Blogger

The 'Chautauqua intercollegiate poetry workshop conducted on the 30th of January in the Assembly and Conference Halls of Block 2, Christ University campus began with a formal inaugural ceremony, at 9:15 am soon after the registrations for participants closed. The dignitaries on the dais were Dr.Kennedy, dean of Humanities and Social sciences, Professor Shobana P. Mathews Coordinator of MA English and Father Joseph from the Mathematics department, Coordinator of the department of English and Media Studies.      Dr. Kenndy spoke about how we are all poets without poems and also shared a poem by a transgender poet, Kalki Subramanyam addressing transgender issues in his poetry. Father Joseph wrote a poem in response to section 377 that deals with gay rights while madam Abhaya sang a song for us to wish the gathering a productive day. Shobhana talked to us about how poetry isn’t something intimidating and how in fact, the reckless use of dead words and canons can...

Dr. V. Shivaraman, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Department of English, Presidency College (Autonomous), Chennai.   His doctoral research was centred on the plays of renowned Kannada playwright Girish Karnad, and he has published several scholarly articles and books on Indian theatre.   Dr.Shivaraman is also visually challenged and has held several honorary positions with organisations working for the welfare of the differently abled. Overview: Dr. Shivaraman primarilyargued that certain playwrights in post-independent India made an “earnest attempt” to “nativise” Indian theatre.   While making a special reference toKarnad, he also noted playwrights such asHabib Tanveer, Chandrashekhar Kambar, Vijay Tendulkar, Mohan Rakesh, Mahesh Elkunchwar and K. N. Panikkar for their endeavour to nativise both theatrical content and form by wresting them from colonial influences.He excluded certain figures from this distinctioneither on ...

The 3rd semester MTech Students (3MTPS, 3MTSE, 3MTCN, 3MTMD, 3MTCS/IT) presented different posters as a part of cyber security awareness program. Cyber Security is a subject offered by the Dept. of CSE.  The posters were displayed on the notice boards in the foyer II Block, Christ University, Kengeri campus on September 15th 2014. The topics displayed by the students were Information Technology Acts 2000 and 2008, different sections available in it under cyber laws, India and also showcased various cyber-attacks with corresponding counter measures. This event received a good appreciation from all the departments’ students as well as faculty. The coordinators for the event were Prof. K Pradeep Kumar and Prof. M Moses.

A lecture on Revisiting Indian Epics was held for the Honours in English Studies as well as 3 MA English students in Room no. 613 in the Central Block of the University on Saturday, the 5th of July with Prof. Gaana J. of the English Department as the facilitator. The speaker was Dr. Meera Baindur, Associate professor, MCPH, Manipal University. The Mahabharata, Ramayana and the characters in them are household names for almost every Indian. In this, Dr. Meera Baindur was no exception. However, her interest in the epics led her to read the Sanskrit classical versions. After the brief introduction to her engagement with the epics, Dr. Baindur spoke about the difference between an Itihasa and a Purana. ‘Iti’ ‘ha’ ‘asa’ literally translates to ‘thus indeed (it) was whereas a Purana means old/ revealed. Till sixth century, the epics were transmitted through oral literature. The Indian Epics are so intertwined with Indian culture that they are seen as history by many while others see the...

History, as Benedict Anderson puts it, is the necessary basis of the national narrative. However, the history constructed by the British for the Indians and the one constructed by the Indians for themselves are vastly different and this is where art comes in. Art has always served more than an aesthetic function. It is also a means of expression, of constructing identities and ‘imagined communities’. It is interesting to note how often the British brought to the fore either religious or highly sensuous depictions in art, completely ignoring everything else, constructing India as the promised exotic land – the land of mysteries, of elephants and snake-charmers, of a thousand tongues and even more gods. Theirs was an India where a much married Radha frolicked with an unmarried Krishna, where a Brahma with five heads ruled the heavens from his lotus seat, where kings lived in their forts that were almost magically carved out of stone and where tigers seemed to outnumber men. However...

An ornate culmination, a ruthless history, an eradication of many Alexandrias and the resurrection of power – a power, much benevolent bestowed with the wand to frame the ‘other’ has lurked within our nation. But more than a vehicle that merely lurked, it has shrouded itself against our civilized backs and redefined the structure of equality. Within this very mirage of etiquettes thrust upon our culture by Colonization, much has been gained and much lost too. Dr. Maya from the Sociology department, shed light on a grotesque reality that one was aware of but could not relate to instantly. The almost taxonomic creation of a minority within our democratic nation was highlighted. The idea of a minority being a social construct differentiated and plausibly discriminated by a higher social power gave rise to the term ‘Tribes’ or ‘Adivasi’. Within a series of discussions, the blanket term that defined a heterogeneous community romanticized and exoticized as the indigenous folk thriving by...

There are some people who sit and talk about the problems which are out there, and then there are some who actually go out and do something about it. The latter are the people the English Department honours us with for our guest lectures. The class of English Honours 2015 started the session on Friday by watching a documentary prepared by Ms. Priya Ramasubban, the guest lecturer for the day. The documentary introduced the class to Kaikondarahalli Lake and the struggles as well as success of the project initiated by a small group of individuals in saving the lake. What really shook the class was the fact that an interdisciplinary group of common people could accomplish so much. More than that, it restored their faith in the government and administrative systems to a large extent, as posing a possible solution seems to go a long way in garnering support instead of just discussing problems.  Ms. PriyaRamasubban spoke to the class briefly about her experience in saving the l...

Guest Speaker: Mr Elango, HoD, The American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu The English Department organized a guest talk for the first year English Studies students for the British Literature Paper (EST 131). The guest speaker was Mr. Elango, HoD, The American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Being well versed in Shakespearean elements and background, he put forth his theories about how Shakespeare transcends conventional bounds. He dwelt upon various aspects of how cinema was/is influenced by Shakespearean elements. He spoke of some Shakespearean plays and how they catered to all his audiences - from the aristocracy to the groundlings. He talked about the requirements that emerge when it comes to staging a play, as he is a recognized director of Shakespearean plays. He spoke about his innovation on the stage to change sets in 30 seconds without drawing the curtains on the stage with the few resources available. He spoke about each prop being subject to intricate detailing. Interest...

It has been 450 years since William Shakespeare’s birth, but his saga lives on...and quite literally, at that! The works of the iconic playwright came alive at Christ University on 13 August 2014, Wednesday, for their annual English Literary Carnival, Jabberwocky. The fest, which is a carnival of sorts, is known for its tidal wave of creativity and fun, but this year saw the exploration of new levels of artistry, with the theme ‘Shakespeare’, in commemoration of his 450th birth anniversary. Indeed, all the University’s a stage - and the students merely players! This year’s topics were some of his classic plays, such as The Tempest, Othello, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, Anthony and Cleopatra, Henry IV, As you like it, Richard II and Romeo and Juliet. Each of the twelve classes had to put up a stall on the play chosen by them and they had to focus on the stagecraft in Shakespeare’s play, Social, Cultural and Historical Con...

A three day workshop on Cadence OrCAD PCB Suite 16.6 was conducted from 15/07/2014 to 17/07/2014. 50 Students form BTech and MTech were part of it. Workshop started with explaining the importance of PCB designing in today’s world and by learning and experimenting with PCB designs, and how students can become more marketable to companies.  It was a vibrant, stimulating, and inspiring workshop and the essence of this workshop is highly valued.

The Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Christ University Faculty of Engineering organized a one day Industrial visit to ISRO Satellite centre (ISAC) for the third year BTech and first year MTech students 18th July 2014, and for second year BTech students on 10th September 2014. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is the primary space agency of India. ISRO is amongst the largest government space agencies in the world. Its primary objective is to advance space technology and use its applications for national benefit. The visit provided an insight to the quality of research happening in the area of space technology and the scope of electronics and communication engineer in this field. It was a good experience for the students  which provided exposure about the Indian space Programme and how much they as communication engineers can do in this field.

A technical talk on Neuro Marketing was given by Dr. Manikandan Scientist, DRDO. It was conducted on 12/07/2014.  Neuro Marketing is a new field of marketing research that studies consumers' sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective response to marketing stimuli. Researchers use technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure changes in activity in parts of the brain.    Electroencephalography (EEG) and Steady state topography (SST) to measure activity in specific regional spectra of the brain response, and/or sensors to measure changes in one's physiological state, also known as biometrics, including heart rate and respiratory rate, galvanic skin response, to learn why consumers make the decisions they do, and what part of the brain is telling them to do it. Neuro marketing research raised interest for both academic and business side.

Operon is an intercollegiate fest organized by the department of Biotechnology, Christ University. The Biotechnology association consists of dynamic teachers and enthusiastic students who took active participation in the fest. The preparations for the fest began in July. Invitations were designed, printed out and distributed among 30 different life-sciences colleges across Bangalore. The students performed a flashmob on 13.8.2014 to promote the fest.   Operon 2014 was conducted in the Main Auditorium on August 19. Students from 14 colleges participated in the event. The fest began at 09:30 in the morning with an inaugural dance and lighting of the lamp by Professor NanjeGowda Dean of Sciences; Dr.Louis George, Associate-Dean of Sciences and Prof.Vasantha V.L., faculty Coordinator for Operon. Events like Mind Twister, Marketing Genius and Master-Cracker were all held in the auditorium. Other events like Pot Pourri, Clay Modeling, Synthesizing Shakespeare and Techtooning, were ...