Once upon a Blue Moon Night
I was walking the George Street by the moonlight,
Far, very far, there up, very high up,
The stars twinkled like sparks in the sky;
I had a feeling, a creepy one, that I wasn't alone,
There was something unusual in the cold wind's tone,
My feet tightly dug in the ground,
Not a third soul could be found;
Standing behind the Old Banyan Tree,
I noticed someone staring at me!
I called her, asked 'Who art thou?'
'You got these wounds, when? how?'
She hath beautiful eyes- deep, dark, bold,
But somehow I felt something was untold.
'What is your name?', She said, 'Grace'
I smiled at her and took her to my place.
'At daybreak, I'll leave you at your house', I said
She quietly had her supper and went to bed,
At dawn, I searched for that damsel of fifteen,
But to my surprise, she was nowhere to be seen;
I went to Uncle David and told him the tale,
By and by, I noticed, his face grew pale;
'That girl Grace..', He was taken aback,
'She died a decade ago in a terrorist attack'
The words of Uncle David fell like Lightening,
The thought of her were very frightening.
Years have passed, but I still fear that Blue Moon Night,
When I was walking the George Street by the moonlight.
- Syeda Mariya, BA I Year.
The BA Orientation program for this academic year was conducted on the 20th of July, 2019 in the seminar hall. The Departments of English, Journalism and History organized the event while the second and final years of BA delivered motivating speeches and mesmerizing performances for their juniors. Alumni Ms. Juveria Tabassum and Ms. Achasha Vajra were also invited to share their experiences with the students at the program.
The event was initiated by a prayer song, performed by Sahithi of BA second year. The anchor for the day, Priyanka Singh of BA second year, then invited the Head of Department of English, Mrs. Suchithra to address the freshmen. She highlighted all the facilities of the College, urging the students to make use of them. She also stressed the importance of attendance before signing off with a warm welcome to the new joiners. Subsequently, The Heads of Department of Journalism and History, Mrs. Anuradha and Mrs. Hema Subramanyam also took to the stage to impart their wisdom upon the students. While Mrs. Anuradha spoke about all the exciting features of the college, Mrs. Hema narrated a fable to the students on never letting opportunities pass. "Some opportunities come knocking on your door, so try to grab them." she advised.
Following this, Hiranmayee of BA second year introduced the Alumni speakers and invited them to share a few words. Ms Juveria took to the podium first to relate her experience as the former student editor of the Quills Blog. While she encouraged her juniors to step out of their self-made boundaries, Ms Achasha opened up about the support she received from her teachers that helped her grow.
A short poetry dance on 'Kubla Khan' by Sameul Taylor Coleridge followed which was rendered by the students of both BA second and final years. Immediately after, speakers: Mounica, Sreeja and Bhakti (final years); Veda, Harika and Nandini (second years), delivered speeches on their own struggles like insecurity, low self confidence, stage fear etc., and detailed how the college has helped them reach a better mind space. The floor was then thrown open for feedback in which, the first years enthusiastically took part in. The event ended with a short Vote Of Thanks by BA final year student, Akhila and the students all came together for a group pic.
