MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF
JOURNALISM

V O L U M E 9 , E D I T I O N 1 A U G U S T 2 0 1 0
LOOK OUT
FOR:

• Bidding Good-
bye to
The Truth About Me
Ruchika She felt like a woman trapped in does. Moreover, it was not
a man’s body. A hijra, A Revathi, What kind of a response do enough for me to merely chal-
• Fresher’s is one of her kind voicing out the you hope to get for “The lenge the violations suffered by
woes of her community through Truth About Me”? sexual minorities – I wanted to
Week her autobiography “The Truth This is not the story of just one fight against sexual violence.
about Me” which was released Attending
• Help Staff in on August 6, 2010. Originally various con-
College written in Tamil and translated to ferences and
English by V,Geetha, this is Re- meetings
• Remembering vathi’s second book af- trying to talk
ter Unarvum Uruvamum. to people is
Hiroshima & Former director of Sangama, an still not
Nagasaki organization working for the enough as
rights of sexual minorities, Re- most do not
• Honor Killing? vathi, through her book, aims to understand
educate the society about the the gravity of
trauma members of their com- our situation
• Sci-fi and Lit-
munity face. She hopes to reach a and forget all
erature larger audience and strike a Revathi at the book launch about us once
chord with others like her so it is over.
• Discography that people who are in a dilemma Revathi, but of an entire culture
about their sexuality will be able that she is only a part of— When did you first decide to
• Reviews and to get a better insight into what the hijra community. Our tradi- write your autobiography?
they are feeling and know that tions, relationships and our In the past I used to give testimo-
features they have support. wishes and dreams need to be nials to people who asked about
In an interview with For Now, shared with people in order to my experiences. But, to summa-
• Horoscope Revathi gets candid about her be recognized as humans who rize forty years of my life in just
book and what it means to be a have feelings too. We too bleed five or ten minutes is simply not
• Activity Page transgender in a largely conserva- like the others when cut, we cry, possible. There are several
tive society. we laugh—just like everyone else (Contd. on Page 2)
 PAGE 2
One of the Help Staff in
College
“After all the students have
left, the classes are cleaned
and the support staff
collects the waste, takes it
to the basement where it is
segregated. I
believe without the aid of
our support staff, the
implementation of the solid
waste management
program would have been
next to impossible”
- Binoy Anthony,
Manager of the
Maintenance Department
Revathi as featured on
the cover page of her
FOR NOW
Silent Samaritans
Amidst the thousands of young
women aspiring to reach new
heights in their lives at Mount
Carmel College, live a few
people who make an invisible
yet tremendous contribution
to make MCC the way it is.
An integral part of the college,
the support staff here have
made a home away from home
even as they altruistically tend
to chores like they do in
their own household.
Clad in brown saris and shirts,
members of the support staff
are always spotted busy
sweeping the corridors, work-
ing at labs or the library as well
as the examination depart-
ment. The help staff comprises
of just 57 men and
women employed on a campus
that spreads across several
acres housing humongous in-
terconnected buildings.
The student population en-
sures that there is enough
work left behind for them,
although they dispose waste
appropriately in the
(continued from Page 1)
others who have suffered
greater humiliation, and have
been exposed to a harsher
world than me. This book is
my attempt at building a ray of
hope for them.
Also, the great response to my
first book, Unarvum Uruvamum,
where I compiled testimonials
of other members belonging to
the third sex, encouraged me a
lot. Here, I want to see how
people receive my own story.
How difficult was it for you
to write it?
I started by just listing out the
unforgettable incidents of my
life because it was hard to go
back in time and remember
everything that happened ear-
lier. But these experiences
triggered other sweet and
bitter memories and thus I
retold most of my story. I
constantly edited and reedited
what I wrote and finally fin-
bins provided. It is difficult to
imagine how they manage to
work so well and keep the
campus so impeccably clean.
Their driving force is their
loyalty towards the institution.
The college has been home to
more than half the employees
for most part of their lives.
Veronica Francis for instance
came to Mount Carmel as
a young girl and joined the
convent. After having worked
there for over a decade, she
joined the examination depart-
ment. She is currently working
at the electronics lab. Now 34,
Veronica looks back at her life
at MCC and feels her job here
is more like a duty she needs
to perform well.
“We work, we get paid. Our
satisfaction comes to us when
we know we have performed
our duty. We consider
this college no less than our
own home,” she says.
After a long day’s hard work
and pure service, they expect
nothing from either the stu-
ished it after four years of toil.
Writing is extremely difficult.
You cannot expect to write a
good piece if your mind is
preoccupied with other trou-
bles. I took several breaks in
between my work at Sangama
and taking care of my nephews
at home.
Who exactly is Revathi
when she is not working
for Sangama?
(Smiling) Well, Revathi is just
another woman who loves
cooking,, watching television,
visiting temples—the typical
homemaker, if you will. But
then again, I can never be
someone like that. I look long-
ingly at women seeing their
kids off to school. Some days I
curse the fates for what I am
today. Why did I have to be
born inside a wrong body? I
want to be married and have
kids too. But, it is too late for
me to fall in love now, and
even if I do, the society will not
dents or the faculty. There are
instances when the support
staff is subjected to rude be-
havior from a few arro-
gant students, but this does
not deter them from perform-
ing their task. They go about
their usual chores, without the
slightest fluctuation in their
temper. “Children are children
at the end of the day. We
can only ignore their mistakes
and arrogance. All we expect
from them is some sense of
decorum and discipline,” says
Queen Victoria, a li-
brary attendant who has been
working at MCC since 2002.
The support staff finds the
balance between freedom and
work quite a blessing, as they
do not have to tire themselves
by working endlessly all day
long. All jobs are evenly dis-
tributed. Each attendant
is entrusted with the responsi-
bility of cleaning 5 rooms.
Those who clean the corridors
are asked to clean only 3
rooms.
Juwairia Mehkri, II PyEJ
accept it and ostracize us
more. Yet, I’m happy about
how I have turned out. I have
changed and yet, remained the
same. The spirit that drove me
earlier still exists, but my life
has taught me much more
today. I wish to be reborn as a
woman in all my lifetimes to
come!
What message you would
like to give our readers?
All I wish is for people to see
us as one among them. Mem-
bers of the family need to be
more understanding and sup-
portive of their homosexual or
transsexual kin. I want to give
others like me the opportunity
to live the life of fulfillment and
satisfaction that I was unable
to.
As told to:
Madhavi S and Lekha KG,
III PyEJ
VOLUME 9, EDITION
Remembering Hiroshima & Nagasaki
On August 6th 1945, 8:15 a.m., a
Uranium bomb detonated above
the four hundred year old city of
Hiroshima and instantly evaporated
thousands of people and buildings.
The heat wave caused as an impact
of this bombing sent the tempera-
ture of the surroundings to a tre-
mendous 4000 Celsius. The “rain of
ruin from the air, the like of which
has never been seen on this earth”
wiped out entire generations.
Altogether, the two bombings killed
an estimated 250,000 and injured
130,000. Due to the impact of the
detonation, people within a mile of
ground zero died within seconds.
People farther away from the ex-
plosion, first experienced the heat
followed by the thunderous boom
and the consequent heat wave.
Almost every building of this old
city was ground to dust. Less than
10 percent of the buildings and
monuments of the city survive to
this day.
Drawn into the war in 1941 after
the unexpected attack at Pearl Har-
bour, one wonders how America
can ever justify the bombings which
liquefied entire cities.
1 PAGE
They definitely tried to: Truman,
who was the President then, said
that it was in fact done "to shorten
the agony of war...to save the lives
of thousands and thousands of
young Americans.” He ordered the
detonation of “Little Boy” on Hi-
roshima on 6th August, 1945 and
“Fat Man” over Nagasaki on 9th
August, 1945 without as much as a
prior warning to the authorities.
But undoubtedly another alterna-
tive to the bombings existed: Amer-
ica’s need to overpower Japan and
prove to the world that it was a
world power could have been done
through diplomacy, and by making
an effort to negotiate peace.
The sheer energy released from
this technology shook the very
foundations of Japan, a defeated
country. People died not only due
to the dramatic explosion but also
as a subsequent result of radiation
caused by the nuclear bombs. Sixty
five years later, people still suffer
the ramifications of this deadly
atomic bomb. They suffer from
acute skin diseases, cancer or sev-
eral forms of physical deformity.
The Hibakusha or the ‘explosion-
affected-people’ are still among the
3
most discriminated
against. Their physi-
cal deformity cannot
even begin to equate
the psychological
consequences.
Probably the deadli-
est war in human
history, World War Two was the
first ever to incorporate nuclear
weaponry.
Remembering Hiroshima and Na- The “rain
gasaki reminds us of the horrors of of ruin
war and consequences of unregu-
lated use of technological advances. from the
The mayors of Hiroshima and Na- air, the like
gasaki have declared their goal to be of which
making the world free of nuclear
weapons by the 75th anniversary of has never
the atomic bombing. The edifice of been seen
the Peace Memorial Park exists, but
the victims of the war must not
on this
remain engraving on its walls. On earth”
the occasion of the 65th anniversary wiped out
of the bombings, we must ensure
that we do not to forget the victims, entire
and strive in earnest for peace. We generations
must remember that history has,
time and again, shown us that war
cannot be an answer, that it settles
nothing: to win a war is as disas-
trous as to lose one.
Urmi Sengupta,II PyEJ

PAGE 4
EDITORIAL
A classroom is a space which
engenders learning in a system-
atic manner. It fosters focused
thinking and instills discipline.
But one cannot deny that it
also confines. At some point
one needs to move from the
rigmarole of assignments and
tests, cross the borders of
academia and – especially as
students of Journalism - delve
into the “real” world and its
stream of social, cultural and
political debate.
For Now is, essentially, an
attempt to engage in this de-
bate and contribute – even if in
In India these
despicable acts When a life becomes worthless
are being
The ‘Khap’ panchayats and
religiously their spree of ‘honour’ killings
have shaken the conscience of
justified as the young and the old alike. It
has sparked innumerable de-
deliberate bates in the nation, mostly due
to media intervention. The
attempts to media has yet again acted as
the pseudo-Indian Judiciary in a
preserve the frantic attempt to save young
couples in love from the
custom of not scourge of self-appointed, so
called custodians of Indian
getting married tradition and culture.
As always, the government is
using its age old tactic to tide
over this crisis too:
of discussing the prospect of
formulating a new, distinct law
to exclusively deal with honour
killings instead of acting as a
staunch disciplinarian to ensure
the implementation of existing
laws. The union cabinet has
referred the issue to a GoM
(Group of Ministers) who have
in turn asked the opinions of
the state governments for
suggesting steps to curb this
menace.
Dis-honour-killing
Another weakness of our de-
mocracy is the helplessness of
our MLAs and MPs. A classic
example is that of Navin Jindal,
MP from Kurukshethra, Hary-
ana who lauded the Khaps in
FOR NOW order to save his vote bank. All
the most minor way possible –
by making our opinions visible.
It is important to create a dia-
logue, at the college level,
about the pressing issues of
our time, consider different
viewpoints and try to find a
common ground, hence initiat-
ing a forum which will help
sustain this dialogue in the
future. For Now ventures into
a range of issues like honour
killing, the Hiroshima and Na-
gasaki tragedy, and the ques-
tion of gender and sexuality in
the contemporary society –
discussions regarding which are
the need of the hour.
The first edition of For Now
2010 also focuses on things
happening around the campus.
The theme pages highlight how
you need to tweak the system
is pose threats to the
“people’s” representatives to
either extend full cooperation
or perish.
Honour killing has existed for
centuries. While there is no
universally accepted definition
binding all, it can be loosely
stated as an act of killing com-
mitted by the parents, siblings,
relatives, usually men belonging
to the family of the woman
who is believed to have
brought dishonour to the fam-
ily, clan, or community by de-
siring to marry by own choice
or who has indulged in adul-
tery. A mere allegation that a
woman has behaved in a cer-
tain way that has dishonoured
the family is sufficient to sub-
ject a woman to gruesome acts
of violence by the caste coun-
cils of that region as they be-
lieve the onus of upholding the
values of a clan rests on her. It
is prevalent in democratic and
non-democratic countries alike
such as Jordan, Pakistan, Tur-
key, Yemen, and other Gulf
countries, in Western coun-
tries such as France, Germany
and the United Kingdom,
within migrant communities.
In India these despicable acts
are being religiously justified as
students ease into the rhythm
of college life. By offering a
sweeping overview of the little
things that make us click – be it
books, music, movies – For
Now explores what it means
to enter into the richly diverse
experience of being a Carme-
lite.
For Now, this time, is about
beginnings. More importantly,
it is about expressing our
stances on various issues that
concern us – as women and as
journalists. For Now, this time,
is about giving ourselves a
voice.
CS Bhagya, III PyEJ
deliberate attempts to pre-
serve the custom of not getting
married within the
same gotra as they are suppos-
edly believed to be siblings. But
do these customs for maintain-
ing the purity of their respec-
tive clans outweigh the value of
life? Some of these customs
are cemented in the primitive
ages and are so inflexible that
they do not even conform with
the basic human values of ‘the
right to life’.
With liberalization and global-
ization, as the country pro-
gresses with the rest of the
world, it is inevitable for the
youth to transgress rigid caste
structures to lead a decent life
happily with the person of
their choice.
A massive shift in thought
process is the need of the
hour, or else laws, provisions,
amendments will be deferred,
stashed in a corner, serving no
purpose. Creating awareness
about the emotional and psy-
chological turmoil caused by
caste barriers can catalyse the
entire process and catapult the
youth to usher in a new
era.
Suraksha P, II PyEJ
VOLUME 9, EDITION 1 PAGE 5

FRESHERS’ WEEK
Sandhya and Andrea

Genevieve
e era
M

“Oh Saathi Chaallll…”

Sing along!
Annie with a
contestant

Dancing Queen! Carmelites at an event

 PAGE 6

Welcoming Freshers, the MCC Way

“It’s different, it’s fun! I have
never heard of any college
having a 3 day fest just for
freshers!" exclaimed Anjali R, a
Commerce student, in re-
sponse to her experience of
this year’s fresher week. Al-
most two months after they
first stepped into Mount Car-
mel, newest members of
Mount Carmel were finally
given the warm welcome they
deserved. Despite a slight delay
in the scheduling, the fest saw
a great amount of participation
and enthusiasm from the fresh-
“It’s different, ers.
The excitement grew to a
it’s fun! I have large extent due to the innova-
tive dress codes set for each
never heard of day. The week kick started
with a bang on the first day
any college when the girls came in dressed
according to the day’s code—
having a 3 day Dare to Dress. Rhea Gopal, a
Journalism student, said, “MCC
fest just for is the only place where I can
dress as I please and not worry
freshers!" about getting stared at. In fact,
I particularly picked clothes
that I wouldn’t dare wear out-
side the MCC gate for today.”
Girls seemed to be putting on
the air of—‘I Dare’ with their
bright T-shirts, hip jeans, jeg-
gings, high heels and fluores-
cent bags.
Ask Sarah Fazal from Journal-
ism what she thinks of the
assigned dress codes, and she
says, “Dress codes are a bril-
liant idea. It’s fun to dress up
each day according to the
codes and look at the others
following it too.”
Most events like poetry writ-
ing, talent hunt and Indian
Dance were scheduled for the
first day.
On Day 2, the girls followed
the ‘Football fan fever’ code
and were seen sporting their
favourite FIFA team jerseys
and spikes. The events planned
for this day ranged from cos
play to face painting and car-
tooning. Freshers flocked the
Platinum Jubilee basement
auditorium to watch the street
dance. The show ended with a
performance by our very own
MCC street dance team which,
needless to say, left the audi-
ence cheering wildly, asking for
some more action.
‘Roadies’ was the theme for
the final day and, as expected,
students looked smashing in
leather jackets and biking ac-
cessories including helmets and
boots!
Solo singing competitions saw
an exceptional rise in participa-
tion this year, going upto
around forty. This went a long
way in impressing even the
judges and convincing them of
the sea of talent that lay dor-
mant in MCC. The most popu-
lar event of MCC—Personality
-- saw Carmelites competing
with intense vigour and energy.
They went all out in persuading
the crowd and judges to sit up
and cheer at the top of their
voices.
Fresher’s week came to an end
as the girls let their hair down
at the freshers' party organized
at the end of the fest for them.
Music and dance -- in short, a
fully charged evening—the
perfect way to conclude the
celebrations and prepare the
girls for an amazing 3 year
roller-coaster ride. After all, a
good beginning makes a good
ending!
Cauvery P.M
II PyEJ

Fresher's Fest was loads of fun!

Fresher's Fest was essentially an opportunity for us to get to know
There was something for everyone
the newbies on campus and to let them display their talents. It's just
to take part in from Creative Writ-
a couple of fun filled days, with awesome activities which help sen-
ing to the WMA auditions to the
iors bond with their juniors. We also introduce them to the cul-
Talent Show. Nobody could claim
tural activities of the college, while making it an extremely fun event
to have nothing to watch or par-
for them.
ticipate in! For first-years, it was
the perfect way to showcase our Fresher's Fest was awesome! We had
talent and get to know our seniors Student Union a great time during the party. And the
better as well. And on events were extremely innovative
top of that we got to let There was a great variety in events too. I had a lot of fun taking part in
our creativity run riot and we wanted to participate in al- them. We were also introduced to
by experimenting with most everything, but it wasn't possi- various associations of the college in
different types of cos- ble because the timings clashed. I this manner. It helped us in getting to
tumes! It was the per- thought the food stalls were ex- know some of our seniors too. It was
fect way to start the tremely good! The party was awe- a very nice fest.
year. some, and we all enjoyed it.
Harshitha Y A, I BCom
Taarika Chandy, I Anu Dhanushkodi, I BCom
PyEC

FRESH OPINIONS!
FOR NOW
 VOLUME 9, EDITION 1 PAGE 7

A BEGINNING...

Photo credits:
(Clockwise from right)
Diya Ballal
Lekha KG
Kinnisha M Andrew
Asawari Ghatage
CS Bhagya
Vishakha Jain
 They say that there is a
PAGE 8 deeper understanding to the
words ‘home’ and ‘house’, that
the words may be categorically
similar but inherently, enor-
mously different. A ‘house’ is
just a facade, a structure: here
this moment and lost into
nothingness the next. Emotions
and not people make up a
‘home’.
Songs have been written, wars
have been fought and Marlin
traveled the whole of Great
Barrier Reef, just to give Nemo
his (much deserved) ‘home’.
Thanks to my father’s transfer-
able job, I have lived in nine
different houses in four differ-
ent states and have studied in
seven different educational
institutes. Each place we had a
posting, was essentially differ-
ent. Each city or town had its
own charm; a charm that at-
tracted and repelled you at the
Photo courtesy: Lekha KG, III PyEJ
A Fresher Me
June has been the month of
beginnings in MCC, correct?
With regard to me, I had to
make a choice as my share of a
‘fresher’ start. A hard one.
One that required me to write
again. To put myself in a place
where I would be criticized. To
exhibit myself to million pupils
waiting to tear me apart with a
reading of these very lines.
Introspecting. A hard
verb. Required scrutinizing and
admitting to myself the part I
“June has been the
had played in what had gone
month of beginnings wrong. My thoughts immedi-
ately bulleted to a tune — “All
in MCC. With regard you need is love” by the
to me, I had to make Beatles.
Love is a funny thing. I'm
a choice as my share not going to dilute it by trying
to dissect it, but it really is a
of a ‘fresher’ start. A funny thing. In learning how to
hard one. One that love deeper this year, I'm con-
sistently being reminded that I
required me to write have to learn to love myself
first. Lack of self esteem seems
again. To put myself to profoundly affect close rela-
in a place where I tionships. Friendships fall apart
because it's impossible to love
would be criticized.” another before loving yourself.
Loving myself proposes
giant leaps of faith into the
dark, hoping that some buoy-
ant light will constantly catch
FOR NOW
same time.
I picked up lingoes that were
as much part of that place as
they had become a part of me.
I learnt that glass and marble
should be packed together and
that Calcutta Packers and Mov-
ers were cheaper that Fed-ex.
Every time we are moving out
of a city and the packing is
over, I think about the paradox
of life: living out of boxes, here
this moment, lost into nothing-
ness the next. Sure, I saw a lot
of cities and learnt that people
are not the same everywhere,
but the moving made it so
much more difficult. I cannot
call a particular house, my
‘home’. I have had nine houses.
I had to make different friends
at a different school each year
and we all know that children
can be cruel. Crying and
throwing tantrums was a stan-
me. So far I've determined it
requires stepping up, and out,
believing my feelings are valid
and vocalizing them in a way
that spawns affirmation, impor-
tance and self-worth. I've al-
ways been shackled by the
bonds of perception, fallen
victim to what people think of
me and allowed that to dictate
my life in every single situation.
In expressing myself through
writing, creating, and now
voicing my deepest thoughts
and emotions, I’m learning
what it means to love myself in
a healthy and life giving man-
ner.
Loving myself involves
confidence. Confidence has
always evaded me, but after a
hot pursuit, I successfully las-
soed a chunk of it and finally
took a stab at a day of solitude,
and spent some time cultivat-
ing my passion for writing.
Very few have read the cur-
sives by my hand and fewer
have been affirming and kind in
their appraisal of my scattered
words and thoughts. But then I
hushed these facts by venturing
into a dangerous sport — I
looked into what it takes to
get a book published. (There. I
dard protocol that was fol-
lowed each academic year.
But someone recently re-
minded me that I matured as a
person – with my adaptability
antennas on full throttle mode
– only because I could experi-
ence so many places and the
cultures attached to them. I
couldn’t disagree with him. In
every state, every city, it is the
people who have made me the
person I am today. Each new
‘house’, was made a ‘home’
with us. Each new beginning to
the very last day was an ex-
perience. Our carbon footprint
prevails. Each house and its
memories linger.
I just realized, I have had nine
homes.
Urmi Sengupta, II PyEJ
said it.) I then proceeded to
start writing a proposal and
sometime soon I will have
purchased a book about how
to get myself a literary agent.
I'm dreaming big here people.
All part of loving myself, believ-
ing in the woman I intend to
be. Leaps of faith. Being braver,
bolder.
Go ahead. You’ve pro-
nounced each syllable. Bring on
the judgment , but I will still be
smiling. This is a new beginning.
Sherin K Mathew, III PyEJ
Photo Courtesy: Vishakha
Jain, III PyEJ
VOLUME 9, EDITION
“Why do fireflies have to die so soon?”
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Directed By: Isao Takahata
Genre: Animated Drama
Rating: * * * * *
Grave of the Fireflies, written and
directed by Takahata Isao, in col-
laboration with StudiobGhibli, is an
animated Japanese classic that tells
of the story of two orphans after
the bombing of Kobe at the end of
World War II. A wonderful demon-
stration of the potential of anime
for telling moving human stories,
this movie does not fail to bring the
viewer to
tears.
The film begins with an eerily
haunting scene that hints at the fate
of the teenager Seita and his four-
year-old sister Setsuko, followed by
an extended sequence of the bomb-
ing of their hometown. Learning of
the gruesome death of their
mother, the duo makes for their
aunt’s house. A brief stay where the
children are mistreated and ne-
glected, forces them to
take refuge in an abandoned bomb
shelter.
An adaptation of Akiyuki Nosaka’s
semi-autobiographical novel of the
same name that was written as an
apology to the author’s sister, the
INK IT!
When it’s time for you to buy all
those new clothes, slippers, bags,
and get makeovers done, why not
gift yourself with an accessory for
life?
Tattoos are not necessarily a trade-
mark of the rebellious and menac-
ing. Tattoos are no longer taboo, or
some passing fad. You can see a
well-behaved businessman to a 9
pointer in IIT flaunting a tattoo.
Admittedly tattoos have been get-
ting a fair bit of press lately, in part
driven by high profile celebrities
flashing their ink in public, or due to
shows such Miami Ink on which
carefully chosen tattoo artists make
the whole tattooing process look
like some kind of modern alchemy.
1 PAGE
movie illustrates through its simplic-
ity, the details of everyday life in
wartime. Grave of the Fireflies is
not a blatantly anti-war film, but
instead presents its message in
perspective of the two recently
orphaned brother and sister. With-
out the use of heavy-handed tactics
and artifice, this Japanese film does
not condemn the American bomb-
ers but paints a horrific and unbi-
ased picture of the effects of war.
The anti-war message builds largely
on the relationship between its lead
characters, Seita and Setsuko,
chronicling their lives and troubles
from the time that the bombs first
fall on their hometown. It brings
out the raw protective instincts
that the brother feels for his sibling,
as he fends and provides for her.
The endearing quality to the little
girl and the manner in which she
worships her older brother only
adds to the beauty of the bond
between them, making the climax of
the film that much more heart-
breaking. The film tells a story
whose conclusion you already
know, each moment shared be-
tween the siblings reminding you of
the tragic inevitability that befalls
them.Although the movie is rated
R, the richly descriptive animation
But the main reason for the massive
increase in people wanting tattoos
goes much deeper. Believe it or
not, a vast majority of people get
tattoos not in some vain attempt to
be part of the crowd or be cool but
because part of them recognizes
the deeper significance of tattoos
and the need for something beyond
the mundane.
Tattoos have been used for centu-
ries to reflect changes in life and
status – whether passage into adult-
hood or induction into groups like
the military or gangs. But in recent
years, tattoos have become a fash-
ion accessory – a trend fueled by
basketball players, bands and celeb-
rities.
Niyathi Surya Prakash, from MCC,
who got a tattoo just a few days
ago, says, “It’s a wonderful experi-
ence. I feel more beautiful after
getting inked."
9
emphasizes the beauty of the film
rather than the brutality. The stun- “Grave of the
ningly drawn rural and urban set-
tings enhance the film in every way, Fireflies is
giving it a tranquil, almost surreal
quality. Anime never being anyone’s powerful,
first preference, this movie is a
poetic and
testament to the elegant art form
and the array of profound emotions honest in its
that it is capable of eliciting among
those who are new to it, as well as depiction of
patrons.
Grave of the Fireflies is powerful, the condition
poetic and honest in its depiction of
the condition of the human soul of the human
during conflict. It is often compared
to anti-war films like Schindler’s
soul during
List. A masterpiece amongst many conflict.”
wartime films, Grave of the Fireflies
is painful to watch but is still
a film that should not be
missed.
Kinnisha Andrew,
III PyEJ
Usha Shashidhar, a parent, was
initially worried about her daughter
getting a tattoo. “I thought my girl
was going through a ‘phase’ when
she decided to get one, but you
have to accept that times are
changing. I’ve found that tattoo can
actually be an exotic accessory. I’m
considering getting one myself," she
laughs.
Anusha H S, III PyEJ
Do’s: Always go for a tattoo artist who is certified and
choose a tattoo according to your personality. Every design
has its own deep meaning. Get yourself inked with one that
suits you the most .
Make sure the tattoo studio is clean. Brand new needles have
to be used every single time a tattoo is applied. The best
thing would be to convince your parents and sit with them
while you’re get ting it done because there’s nothing like it
when you have your mama next to you.
 PAGE 10
Not Just Robots and Spaceships
Say “Sci-Fi” and the first things
that pop into your head are
huge spacecrafts, weirdly
shaped aliens, intergalactic
wars, or an apocalyptic vision
of a dying earth – mainly be-
cause science fiction has estab-
lished a position for itself in
popular imagination via movie
franchises like Star Wars, Star
“There's a Trek and Back to the Future.
But as a literary genre which
certain appeal to explores – sometimes in a
curiously prophetic manner –
technology being the consequences of future
(even if imaginary) innovations,
used in place of it is yet to acquire a large
reader-base. Not easy when
magic,” most readers do not consider
sci-fi “proper” literature and
says Keshav are known to advice fans of
the genre to start reading
Krishnamurty “real” books.
While science fiction has al-
ways had a dedicated commu-
nity abroad, in India it seems to
be witnessing a gradual growth
only recently.
Keshav Krishnamurty, a stu-
dent of St Joseph College of
Arts and Science, whose read-
ing includes a generous pro-
portion of science fiction, likes
the genre because it is some-
what more 'believable' than
most magic or fantasy.
“There’s something called the
Scale of Sci-Fi Hardness. Some
SF is so soft that it becomes
fantasy, while hard SF is a lot
like the world we live in,” he
says. “My favourites are Isaac
Asimov’s The Caves of Steel,
and the Stanley Kubrick ver-
sion of Arthur Clarke's 2001 –
the book wasn't nearly as good
as the movie. And some of
Asimov's old robot stories,
collected in I, Robot.”
Geetanjali Chitnis, a Media
Studies student, MCC, who
dislikes SF, thinks it’s a very
subjective genre that you ei-
ther really hate or really love.
“My dad loves science fiction,
so there's a lot of Asimov lying
about the house. I think I tried
reading one of his books. But
I'm not big on other people's
vision of the future, you know?
FOR NOW I believe we have to talk about
now, the present,” she says.
Parinitha Shinde, a Mass Com-
munications student of St.
Joseph’s Post-Graduate Col-
lege, seconds
this opinion. “Sci
-Fi doesn't inter-
est me a lot. I
see it as escapist
and improbable.
Most fiction has
those two at-
tributes, but I
would prefer
reading about
things closer to
mundane reality
– human com-
plexities and the
intricacies of
relationships
rather than biological warfare
or far off galaxies,” she empha-
sizes.
On the other hand, people
who love reading Sci-Fi feel the
genre is as good as any other,
especially relevant in the mod-
ern context due to radical
scientific progress and the
ingress of technology into
every arena of life. It might be
considered the literature that
defines what it is to be human,
and the various possibilities for
the future for an individual, in
the 21st century.
Where genre wars and Lit-fic
snobbery is concerned, Chan-
drika Siddhanta Chakaravarty,
an avid Sci-Fi reader feels there
should not be any hard and fast
rule about what constitutes
"proper" literature. “Of course
“literature” doesn't – or
shouldn't – consist mainly of
canonical texts. That view is
changing now,” she says. But
that’s not the reason why peo-
ple do not seem to be reading
Sci-Fi, according to her. “I
think lots of people simply do
not read books any more. And
when they do, many seem to
prefer something they can go
through quickly and do not
need to think about much. Sci-
Fi takes a little more getting
used to. I think most people
would rather rack their brains
over a film like Inception than
over a book which takes much
more time to finish.”
Despite these factors, Sci-Fi
still seems to be thriving, albeit
in small, but ex-
panding, communi-
ties. Fans staunchly
believe that Sci-Fi
has a certain some-
thing which other
genres do not offer.
“There's a certain
appeal to technol-
ogy being used in
place of magic,”
says Keshav Krish-
namurty. “A whole
lot of SF stories are
set in the future,
that means there's
space to think of what could
be. Most of it may be wrong,
but things like Star Trek's
"tricorders" have turned up in
the form of the I-Phone.”
Asawari Ghatage, a final year
Journalism student, MCC,
agrees. Mixing up impossible
technologies and conceptual-
ized artificial intelligence has
created an entire genre of
novels that have for long ex-
cited readers into wondering
about the future of technology,
she feels. “Science fiction nov-
els open the readers up to a
world of possibilities. They
thrust you into futuristic and
sometimes untapped aspects of
science. They tend to couple
the eccentric imagination with
the hope for a better future,”
she says, adding, “The thrill of
reading about a distant future,
or an improbable reality is
incentive enough for anyone to
pick up an Asimov or a Wells
and plunge themselves into an
entire world they didn't know
existed."
CS Bhagya, III PyEJ
VOLUME 9, EDITION 1 PAGE 11

Easy Listening!
In this day and age when there
seems to be no distinction between
the virtual world and the ‘real’
world, Ronald Jenkees proved us all
wrong by perfectly balancing both
for his benefit. The American com-
poser and musician used the sup-
port of his internet buddies to kick-
start his music career.
The independent artist composes
songs using beats from electronic
rock, hip hop, and techno and rock
opera. His weapons of choice hap-
pen to be his keyboard controllers
and his camera!
Jenkees’s popularity skyrocketed
when he began posting his videos
on YouTube. On his site he claims
that “the "goofiness" he shows
helps him to "not feel like such a
show-off".” His YouTube videos
have been viewed (in total) over
40,000,000 times.
Along with YouTube, Stumble-
Upon.com helped him build his
career when he got “thumbed up”
by many Stumblers.
He came out with his first inde-
pendent self-titled album “Ronald
Jenkees” in 2007 and his second
more progressive album
“Disorganized Fun” in 2009. His
songs can’t be classified into any
particular genre; he experiments
with beats and calls it
“improvisation and nothing too
serious”.
“I make videos to (hopefully) enter-
tain, share my music, and encourage
others to play even if they're just
getting started. No matter where
you plan to take your music, I think
it's time well spent. Whether you're
hammering out "Mary Had a Little
Lamb" or something crazy compli-
cated, music can and should be fun.
It's such a constructive use of your
time, even if you are doing simple
stuff,” he says in one of his blog
posts.
Disorganized Fun (2009)
The album boasts of masterpieces
like Guitar Sound, Fifteen Fifty and
Disorganized Fun, which take the
listener to another universe. In the
videos, he’s seated in front of the
keyboard and jamming like no one’s
watching, despite the fact that the
camera is rolling! His energy is in-
fectious and his discography is a
must on your next download list!
͞/ŵĂŬĞǀŝĚĞŽƐ
Bangaloreans who’ve listened to his
music have nothing but respect for
ƚŽ;ŚŽƉĞĨƵůůLJͿ
his art.
Suhaas Shenoy of Bangalore Insti-
tute of Legal Studies says, “His mu-
ĞŶƚĞƌƚĂŝŶ͕ƐŚĂƌĞ
sic sounds great; it’s fresh and
catchy. No two songs sound alike;
ŵLJŵƵƐŝĐ͕ĂŶĚ
each one has a lovely distinctive
tune. Easy listening couldn’t get any
ĞŶĐŽƵƌĂŐĞ
better!”
Ranjani Srinivasan of Mount Carmel
ŽƚŚĞƌƐƚŽƉůĂLJ
College is of similar opinion. “His
unorthodox tunes drew me to love
ĞǀĞŶŝĨƚŚĞLJΖƌĞ
his music,” she claims.
Whether it is his unconventional ũƵƐƚŐĞƚƚŝŶŐ
style, or avant-garde approach to
ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ͘͟
music, the man is a wizard!
Anvita Arora, III PyEJ

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 Aries (March 21 - April 19)
PAGE 12 As you survey the landscape,
you'll see that other people
will have a large say in how
things go for you this month.
You can push your desires
through to approval by show-
ing pure determination and
persistence, but you will need
to use diplomatic finesse and a
spirit of cooperation now, not
brute force.
Taurus (April 20- May 20)
This will be one of those
months that bring all sorts of
startling developments,
when your guard was down
because you assumed it would
be a sleepy, routine little
month. Your life seems par-
ticularly active.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Planetary energies will
whipping up wild and powerful
winds in early August, and
nearly everyone of every sign
will sense tension in the air.
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Yes, you are making your job
truly your own, too - it will be
a perfect expression of the
true "you" inside.
Leo (July 23- August 22)
The planets will be thumping
hard on the ceiling of the sky,
and the clanging and banging
they will be doing will be akin
to a bull in a china shop. All
this commotion will be in-
stantly noticed here on earth,
especially during the first week
of August.
FOR NOW
Virgo (August 23 - Sep-
tember 22)
You deserve to be happy. Late
last month, on July 21, Saturn
finally left Virgo, after having
been touring your sign since
September 2007. While Saturn
made a brief sojourn into Libra
from the end of October 2009
to the start of April of 2010.
Libra (September 23 - Oc-
tober 22)
You may have been surprised
at how vehemently a partner
or collaborator was challenging
your opinions and blocking
just
your path. You may have as-
sumed all this was an aberra-
tion, but in truth, it was simply
the tip of the iceberg. August is
due to bring a torrent of hard
aspects toward everyone.
Scorpio (October 23 - No-
be vember 21)
You are in an enviable position,
however, because the rogue
planets in question will all be in
cardinal signs, and as a fixed
sign, you won't be in the cen-
ter of the fray. Still, your ruler,
Pluto, will take a pivotal role in
all that goes on, so you will
likely notice tension in the air.
Sagittarius (November 22 -
December 21)
You may have noticed a sud-
den problem emerge in your
social life in regard to a friend
or sweetheart. You probably
thought this was an isolated
incident, and it might be, but,
then again, considering the wild
planetary placements in early
August, it may have been just
the tip of the iceberg.
Capricorn (December 22 -
January 19)
The areas of your life that are
reshaping your world these
days involve your career, your
relationship with a significant
other in love or business, and
possibly regarding a residential,
property, or family situation.
That's a lot of change for any-
one to digest, but this month,
all these areas could again
bring news.
Aquarius (January 20 - Feb-
ruary 18)
Cosmic storms will rumble
through the heavens in early
August, but you may be one of
the very fortunate ones who
will be blissfully unaware of all
that's happening to others.
Planks will be falling, the ship
will be rocking, and you'll be
swinging in your hammock,
listening to your iPod com-
pletely unaware that the boat
nearly capsized.
Pisces (February 19 -
March 20)
The first week of August might
turn out to be quite stormy for
your finances. Planets will be in
a very belligerent mood and
together will form a very diffi-
cult grand cross pattern in the
heavens that will become exact
over August 6 and 7.
Your August
Horoscope-
By Susan Miller
(http://www.0800-
horoscope.com/)
VOLUME 9, EDITION 1 PAGE 13

Grey Matters!
Art By
Diya Ballal,
III PyEJ

Art by
Phalguni Nayak, III PyEJ
 EDITOR
CS Bhagya
LAYOUT & DESIGN
Kinnisha MA
Sherin K Mathew
Lekha KG
FINANCE & MARKETING
Anvita Arora
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Department of Journalism
Special thanks to
Sr. Albina