Performing Texts: Bringing Words to Life

The real beauty and meaning hidden between the lines of literature are sometimes lost under the weight of textbook pages and explanations in classrooms.

Within these Halls Whispered the Wonders of Words

Thus,  the Department of English, Osmania University and UGC XII Plan General Development Assistance Scheme came up with a fresh idea. They recently conducted a two day Innovative Programme for students, titled, "Performing Texts", 28-29 September 2016. Undergraduates from different institutions in Hyderabad participated in this competition. They were encouraged to perform on stage, the stories and poems taught in their classes. 

The Arts College-A Fitting Venue

On 28th of September, 16 colleges turned up at the iconic Arts College to showcase their theatrical talents. The Inauguration marked by some inspiring words from the  HoD of the Department of English, OU, Ms. Sumita Roy,  Head, BoS, Prof. T. Vijay Kumar and the judges of the event, Dr. Murali Krishna and Dr. KW Christopher, gave way to the first of the three sessions of the programme.

                 

Prof. T. Vijay Kumar addresses the gathering 

Team Q.L.C.- Re-Imagining Love

This session began by a performance of Mark Anthony's speech from Julius Caesar by the students of Little Flower Degree College and a Slam poetry performance by the students of Villa Marie Degree College. We the students of R.B.V.R.R Women's College and proud members of the Quills Literary Club presented a Discussion Play based on William Shakespeare's Sonnet Number 116, Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds. It received much praise and appreciation from the audience. 

Students from St. Ann's performing their play, "What is My Name?"

Students of Villa Marie College presenting Slam Poetry

"Lend me your ears!" : A performance on Marc Anthony's Speech by Little Flower Degree College

The second session consisted of performances on popular texts ranging from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, and Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

"Better a Witty Fool, than a Foolish Wit"

 

Wake up, Mr. Scrooge!

"Life is either a great adventure or nothing"

The third session, began early on 29th and saw a brilliant performance on Hellen Keller's life by the students of E Thames Degree College. The audience was also treated to an enactment of R.K. Narayan's thriller, The Astrologer's Day.

In between sessions, the participants had a wonderful time interacting with each other, making new friends and acquaintances, and gushing over similar passions for literature. 

New Friends!!

                           
 The marvelous campus of the Arts College barely managed to contain the enthusiasm and the interest exuded by the these talented and out-spoken Millennials.  

               Opinions!

Dr. K W Christopher- a gold mine of information!

The event also included a brief lecture on performing arts by Professor and co-judge, Dr. KW Christopher, which enhanced the participants' knowledge on expression and theater.

Registrar, Osmania University, Prof. E. Suresh Kumar

Valedictory was presided over by the Registrar of Osmania University, Prof. E. Suresh Kumar, who emphasized on the importance of expression in everyday life, in his brief, but enjoyable speech. 

Very soon, room no. 133 held its breath as one, as the winners of the contest were announced.

It was a moment of great satisfaction and pride for the students of R.B.V.R.R Women's College- the flag-bearers of the Quills Literary Club, as they bagged the first place. for their deliberations on true love in this technocratic age. 

Victory!

E.Thames college came second with their well executed act on Hellen Keller, and Villa Marie College took home the third prize.  Special awards were handed out to various other acts, including the performances on Julius Caesar and The Raven.

Room No.133 Packed to the Rafters!

The Department of English, OU, deserves accolades for coming up with this amazing concept and giving the students a chance to be innovative, and discover the latent talents within themselves. The Department, all the student organizers, and everyone at the Arts College were the very epitome of the typical Hyderabadi hospitality. 

Even between technical breaks, the air was full with warmth, music and lyrics. It was wonderful to to hear Professor Murali Krishna revive the melodies of Kishore Kumar and Prof K W Christopher evoke the passions of Indian ragas. 

Dr. Sumita Roy- All Charm and Inspiration!

Quills Literary Club would like to thank Dr. Sumita Roy and her team for such a wonderful opportunity to not just perform on such a stage, but also connect with the 
lovers of literature from the city!

The R.B.V..R.R Team: N.Sai Hari Priya, Juveria Tabassum and G.R. Srinidhi (from left)

Selfie with the Certs and Mentor,
 Ms Jhilam Chattaraj

A Click with Dr.  Sumita Roy

"Waves" by Sharon Dogar and "House of Cards" by Sudha Murthy: Book Reviews by K. Dhana Lakshmi

Here is my review of the book Waves by Sharon Dogar.

They say "Don't judge a book by its cover" but I am glad I did. I was sure that this would be a very interesting one.

It was a a breathtaking story of a brother and sister.

Synopsis

When the whole Ditton family goes to Cornwall during summer vacation, Hal begins to hear the voices of his dead half sister, Charlie. Hal discovers strange things going around him, and starts to dig up the truth behind Charlie's mysterious accident leading him to more unbelievable truths.

My Reviews

"Sometimes, I think the sea nearly killed her, loved her so much that it didn't want to her give her back". This is the best phrase I came across the whole book. It expresses the anger and the depression Hal was suffering from after losing his sister.

 The way Hal fights himself, not to go into the thoughts of Charlie was amazingly described.

 Sara has the best role in the whole book. She was always there to console the family with her overloaded  cuteness, whenever the family felt emptiness, without Charlie.

 I didn't like the part where Hal blamed Charlie for being in coma and making his mum suffer. 

Jack, who grew close to Hal turns out to be Pete's sister. It made me think of Jack as one of the convicts in Charlie's accident, but to my surprise she was not and this made me more curious about the ending.

But , the ending seemed to be less mysterious (which is the only part that disappointed me).

Overall, I think that the book was great in gaining the reader's attention. It has such a good story line and was written so well. I would recommend this book to all the "supernatural thriller lovers". 

Here is my review of the book House Of Cards by Sudha Murthy.

 I like the way Sudha Murthy expresses her thoughts in a simple and beautiful manner. 

Sudha Murthy selects a very appropriate topic and tries to  convey the message to every Mridula who suffers silently. 

The message i gained, was that every girl should have a dream of her own. A woman sacrifices everything for her family but doesn't get anything in return. No woman gets equal importance from her family.

Here in this story Mridula, a small town girl marries Sanjay from Mumbai,  after which her life changes. 

This story tells how money can corrupt an innocent mind .

This story also  tells  how important it is to have trust in any relationship. As Sanjay gets more greedy to this materialistic world,  the distance between Sanjay and Mridula, expands considerably. The more Sanjay starts earning money, the less he is concerned about Mridula.  Though Mridula was extremely hurt because of Sanjay, she bears it all, but couldn't take it when Sanjay  breaks her trust.

Mridula while going to a psychiatrist tells us how frustrated she is mentally.

The way Sanjay and her family behaves upsets her so much that she decides to leave everything and live life her own way, which explains us that there is  a limit to any woman's patience. 

Overall, I think this is a beautiful book which is worth a read.

Talking Devi: A Report on QLC Meet 30.8.16 by Avani Rawal

This time at the QLC meeting, the members were introduced to the famous Bengali writer, Mahaswetha Devi, and some of her works.

The session started with Ms. Pankaja  briefing the meeting about Mahaswetha Devi’s life and works. Devi, a Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan awardee, was known for her powerful and disturbing stories that depicted the social evils that still prevail in our country. Her stories are exceptional for their complete lack of melodrama. The hard life of the tribals, who are oppressed by the rich and powerful are described in her distinctively matter-of-fact style. Ms Pankaja also gave a gist of Devi’s 'Draupadi', which is one of her most famous works. Draupadi, a disturbing plot set amongst the tribals of Bengal is the story of a rebellious woman named Draupadi, who,in the face of brutal assault and sexual abuse by  government officials attempting to torment her entire community of tribals, is not cowed but stands strong for herself. Draupadi’s is a story that is as inspirational, as it is disturbing.

Pankaja Ma'am talking about Mahaswetha Devi

The session concluded with the screening of the movie 'Rudaali' which is also an adaptation of Mahasweta Devi's story of the same name. It is about a woman Shanichari who is forced into the work of weeping to sustain a livelihood. Shani, who was abandoned by her mother, only to marry an alcoholic, who leaves her, and her mentally challenged son to fend for themselves, is, incredibly, shown to have never cried in her life before being forced by the society and her circumstances, into the profession of weeping over the deaths of people from the higher strata of the society, whose family members are not allowed to publicly express emotion due to their status in the society. A conflicting love angle is also introduced in the story, when Shani falls in love with one of the local landlord’s son, but her pride and self respect stop her from marrying him.

Getting Inspired

                         

Mahaswetha Devi’s stories leave a lasting impact on the minds of those who read them, because they express raw emotion and depict people in suffering fighting out of those situations with incredible courage, pride and determination. Her stories continue to inspire decades of readers, and will continue to do so despite her death. QLC was indeed honored to have been able to discuss the life and works of a writer as stirring as Mahaswetha Devi.

Watching Rudali

                             

Avani Rawal

Love: A Touching Short Story by Hari Priya

LOVE

She felt him cuddle her in the middle of the night. 

He felt warm and soft. And suddenly, her nightmares faded 

away.

     

She woke up the next morning, to prepare a mug of coffee. 

She felt him hugging her from behind, his chin resting on her 

shoulder. And somehow, her day started well.

     

She picked up his favourite dress on her. She could feel him 

leaning against the door, smiling at her.

      

She could hear him groan in satisfaction as she prepared his 

favourite breakfast, pancakes with maple syrup.

      

She turned the radio on and started driving. She could see 

him bopping his head to the music. It was his favourite genre.

      As soon as she reached her workplace, she drowned in a 

sea of mails, appointments, and meetings. She forgot about 

him for a while.

      

She ordered her lunch, chuckling, as she remembered how 

his face scrunches up in annoyance at the sight of greasy 

food. She ate it anyways.

    

She returned home in the evening and washed all the make-

up off. He always found her the most beautiful in her 

natural state.

    

She went to the florist to buy daffodils – one of the very few 

things they like in common. She then purchased a bottle of 

wine and headed towards where he currently lived.

    

 She opened the gate, the creaking sound being the only 

thing heard in the neighbourhood. 

She headed towards him with a small smile in her face, as 

she sat opposite to him, placing the flowers and the wine

beside her.

    

 She spoke to him about her day, knowing that he would 

listen without any problem. He always listened.

     

He was listening then too, smiling, as he stared at her. He 

smiled at how angry she got over her boss, feigned 

annoyance as she mentioned her unhealthy lunch, laughed 

with her as she narrated a really funny incident which had 

occurred in the office.

She went on speaking about her day, and he never minded. 

He was enjoying it. She knew it.

     

Soon, a comfortable silence wrapped around them. It was 

getting dark and she had to leave.

      

She kissed him, and left for home. He felt the kiss and his 

heart soared.

      He felt her love for him, even if he was no more.   

To War or not to War: A Report on QLC Meeting 30 July 2016

 Quills Literary Club welcomed  its  members to discuss and debate over the topic " TO WAR OR NOT TO WAR." 

M.Sai Priya talks about the Second World War

 The session started with a recitation of a heart touching poem  by Juveria Tabassum. The poem was titled, "I saw his Eyes" and written by Juveria herself. The poem referred to the horrific July 14th attack in Nice, and was inspired by the picture of a little girl lying dead on the road, covered with a thermal blanket, and her doll lying beside her. However, the poem was also a tribute to all those children who suffer endlessly and pointlessly in armed conflicts around the world.

Juveria Tabassum recites her poem, "I saw his Eyes"

The poem was a dramatic monologue where the child expresses her melancholy to  her mother saying that those all who fight over each other should be given love and not hatred.

The club  for a while was in deep thoughts. 

Members lost in thoughts

Nagina Shashanka then broke the silence with her speech on First World War to educate everyone about how actually it all started during those times and it was followed by M.Sai Priya who gave an introduction about the Second World War. 

Nagina Shashanka talking about the war and its effects

The discussion gradually drifted to a debate  where a few members talked in favour of war. It was indeed wonderful to get some unbelievable facts about how war altered some nations to be powerful on earth and how it benefited in promoting new inventions. 

G.Anusha questioning the members

Supriya.K

K.srinidhi

K.Kavitha Keerthi

It was all again strictly objected to by some of the others, who argued that the damage caused, nullifies any "advantage" that war provides. They said that war not only causes physical destruction, but also  the destroys the interpersonal relations between nations. The staff of English Department also participated in the discussion to boost it up and enlighten students. 

In conversation

The session ended up with the screening of a short movie "The Immigrant", which showcased the arduous journey from Europe to America that the Jews undertook during the Second World War, in order to escape the atrocities imposed upon them by Hitler. The lead role, played by iconic actor Charlie Chaplin, left everyone laughing heartily after a long serious discourse about war but they also might have understood the greatness of the veteran actor Charlie who showcased poor conditions of an immigrant with a humorous touch in it. We moved out thinking what next there yet was, to come from our literary club.




M.Sai Priya

Graves Don't Lie: A Unique take on Life and Death by Sai Priya

QLC presents a unique, profound and deeply stirring short story, Life from the Grave by Sai Priya

Amma, you cannot be this way anymore, I shouted. You have not eaten anything since morning. How many days are you going to be in depression? Please come out of it amma. Life is not all about father. He left us but not on road.He gave us all that we require to live happily ever after. He may not be byour side but he is always watching us and if you do not eat food, you are disrespecting him.

              I was talking a lot  about such stuff and then realized that she dozed off on the couch long back, yet murmuring my father’s name.I could do nothing but go to my room and sleep.I woke up early in the morning with sounds coming from the dining room. I simply rushed and found my Amma weeping in a corner saying

 “Why do they do this all the time? I can’t stand those sounds…its painful.Please ask them to stop it.”

I tried to cool her down and gave her a glass of water.

Amma relax, I will take you to your room.

I did not notice that Chandra had come and stood before the main door looking out in astonishment.

I took amma to her room and helped her lie down.

What sound was amma talking about? asked Chandra, coming inside the house.

Amma doesn’t like those drum sounds that they play when someone is dead. She says that she starts remembering father’s death.

Why don’t you close the windows then?asked Chandra.

Yes, I did.But look!The graveyard is just next to my house and the sounds would have never ended even if I had placed an iron cupboard there.

I think you should not live here any longer, Sravan.

I know, Chandra. But I am totally helpless. I cannot afford a new house in the town right away. I promised amma that I would definitely shift home far away from any graveyard as soon as I get a good job.

Alright, I think I will leave now.

Wait Chandra, I completely forgot asking the  purpose of your visit so early in the morning.

Oh yeah! I have come here to give you this file that you forgot yesterday on my desk. Here, take it.

Thank you so much Chandra. You should not have troubled yourself coming all the way long. I would have collected it in the office.

Naah! Thats ok. I thought you might be in need of the file. So I came to hand it over to you. Anyways, I have to leave now. See you in the office. Take care of amma.

Bye Chandra. See you.

I went back to check if my mother was asleep but I found her leaning onto the wall and looking at the graveyard through the window.

Amma, don’t you want to rest?

No, Sravan, I am fine.

What happened amma? , I asked.

She gave a faded smile.

Do you want to take a break going to aunt’s house? I asked her.

No, I am fine here, she replied.

Alright if you change your mind then let me knowamma.

I got ready and ran off to office wondering if Neelima had already reached there. I was right.She stood near the entrance talking to Chandra. I waved a quick ‘Hi’ and went to park my bike. 

Neelima and Chandra have been my colleagues for a long time that I cannot live in peace in the weekends, because I don't get to meet them.

You look worried Sravan , what’s the matter? asked  Neelima.

Its nothing Neelu. The same old story. My amma is unable to come out of depression.

Then maybe you should tell her about me, Sravan.

How does that matter now?

Your amma will feel better if you say we are going to get married, Neelima giggled.

Haha...fine fine. I will tell her soon about you.

We three walked inside the office discussing about work for the day.

It was half past two and I received five missed calls from 

amma which I did not attend due to a meeting. I  ran out as 

quickly as possible to call her.

Amma are you fine? I asked.

Yes, I am fine. Nothing to worry. Had your lunch?

 Yes but why did you call me so many times?

Err…I was just wondering if it is the right thing to go to aunt’s place for a while.

Finally, I am happy that you have decided to live in peace forgetting the past. Well, I will come and pick you when I am done with my office work and drop you at aunt’s house.

Alright son. I will wait. Bye

Bye amma.

Months passed by and I missed amma very badly. I cursed myself for sending her to aunt's house. The house was gloomy without her. I leaned towards the wall and looked at the grave.

" Only if I had a house in town, my life would be different " I thought.

The doorbell rang and I went to see who it was at this hour. To my surprise it was Neelima smiling at me. I was astonished  and asked her.

"What is this? I would have come to pick you if you had  informed me before , Neelima.

There is no need for such a thing. I am not a kid Sravan. I came in a cab.

A cab? Are you saying that you came in a cab in this dark night. Why do you do such things which scare me.

Alright, I am sorry. I won’t repeat it.But I thought you might be feeling lonely without amma.

Yes, I do. I miss her a lot Neelu.

Anyways comfort yourself on the sofa.

I will be right back with a cup of coffee.

Sure, let’s see how Mr. Sravan makes coffee for his fiancé.

I laughed and went into the kitchen to bring a mug filled with hot coffee.

When I was done I shouted "Neelima, how much sugar do you prefer in a cup of coffee?"

There was no reply. I shouted again, Neelima, are you there?

There was pin drop silence again.

I went to see where she might have gone and I could not find her since she was not on the sofa. So I went to dining hall and there she stood leaning to the wall and keenly watching the grave just like amma.

She saw me but spoke after a long silence.

They are playing drums. Who is dead? Sravan.

I replied in a mellowed tone, "What do I know?" That’s a graveyard and they bury people who are dead.

Hmm, are we going to stay in this house after our marriage? She asked.

I took a long breath and sighed.

Listen Neelu,  I am not going to trouble you. We will move to the town and live a happy life there. But just give me few more days. I swear, I will find a quite right place.

What are you talking about Sravan?

I just asked you if we are going to stay in this house after marriage.

I never said I have any problem with the grave.

Don’t comfort me with your sweet lies, Neelu. Do you think I am a fool to believe you when you say you do not have a problem with the grave. Who on earth loves to reside in a house surrounded by a deadly grave.

Neelima laughed out loud and said It’s me who has no complaints on the grave.

Look Sravan, it all depends on us how we look at certain things. This grave is not that bad anyways. In life, we always run behind fame, riches and name. We never stay satisfied with one thing. We want a house, then a car, then a big mansion, then a different model car and it just goes on.

We want to earn lot of money for our children and also grand children. We simply become greedy each day.

 What do you want to say Neelima? I interrupted.

Just look at the grave, Sravan. Each time when you start your day looking at it will remind you that whatever you do in life, you definitely have to give up all the materialistic things and fall asleep in the grave forever. It will remind you not to be too greedy or not take an issue too seriously. Let life float on the water gently.