Issue 01, 16th March 2016

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

LITSCAPE

An ENGLISH HONOURS INITIATIVE

C
O
N

Editors Note
3
Hourglass
05
Culture Catchup
06

T
E

Black And White

08

N
T

Activity Log

Art Corner
10

11
Introducing the
Editorial board
14
Framing nature and
culture
15

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Editors Note
A First: The Rare Combination of Beauty and Truth
I have never faced anything as persistent
an annoyance as beginning any piece of
writing. The immense pressure of the
first line is not to be kidded with! The
reader has better things to read when
they discover that the writer has failed
to engage them or put them off with a
lousy opening sentence, convincing them that the writer has no job to be
writing anything worthwhile. The process of writing this Editors Note had
me in a right fix, for I was faced with the task of beginning an address that
will initiate the new reader and introduce to him the very first issue of
Litscape, an English Honours initiative. Talk about the first of firsts and
beginning a beginning! Litscape, a magazine brought about by the First year
B.A. English Honours students will contain our soulful artistic creations.
The magazine will feature everything from poems, stories, book reviews,
articles, paintings and reports of activities happening around the University.
Litscape will act as a creative outlet and a platform to share our thoughts
and ideas. The inaugural edition of Litscape features concrete poetry, a
persuasive article about how newly broadened perspectives magnify the
shades of grey in life as well as an artistic rendition of Moby Dick, amongst
other things. The stick figures that look like they are moving across the
page is a kind of art called the Warli art form. The artwork for Litscape
has been chosen for a reason, and the write up on Warli paintings in the
section called Culture Catchup will offer our readers some perspective on
Indian art forms and particularly why the Warli paintings are such a
LitScape, 3

common sight these days. When one flips through the pages, it is clear that
Litscapes content is both abstract and palpable. I would like to think that
this paradox arises out of the new ideas that we have been exposed to
continually this year. My pre-literary mind examines the world from the
surface and notes every minute detail while my post-literature mind would
rather delve into why I see such a world. Litscape also sees creative works
that blend both raw talent and learnt technique to create sophisticatedly
simple pieces of art that speak both to the mind as well as to the heart.
Beauty is truth, truth beauty. The readers will be pleased at the fresh
amalgamation of emotion and logic that goes into such writing and art. The
English Honours class is delighted to present to you the very first edition
of Litscape and hope that you will appreciate and enjoy the insight into our
artists minds. We would like to thank Professor Gaana J and all the other
teachers for their constant support, and more importantly, their insistence
in believing in our capabilities and their little nudges to help us achieve
more. The class works towards fulfilling the expectations set by the first
edition of Litscape and promises to bring out subsequent issues in the same,
and perhaps upgraded vein.

Meera Vinod
2 B.A. ENGLISH HONOURS

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The Hourglass
Beware when screen do seem to scream
the nearby rosy closed eyed dream
flowing like a pastry cream
when lights are dim
nimble hymn
rings
as
the
golden string
which catches whim
shh! Quiet! Just feel the stream
do not reply to bright rayed beam
of screen which deem you of the scheme.

- Srinjoy Dey
B.A. English Honours
2 B.A. English Honours2
2 B.A. English Honours
-

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Culture Catchup

Warli Paintings

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Warli painting is an art form that

sprung first among the Adivasi
tribes of the North Sahiyadri
Ranges. Ingrained in this form is
the representation of Nature
through simple mockeries of its
staple elements. The sun and the
moon are mocked with a circle,
while the tree peaks and mountains
appear as triangles. The square
symbolizes Man as his needful self,
thereby characterizing fabricated
boundaries and enclosures. It is
observed that the Warli painters
way of life can be seen in the
designs of their art. Most of the
objects that concern them daily are
moulded through this art medium
which has for years now dictated
their fortune and capacity.

In todays context, the Warli art

gets admirers from across the
world for its cultural and aesthetic
value. The Indian trade has placed
Warli as one of their requisites in
the Tourism and Elite markets. It
is also interesting to note the
prominence of this art form in
ethnic clothing, for Warli is known
as another ideogram that could sell
the essence of what is regarded as
Indian culture. The Warli painting
community still resides in the
mountain ranges of Northern India
with their meaning of life and
livelihood, rather unchanged and
unaddressed.

- Madhavi Prakash
2 B.A. English Honours

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Black And White

Action

movie

buffs

and

philosophers alike will agree on

one thing. Balance is the key. To
what you may ask and Id say
everything. The kung fu kicking,
karate chopping Buddhist monk
and his young protg have been
the centre of many a successful
action movie which in turn is
inspired from ancient folklore with
the objective of moral scientizing.
However! For all that we have been
taught by Jackie Chan, Jet Li,
Chow Yun Fat and Chuck Norris,
if there is one thing that fits logic

of any such film or story, it is that

balance is what keeps this blessed
world going.
The young student or protg or
apprentice must learn that the
world does not work in just
extremes and opposites.
Which brings us to the theme of
this article. Black and white. Or
shall I go ahead with black or white
because as choices go, they must be
made between two such polar
opposites never minding the vast
numbers of shades of grey in
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between (if youre thinking fifty, I

feel bad for you).
My point is simple. We must not
think in under-thought and
oversimplified extremes! As young
men and women we must conquer,
with our intelligence the ability to
broaden our horizons! To believe
that people arent just good or bad,
that your morality and integrity is
not defined by just one set of rules,
thatyou cannot judge or be
judged in one way or the other, that
you are made of all that you have
done throughout your life and not
just a choice of two extremes.
Because a terrible woman could be
a wonderful mother and a brilliant
man could be a pathetic husband.
Robin Hood was a thief after all

and the Pandavas married the same

woman. Can we judge so easily into
blacks and white? Can we so easily
dismiss a person on the basis of one
of his traits? Can we judge a man
or a woman into categories to suit
our purpose?
Compassion begins with balancing
our judgment of the world and its
people and that is why ladies and
gentlemen, the protg has to learn
the harmony of his master. Because
with all the talent, skill and
intelligence in the world, a balance
of each and every one of our traits
is what makes us who we are.
Think
off-white
or
grey
sometimes. Black or white is so
pass.
- Vishakha Sen
2 B.A. English Honours2

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Art Corner
The Moby Dick by Sheelalipi Sahana

I have always wanted to read Moby Dick by Herman Melville but was intimidated by its
language. I then watched the movie In the Heart of the Sea and was greatly influenced by
the plot. This film inspired me not only to read the book but to also create my own
rendition of The Great Whale in the form of a watercolour painting.

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ACTIVITY LOG

Gendering Moving frames:

A Three - Day workshop
One of the important events of January 2016 that was organized by the
Department of English in collaboration with Suchitra Film Society was
the three - day workshop Gendering Moving Frames (9, 10, 11 January
2016) that served as a forerunner to the
International Conference titled Protean Frames
that took place on the 12th and 13th of January
2016.
It opened with an invocation song and lighting of
the lamp by Mr. K.M. Chaitanya, Ms. Melanie
Kumar, Mr. N. Shashidhara and Dr Abhaya N.B.
Prof. Shobhana Mathews gave the welcome
address followed by Dr Arya Aiyappans
introductory speech. The president of the
Suchitra Film Society, Mr. N. Shashidhara
addressed the audience about the male gaze of
the majority cinema viewership. Mr. Chaitanya
showed the audience a few clips from well-known Bollywood cinemas
highlighting the way men and women are viewed in cinema and how they
are idealized. Actor Neeraj Madhav spoke about the commercialization of
art and the struggle of an actor in the film industry.
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Dr Melanie Kumar who is both a journalist and a writer used the film
Duniya Na Maane and Choker Bali to affirm the idea that the medium
is the message followed by a vote of thanks by Dr. Sushma V. Murthy.
In the first session Dr. Nikhila
discussed
transgender
congruence
and
gender
transgression. She used movies
of various languages such as
Qissa (2015), Rudhrama Devi
(2015), Jogwa (2009), and
Naanu Avanalla Avalu (2015) to highlight films as entry-points for
discussing gender and sexuality norms. The second day of the Workshop
was conducted by Ms. Ekta Mittal of MARAA (Media and Arts
Collective). The screening of the movie A Girl Walks Alone in the Night
was followed by elaborate discussions on each of the character, the
psychosis in men and women, the use of supernatural elements to highlight
them and the plot.
This was followed by day three with
Ms. Deepanjana Pal who captured the
audience with her views on the role of
women as characters and spectators in
Bollywood. She also screened a scene
from Saagar (1985), Dayavan (1987)
and Band Baaja Baarat (2010) comparing the role of women in each of the
films and the differences in the representation of both male and female
actors in cinema over the years.
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The second session of the day was conducted by singer and actress Ms.
M.D. Pahlavi who spoke about stereotypes in the lyrics and vocals of the
male and female singers and their representation in Indian film music. She
also demonstrated the tweaking of ones voice to suit the role of a certain
character.
The workshop ended with a closing address by Dr. Abhaya N.B. (H.O.D.
English), an address by the
representative of Suchitra Film
Society Mr. Prakash
Belawadi, a special address by
singer Ms. M.D. Pahlavi and
the Vote of Thanks by Ms.
Bhavani Sanjeeviraja.
- Divya Chauhan
2 B.A. English Honours

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Introducing the Editorial Board

Litscape is an initiative taken by the students of English Honours, Christ
University. The magazine is a manifestation of the efforts of the class which
has pro-actively contributed in its initiation. The formation of the Editorial
Board took place by identifying passionate individuals with abilities to
facilitate the sustainance and growth of the magazine.
The Editorial board comprises of students from the class of English
Honours and is headed by Meera Vinod who has assumed the position of
the Chief Editor. The Reporting Head - Madhavi Prakash, will keep the
readers of the magazine updated with all activities and events happening
around the campus. Srinjoy Dey and Akshaya Mohan are the Content
Editors of Litscape. Their role is to collect and edit the content of the
magazine which is contributed by the budding writers, poets and artists of
Christ University. The Marketing Head of Litscape is Nikita
Vidhyalankar, who will ensure the smooth functioning of the official
website, Facebook page and its presence on other media.
We have the fortune to bring you the first edition of the magazine as a
printed copy. However, the subsequent issues of the magazine will be sent
to the email IDs of students and teachers. The Board plans to launch the
official website of the magazine soon in order to extend the reach of the
magazine beyond the walls of the university and into the literary world. We
strive to promote the literary talents of the university and provide a
platform for them to flourish and make a niche for themselves.

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Framing Nature and Culture

- Aquil Jaison
2 B.A. English Honours

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Want to get Published ?

Write to us on

litscapemagazine@gmail.com
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