A Voyage of Verses: A Report on the Final Meeting of QLC!

A Voyage of Verses
Juveria Tabassum
From chasing sunrises in Hyderabad, to running out of shoes in Rome, these ladies sure had quite a few tales to tell!
Spurred on by Tennyson's Ulysses (1842) and Elizabeth Bishop's Questions of Travel (1965), the last meeting of QLC for this academic year was quite a medley of discussions, debate and reminisces on travel and it's many facets.
The session was marked by an inspiring "historical" adventure tale narrated by Ms. Grace Sudhir, HOD, Department of English. It was an enlightening account of Ma'am's parents' maiden voyage to America by ship. Her  words taught us the need for the spirit of adventure and the excessive romanticism that is often associated with travel accounts.

We began this journey down "Country Roads": The all time classic by John Denver was sweetly rendered by our special guest for the evening, Ms. Sagarika Arya, a second year student of the college. 

When Jyothi Ma'am Recites, Quills Listens!

To follow that up, we had a recitation of Bishop's Questions of Travel by Ms. Jyoti Mishra, Assistant Professor, Department of English. It got us started on a discussion on this strangely disturbing poem, which begins and ends with the poet-a world traveler herself, questioning the seeming futility of travel.

The Ever Eloquent Jyothi Ma'am!

There was common consensus among the members on the fact that the poem had an open ending, wherein it was left to the reader's perspective to determine whether the poet was tilting more towards staying at home or getting on the road. The lines,

Oh, must we dream our dreams 
and have them, too? 

.

.

        "Is it lack of imagination that makes us come 

         to imagined places, not just stay at home?  

were found quite thought provoking by the members and the lecturers alike.

Then we had a discussion on Lord Tennyson's Ulysses. The king of Ithaca, with his thirst for reckless abandon, dreams of a final voyage on the seas, and his snide remarks on his own son Telemachus, found many supporters within the members.

His heroic spirit was considered inspirational and there was much admiration on display for his bravery. 

Talking Ulysses

The tables however turned when we were asked to choose between Ulysses and Telemachus for a suitable husband. Sheepish smiles underlined the answer, "Telemachus" for many of the girls. They chose to side with the responsible and domesticated Telemachus, rather than the slightly selfish adventurer, Ulysses. Even though there were a few takers for Ulysses among some hardcore adventure buffs(but only if he allowed them on his ship), it was clear that, women, quite like men, prefer their spouses to be quiet, responsible and homely, even while they admire wild souls like Ulysses.

When Women Speak Their Minds!

We rounded up the session by drawing contrasts between the two poems. It was apparent that they were two vastly different poems, written in starkly different states of mind.

However, both of these poems(both highly enjoyable reads), helped give us a better understanding and appreciation of the many sides, faces, moods and experiences associated with travel and adventure. 

"Should We Have Stayed At Home....Wherever That May Be?"

The entire session was dotted with brilliant anecdotes from the members about their own travel experiences. Some of them were downright hilarious, while others were  eye-opening for many of us as we realized that traveling is not always the fairytale that it is so often mistaken for. Also, in this era of selfies, it was nice to hear the stories behind those selfies.

Strathmore:The Ship that launched a thousand emotions!

Q.L.C's maiden voyage was much like that of Grace ma'am's parents' first trip to the States by Strathmore. We encountered rough weather and weird situations on the way, but we also had faith in what we were doing, and came out in the end with bright, fulfilling smiles on our faces. 

Grace Maam's Inspiring Narration

The prophecy of sharing the joy of words that was made when we first set eyes on that poster proclaiming the birth of Quills, has come true. It will not take anything more than real passion for literature to keep this ship sailing!

Fulfilling the Prophecy!