event was called “Off-Plate”. This event took place on the 6th of February, 2024 at 4pm. The venue was the Faber Hall in the auditorium building of the university.
A good number of students showed up, a few of which were participants and the rest were there as audience and organisers. The event was open to on-spot registration, and a total of 23 teams were accepted as participants (13 from SJU and 10 from other colleges). The general idea of the event was food writing in teams of 2, one was expected to write, while the other clicked pictures of the food and documented the entire process. A wide spread of meats, greens, and desserts was assorted for the participants to relish. The participants were expected to choose one dish from the spread and write an essay of 300-500 words about it within 30 mins.
On interviewing the participants, information was revealed that the spread they received was as alluring as it seemed. Few participants made it a point to prove that the meat had turned chewy as it was cold. The dessert recipe was a concoction of jaggery and coconut, with the bitter gourd sabzi which ended up as the highlight of the event leading it towards the positive side.
An interview with the office bearer- Khushi gave me a better understanding of what took place behind the scenes. On being asked how her experience of the event was, she responded, “It was really fun and scary, to be honest, cause I had to make sure the venue was set, registrations were done, and that the participants were in the correct room, etc. Talking about the experience, it was super fun and hectic like I said. Towards the end, everything got lighter in the sense of responsibility whereas in the beginning, I was running around everywhere.”
The next question was what were the sacrifices that came alongside and how did the team coordinate the activities? She responded by saying that sleep was the only thing that she had to sacrifice because all the events took place after class hours which didn’t affect her attendance. Mentioning the teamwork- the work was divided equally amongst the members. Effective planning, teamwork, and open communication within the team helped them a lot. She also mentioned that it was a time-consuming process as they started planning it out in December, and the physical activity of printing posters and invitations was to be spread out. The last question I asked was about the participants’ turnover and if it met their expectations to which she responded by saying “We expected about maybe 7 or 10 teams but we had almost 23 teams which includes both SJU and Non-SJU. So, we were more than pleased to have such a huge crowd and Off-Plate had the most number of participants as well.”
The results were announced. In first place, they had Nayana and Vishnupriya from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, second Shivika and Meghnavi from MCC, and in third position, they had Angelica and Chimee from SJU as winners of this event. It was such an interesting experience to sit there and watch the participants compete in harmony. This event got me thinking why don’t we write much about food.
INTO THE K-DRAMA CRAZE
-Merenna (222JPY23)
It felt like a big family gathering, where in between all the exciting talk, oohs and aahs went around as soon as a speaker uttered the title of a beloved K-drama like "Crash Landing on You" or "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon."
Under the cool embrace of the ancient banyan tree, NOUS, the English department's lively crew, spun a vibrant tale of emotions and cultural discovery in their latest intercollegiate panel discussion, "Why we watch K-Drama."
Picture this: Megha and Srishi, the dynamic duo from Mt. Carmel College, representing the undergrad squad, joined forces with the postgrad powerhouses Priscilla and Devyani from St. Joseph’s University. Steering this lively ship of insights was none other than the wise Professor Cynthia, weaving the threads of discussion into a colorful narrative.
The panel took place on a cozy Tuesday evening, February 6th, at 5:30 pm, and unfolded as a fun chapter of the Blue Pencil festival, hosted at St. Joseph's University.
"At first, it was just a fascination with something entirely different from the Tamil serials I watched at home with my mother", Priscilla takes a trip down memory lane as Professor Cynthia kicks off the conversation by delving into what sparked their initial interest in K-dramas. Sharing a laugh, she adds, "When we started watching K-drama, my mother at some point told me with so much excitement - the boys look so pretty!" To her, it became this unique realm where K-drama was the only place where boys look prettier than the girls.
While the speakers engaged with Professor Cynthia on a lot of very relatable questions and delved into their favourite tropes, aspects they enjoy, and a few other topics, I wasn’t surprised to learn that a lot of our K-drama experiences were apparently universal.
A shared delight among all of them centered on the enchanting moments in K-dramas where, just as the girl teeters on the brink of falling, the guy effortlessly swoops in to catch her. While this might appear as a well-worn cliché, there's a timeless allure in this trope that never fails to evoke a flutter of butterflies in all of our hearts.
In the middle of the Q&A session, a student threw in a question: "Do you like K-drama OSTs?" to which one of them chimned in as quick as a wink and said - "Oh, totally! The OSTs are what makes K-drama a K-drama," - a sentiment I believe resonated with us all. Indeed, it's the catchy OSTs that etch K-dramas into our memories.
We stuck around, savouring the shared warmth beneath the big old banyan tree, with a sweet sense of togetherness through the stories we now collectively hold dear - and with that, the discussion on "Why we watch K-drama" came to an end.
META REPORTING:
INTRO TO META
-Riyaki Warbah (222JPY20)
META, the Josephite Literary Festival, is back again in full swing – the contest of writing, speaking, and quizzing. It is that time of the year when the Literary Society of the English Department holds a lineup of events from the 12th to the 20th of February. This time I attended META’s JAM (Just a minute) which was the first event of many held in the University’s Loyola Hall at 5:00 pm. JAM is a game where participants are given topics under which they have to speak for a minute. Everyone around was dressed up in bright yellows right from teachers to students as this year’s theme was Sunny Side Up; which is a cause to celebrate. Everyone followed through with the theme. META’s themes have evolved over the years and have come a very long way. This year’s META’s vibe was “Slowburn”, as said by Dr. Arul Mani. Professor Vijeta gave an opening speech and Dr. Arul Mani also said a few words to mark the opening of META. Amid the intense energy in the room, there was lots of excitement and cheer from the audience rooting for their favourite teachers as they spoke.
META has become a huge part of the college and the Department of Languages and has only grown bigger over the years. This time, META has a bunch of fun contests and some of them are Teacher’s and Student’s JAM, Love Poetry, Book Quizzes, Cosplay Contest, etc. One thing you’ll never run out of when it comes to META’s contests is the various options of activities. The Department always encourages students to participate in these events as they make them better writers, speakers, and so on. The inauguration of META started with their first contest, JAM where the participants had to speak without hesitation, repetition, and deviation.
THE META MINUTE
-Annie Flora.N (222JPY12)
The Department of English presenting META, the Josephite Festival of Literature, was a great fun-filled learning event that conducted multiple contests, panels, and conversation with writers.
One of the contests was JAM (Just A Minute), which took place in the Loyola Hall in the auditorium block of St. Joseph's University on the 12th of February, 2024. Teacher’s Jam is a fundraising event, held for years together. Where the teachers sign up to participate and play "Just A Minute" (JAM) a game that requires immense concentration and skills. There was a fee of ₹30 to be there in the audience. The event started at 5:15 pm. The JAM was hosted by the JAM master, Dr. Arul Mani.
The crowd was super excited as their favourite teachers were participating. Anush, from III TPY, was the spotter of the day.
There were two rounds in total in which the individual participants were asked to speak on a topic for a minute without any hesitation, repetition, and deviation. The competition was intense and extremely hard as all of the participants were performing great. The participants were Prof. Drishti Rakhra, Prof. Lillykutty Abraham, Prof. Shilpa Sajeev, Prof. Gayathri Lakshmi, Prof. Nikitha Thomas, Prof. Cynthia Nirmala Rajah, Prof. Amrita Banerjee, and Prof. Navya Denis.
The given topics were very interesting. I was wondering what they were going to come up with. ‘Floods in Chennai’ and ‘Chennai is a son of a ‘beach’ ’ were the most interesting topics to come across where there was a lot of roasting in between. These topics added so much fun to the whole event, it brought in a lot of giggles and laughter in the audience and the participants themselves.
In the middle of the event they served a drink, resembling Sulaimani but for me and my two other friends, it tasted like a hot mint lemon Coca-cola drink, it tasted a bit weird to them but I loved it. Felt refreshing in the middle of the furious game.
The idea of hesitation, repetition, and deviation is an extremely intelligent concept. JAM, unlike other games, is not just something one can cope with.
JAM definitely plays a role that fastens and improves one's knowledge, concentration and motor skills.
The game was absolutely crazy, the audience had a great time after a stressful day at the university. Arul Mani sir’s jokes and comments during the play also played a role in the success of the event. The 1st place was won by Professor Shilpa and the Teacher's JAM of the year 2024 successfully ended at 6:30 pm. It was a nerve-fueled show overall and had a great stress-free time after a very busy stressful January.
A TRIBUTE TO PROF.PECK
Poets talk like they want someone to fall in love with you, so why are we scared of that - Ananya
-Neha Jerry (222JPY05)
The Prof. T.R.H. Peck Memorial Lecture Contest was conducted as a part of META and organized by the English department every year. The event took place on the 13th of February in the Loyola Hall.
The Prof. T.R.H. Peck Memorial Lecture Contest pays tribute to Professor Peck, who taught English at college. The rules of the event are very simple – Pick any itinerary theme, work, or artist and deliver a short lecture on it. You have 5+2 minutes to do so. The event was judged by an English professor, Professor Raj Kiran.
The event kicked off with Sana Kamal from Christ University, who spoke about war and memory in the biosphere. “Nature is an object of exploitation but is a protagonist in its own light” said Sana. She spoke about generational trauma and concluded it with how nature is a memory keeper.
“What is science in science fiction?”: The next speaker, Sammita from St. Joseph’s University, asked as she stepped on the stage. It was a very interactive talk as she asked the audience questions. She explained what sci-fi is and concluded that it’s a purely consumerist sensual quality.
Ananya, our next contestant, talked about how she finds this old white man funny and charming. She spoke about being afraid of poems and how Billy Collins allowed her to behave around poems. Throughout her speech, she asked us questions such as ‘Why are you scared of poetry? What part of it does it intimidate you? A lot of poets talk like they want someone to fall in love with you, so why are we scared of that?’
As our last speaker, Jerry walked onto the stage, he was met with a lot of cheering and hooting. He spoke about monkeys and the ‘intense Japanese dude’ that is Haruki Murakami. He covered the lecture on the Shinagawa monkey which he read in General English class. He summarises the story and talks about how when the monkey steals someone’s name, he takes away all their bad elements. He ends his lecture by connecting the story to us – “We find ourselves getting lonelier even though it’s the age of social media and communication. We are all alone and no one understands us. Everyone is a name stealer in a way." He walks off stage leaving an ambiguous expression on the audience’s faces.
“I think I would have liked to prepare more and engage with the answers the audience gave me. I’m not as well-read as I’d like to be. A big part of teaching is convincing (tricking) the listeners that you know something”, said Sammita, one of the contestants.
Another contestant, Ananya said, “I didn’t know I was taking part, I did it because of my term paper. I will definitely do it again next year”.
The event ended with the declaration of results: Sammita acquiring the first position, Sana from Christ, second, and Ananya, third.
Love & other antidotes: In conversation with Paromita Vohra
-Makshika Srinivasan, 222JPY04
“You should love your home and treat it lovingly, and make it a place that you really like coming back to. You should be able to have a party. I think it is very important to know how to have a party,” says Paromita Vohra, an Indian Filmmaker, writer, and founder of Agents of Ishq- in response to the question: how to deal with living alone and the loneliness that comes with it all. This existential question among others was asked during a conversation that took place at META 2024, a Josephite literature festival, conducted by the literary society, from the Department of English.
The conversation that took place between Paromita Vohra and Prof. Vijeta felt almost like an intimate chat between two old friends that we as the viewers were privy to. It began with the question “When is the work that we do, considered to be too much by the standards set by today’s generation”, and went on to a much more vivid walk along Bombay’s streets. Paromita Vohra spoke of her interning days with great glee, recounting her encounters with all sorts of celebrities that would show up at her work and how the many odd jobs that she tackled allowed her to become more familiarised with the city. In her words, she manages to capture the essence of being a young girl trying to find her place in the world and bring us along with her.
As the conversation progressed, the audience was long forgotten, and the two spoke in softer tones that commanded my short-lived attention to them and only them. The setting felt less like it was happening on a Zoom call and more so a dimly lit romantic dinner for two that was a perfect treat for an otherwise dreary Valentine's Day. As Prof. Vijeta put it, this was her Valentine’s Day treat.
I followed along with the conversation, imagining it to be a girl talk as such, where it felt to be present in the very same room as them, greedily taking down any and all kinds of advice that the two were willing to let us in on. Her words were a welcoming reassurance to all the 20-something-year-olds, like me, who wanted some kind of a solid plan that would help you navigate through this fleeting time that is your twenties.
The problem, she says, is that people talk to their parents every day, and want approval from them for everything that they do. “The fear of being wrong is very high for the current generation because everything is scrutinized and must be given a meaning.”, she adds. Paromita Vohra picked apart every gen-z trait that most of us were not aware of and gave the push that most of us need to take the free-spirited route and take on every opportunity.
Listening to her talk about her early adult years that went in every random direction possible, I was finally able to put my thoughts into coherent words that I now use to live by. Parodevi is a flavour that keeps giving and a META favourite. Like the man at her work once said, she seems like one tough lady.
Roopa Pai: An Inspiration for Young Writers
-Niharika (222JPY09)
“Whenever someone speaks about Bangalore my head immediately nods in response” said a very cheerful woman in her late forties, dressed quite simple at the centre as she answered her first question. Her thick, black cropped hair bounced up and down as she excitedly made gestures while she spoke. Roopa Pai, a children’s book author and a journalist who has penned several books over the past ten to fifteen years was interviewed by two members of the Literary Society association, Sammita S Hullemane (to the left) and Ananadita Balsvar (to the right), which was conducting the ongoing META fest under the “Write Stuff” event on 13th of Feb in Loyola Hall at 3:30pm.
The Hall had more empty seats and the lights were not on yet when the interview had begun. There was chatter here and there, and the audience was yet to settle down. Roopa Pai did not hesitate to answer the questions and within minutes, had everyone focused on her. Her sentences were phrased effortlessly with words that only an avid reader would use and had that writer’s charisma. The love she had for writing about the city she grew up in was evidently seen.
The main focus of the interview was about her recent book, “Cubbon Park- The Green Heart of Bengaluru”. She chose to write this because a part of her childhood was spent there. She grew up in Malleshwaram and her father would take them there on the weekends. He was part of the press club there. And once she got married, she had to pass through it to go to her in-law’s house.
“Writing about the entire city is now not possible because cities have proliferated so much. It’s just impossible, which is why focusing on one location like Cubbon Park had to be it,” she said as her hands made a gesture of moving forward. When asked how she was able to collect her information, she said that covid had allowed her to reach out to people and collect information through conversations over platforms like Zoom and rearrange the memories of people into one story.
She mentioned a man called Bimal Desai whose collection of articles from several newspapers over the course of ten years about Cubbon Park helped her a lot. “Post-Independence, there is very little documentation of what happened, especially on Cubbon Park and people had missed the 150th anniversary of it! So, this had to be some sort of tribute to it”. She spoke about how the park has 8 entrances, an echo of the Bangalore Fort and that the four pillars of democracy are in and around the area. “Cubbon Park also welcomes all sorts of people from different walks of life. Each gate, its own kind”.
When it was time for questions from the audience, one of them asked her, “Did you ever have a moment where you felt like you could write about yourself and your identity?”
“There was a magazine called Target Magazine which I read when I was around thirteen and that changed everything for me”, she said. That magazine had cartoons and stories written by Indian authors for the Indian audience. It was her inspiration to write for children using Indian culture, which eventually produced the very successful 8 book series Taranauts.
“I think I have to start writing non fiction again...I had fun doing this exercise, connecting to people and writing this book”, she said as she was narrating one of her anecdotes.
She had a moment with one of the interviewers, Sammita, who had seen her once in a public reading at Crosswords in JP Nagar. And another time when she had accepted an award from the author. The interviewer and her sister had made a song for the 8-book series Taranauts. “I think I still have a video of it somewhere,” she said, with her eyes sparkling. “Come on, now we have to hug, this is such a moment!” she continued and with that, they hugged. The zestful writer was having a hard time to stop smiling after that.
“What would you suggest to someone who wants to write about one particular place like Cubbon Park but gets caught in the geo-political situation of that place” was another question by the audience. To which she said, “You know, every place is like that. Even Cubbon Park, for example, the dog walking association and the walker’s association are always at each other’s necks but it’s like that everywhere, isn’t it? We as Indians and especially citizens of this city, it's always ‘everything adjusts madi’”.
Dr. Arul Mani handed over the token of gratitude to the still-smiling Roopa Pai and with that at 4:30 pm, the event ended.
An unexpected new experience.
-Ricky Ajeeth (222JPY14)
This was supposed to be a reporting piece on the event "Love Poetry" that was held at St. Joseph's University under META'24. It was held on 14th February 2024 and I took an interest in reporting because it sounded intriguing. I wanted to know what type of poems people were going to write, especially on Valentine's Day. But upon entering the premises, I changed my mind and thought of participating, because why not (I was definitely not forced to participate). So as I stepped in, I was thinking about what I could write exactly. I've never written a poem before, so I was forming random, deep sentences in my head thinking this would work as a poem. Turns out they were useless because there was a prompt given, a pretty confusing one at that - "When the phone doesn't ring."
I panicked. Why'd I decide to do this? I had no clue what I was going to write about. I was thinking of instances where my girlfriend would not pick up her phone (she wouldn't do this, she's a sweetheart) but I had to come up with something. If she had done this, what would be my reaction? I went all sad-boy/emo about it saying cheesy lines like "I call for the warmth of your tone" like chee so cheesy. I cringed at myself so hard because this is something I would never do for fiction. I had so many other cheesy lines that questioned my whole brain's thought process because I never would've thought I could come up with something so cringe.
I added a funny little line at the end saying "You said call me if you love me, and I did, but all I heard was Kannada." get it? Because the phone says this person is busy in Kannada? No? Okay. I did all this in hopes of just fun and giggles and thinking that I wouldn't win at all, because who would even like this poem? I thought to myself "This was fun, but I hope someone restricts me from writing a poem again". After the event ended, I asked a few questions to other participants to see what they had come up with and what the whole event was like.
Ameera said that she had taken part in love poetry before and thought that this was a pretty good prompt. She felt like she wouldn’t win and poetry wasn’t exactly her strong suit. So I asked, if it wasn't her strong suit then why take part? She said that she too wanted to try new things but she did it of her own free will (which is crazy because I definitely did that too). Anyway, Aadhya from my class (II JPY) said she thinks she has a chance to win which I'm not surprised about because I know that she has written literal books and she's making good money off of them, so I was pretty convinced she would win some position.
The next day the results came out and my classmate had messaged about it in our group chat...
Winners of Love Poetry, META 2024
1st- Shweta Philip II MA ENG
2nd- Pranav V.S II MA ENG
3rd- Ricky Ajeeth II JPY
Special Mention- Mytreyi. N from MCC
My reaction to that was, "What even, how???? I wrote garbage" and he replied to me saying "Turns out your music skills are transferable to poetry." I was so sure that Aadhya could've won something and I couldn't understand how I was placed 3rd. A few hours later everyone was asking me to send my poem and it's really funny because I don't even get this much attention when I win the battle of bands. So yeah that's the lesson for today, just try new things and see where it goes I guess...
Festive Murmurs Pt. 2:
