Dk doodles

 Street Ethics Humans evolved from apes, and over time, we claim to have transformed from uncivilized beings into civilized ones. History tells us this, and we accept it as fact. But the real question remains: are we truly civilized? Do we really deserve to call ourselves “superior beings”? To find the answer, we don’t have to look far, just step into public places like bus stands, railway stations, parks, beaches, or tea shops. My own observations in such spaces often make me question our so-called civilization. For instance, at bus stands, I have seen people of all ages, right from teenagers to the elderly, who are rushing to grab seats without forming a line. Is this simply due to a lack of education, or is there something deeper behind such behaviour?   Another frequent sight is people smoking in public spaces such as on streets, near tea shops, and in crowded areas. As a child, I never realized that smoking in public was an offence. It was only in college that I came to...

Meta gaze: A New Term I have long been fascinated by Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory , first introduced in her 1975 essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema . This fascination encouraged me to write my first article, which I presented at Madras Christian College. Building on that experience, I was fortunate to receive another opportunity this month to present a paper at Quaid-E-Millath Government College for Women , where the central theme was gender and cinema . For the conference, I submitted my paper titled “Beyond the Screen: Has the Male Gaze Lost Its Power in Modern Tamil Cinema and Society?” Presenting at a new institution was both enriching and enjoyable. As my professor, Dr. Samuel Rufus , often reminds us, academic work can also become memorable journeys, and this day truly proved it. Alongside my friends— Harish, Prakalya, Nivedha, Amy Christina, Amy Davinia, and Sivasankari—I  turned the occasion into a lively one-day trip. Since it was planned in advance, we made t...

WHITE KOLUKATTAI – EXISTENTIALISM Today is Vinayagar Chaturthi, a festival celebrated with great enthusiasm across India. In North India, the streets are often packed with crowds dancing and praying in front of massive Vinayagar statues, making it difficult to step outside. Compared to the South, North Indians tend to celebrate this day with more public grandeur. Vinayagar Chaturthi, also called Ganesh Chaturthi, honours the birth of Lord Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom, prosperity, and the remover of obstacles. According to legend, Goddess Parvati created Ganesha, and after an encounter with Lord Shiva, he received an elephant’s head and was blessed as the lord of new beginnings. Symbolically, the festival represents removing negativity, seeking success, and balancing spiritual wisdom with material prosperity. Popularised by Bal Gangadhar Tilak during India’s freedom struggle, it also encourages community unity. Devotees worship clay idols, prepare sweets, and later immerse them in...

MOVIE TIME WITH CM – MARXIST LITERARY THEORY The Coolie movie has been the centre of attention this month since its release on August 14th. Its very title suggests the story of a protagonist who dedicates his life to fellow labourers. The film appears to celebrate and honour their struggles. Yet, outside the world of cinema, the real labourers of our society, particularly sanitary workers, were neglected at the moment they needed solidarity the most. In early August 2025, sanitary workers of the Greater Chennai Corporation, especially from zones 5 and 6 (Royapuram and Thiru-Vi-Ka Nagar), launched a protest at the iconic Ribbon Building. Over 2,000 workers gathered to demand justice, after their zones were handed over to private contractors. This move slashed their salaries by nearly half and created fear of job losses. If the Coolie movie symbolised respect for workers, one would expect the state’s leaders to meet the real “coolies” of the city that is the sanitary labourers. Instead...

COOLIE – READER RESPONSE THEORY Last night, I watched " Coolie " with my senior Anna. The expectations for this film were sky-high, even though it had been clearly stated beforehand that it was a standalone project and not part of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe. In the weeks leading up to its release, fan-made theories filled social media, speculating on how Rajinikanth’s role might connect to Lokesh’s larger world-building. This built a massive sense of anticipation. However, even before stepping into the theatre, I was already influenced by negative reviews from my brother and online discussions. Unfortunately, my own viewing experience aligned with those opinions. The film didn’t feel like a true Lokesh Kanagaraj product. The screenplay dragged in several places, and despite Rajini’s commanding presence, the movie failed to deliver the thrill and intensity I had hoped for. This entire journey, from the excitement before the screening, to the letdown afterward, and the influ...

Utilitarianism – Relatable I grew up believing that a good deed brings good fortune, a lesson from my school textbooks. But this week challenged that belief. It was a week full of surprises: my roommate Anna was appointed as a professor, I bought a T-shirt that received compliments, I relished chicken biryani with chicken pepper fry after a long time, and most memorably, I donated blood for the first time. Donating blood had been on my bucket list since my UG days, and I finally got the chance on Tuesday (05.08.2025) during a Red Ribbon Club camp at college. I wasn’t afraid, even when the nurses used a large needle, something my friends teased looked like an animal injection! They drew 350 ml, and I felt genuinely happy to have helped someone. But that happiness didn’t last. When I told my roommate Annas, they criticized me, saying donation camps often sell blood instead of offering it freely to those in need, and that I should have gone directly to a hospital. I was stunned. I had d...

Daily Dose of Motivation When you have an elder brother who achieves something significant, it naturally inspires the younger ones. His success doesn’t just bring joy but it gives hope and confidence that we, too, can achieve great things. I’ve experienced this feeling many times in my life, and today was one of those moments. Thiru Johny Tom Varghese IAS, is well-known among MCCians. For those who don’t know, he once served as the Collector of Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu. He secured the 8th rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2013 at the age of 27, and later became the Director of Children Welfare and Special Services. During the third hour today, my professor Dr. Samuel Rufus asked us to attend a speech by Mr. Johny Tom Varghese. At first, I was confused that why was he visiting our college? What was the topic of his talk? My friend Amy then read it out: “How I Was Shaped as a Leader in Madras Christian College.” Being someone who enjoys listening to leaders ...

Periods – Not Taboo Is it really wrong?  Is it a sin? Every adult is aware of menstruation, yet many still misunderstand what it actually is. What myths surround the menstrual cycle? And why is it seen as something that weakens women? In our country, the onset of puberty in girls is often celebrated with great enthusiasm. On the surface, it appears to be a joyful event, but in reality, it marks the beginning of a lifetime of restrictions. I’ve seen young girls who once played freely with their friends suddenly disappear from public spaces after reaching puberty. That freedom is quietly taken away. Even today, menstruating women are barred from entering temples. But the discrimination doesn’t end there. In many homes, women on their period are still not allowed to touch certain things or sleep in a bed; they are made to sleep on the floor, isolated. As a child, I remember my mother whispering to my father to buy sanitary napkins. She said it so softly it was barely audible, yet he u...

Sitaare Zameen Par – Memories What is normal? Look at my butt. It definitely makes people embarrassed who have yet to watch this movie. I have watched many feel-good movies these days, and none of them impressed me except Meiyazhagan, but now Sitaare Zameen Par is added to my favourites list. Sitaare Zameen Par is a feel-good movie about the never-changing man who changed his point of view towards life because of the 25- to 30-year-old kids. Yes, I'm talking about kids with autism and Down syndrome.  After watching this movie, I highly recommend this to my friends; some already enjoyed it and some are ready to, but some are not ready to watch this movie because they can't bear the visual sorrow of seeing the lives of autism and Down syndrome kids. Even I used to be like this. People feel pity for them. But my POV is that we are abnormal, but they are normal. They are intelligent; they understand humans and animals better than us, and moreover, they are not yet captured by the e...

Aristotle’s Theory of Imitation and Tragedy Aristotle is a Greek philosopher who travelled to Athens to study as a student under Plato. He is the founder of Lyceum. The peripatetic school of philosophy and founder of the Aristotelian tradition. He is considered the genius who has knowledge in many fields and also writes on fields such as physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, music, theatre, rhetoric, etc. (Polymath). Aristotle is the guru of Alexander the Great. His famous and important work is called the Poetics, where he talks about the theory of mimesis and tragedy. He is different from his teacher Plato because Plato hated the concept of mimesis and banished the poets from his utopian state, but Aristotle was quite opposite to his guru; Aristotle had a positive perspective towards arts and mimesis. Socrates – Plato – Aristotle – Alexander the Great. (In order) Aristotle’s theory of mimesis, or imitation 1) Aristotle said that although po...

Plato's View of Art and Imitation Art is for all. It can't be owned by a single man. "Art is a way of recognising oneself, which is why it will always be modern." —Louise   Bourgeois . Art is not only the reflection of reality, but it's also entertainment. It makes many of us land on the unknown land and emotions. It makes us feel the emotions of strangers and understand them. But art is not always welcomed. Even many famous personalities have also stood against the art. One of them is Plato. Plato is the Greek philosopher, critic, and founder of the Platonist academy where Aristotle studied. For Aristotle, Plato is his guru. Plato hates art in any form. His hatred can be seen in his "Republic", where he mentioned that the poets and dramatists were kicked out of Plato's utopian state, in which the king was also the philosopher and people were also educated in the way to support rational thinking rather than emotions. We have noticed that the word m...

Joy vs pleasure I know some people who are in my age range, even in my class, who have been chain smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts, etc., and I know some people who are in my age range and younger than me who have been educators, social workers, etc. Now, what is the difference between these two categories of people? It's joy and pleasure. Yes, it sounds like some, but it's actually a huge difference. The word 'joy' means permanent happiness that doesn't have any dangerous consequences in the future. Pleasure means temporary happiness, which just gives an adrenalin rush and dopamine perk for a moment but has dangerous consequences in the future. Many people run behind the short-term happiness that is pleasure because it's easily available to us. But joy is only available in one place, which is our mind. It's all about the choices that we make. I personally know a girl who is my junior. She is extremely talented and learned the entire 12th subject within her...

LESS HUMAN, MORE NATURE Nature is the common term in that we can accommodate everything in the world. Everything that we are encountering and using has at least one element that is considered nature's product. Even human beings are part of nature. But do humans think like that? Almost everyone says yes, but they don't act according to that. Humans departed from nature many long years ago. They started to consider nature as the raw material to earn money. They don't have a sense of belonging to nature. I don't understand the mentality of humans that they are destroying all the natural resources to live their luxurious lives on earth, but if they destroy all the resources, there will be nothing on earth, even though we can't see the trace of the earth. Humans consider themselves to be superior beings, but that's wrong. Humans are just a part of nature, not nature itself. Humans have always been the threat to nature. They always change the nature of the animals, bi...

Road safety  In our lives, we have visited many different places, and even places we regularly visit, like school, college, the office, etc. But have you ever thought about the road that helps us move from place to place? No. In my perspective, the road is an honest thing that does its duty without fail. The reason why I am saying this is that the road wasn't partial to the luxury car drivers but rather equal to normal bike drivers. The road does its duty correctly, without mistakes.  But what are we doing?  Are we following the road safety rules?  Some would say yes, and some feel guilt but don't have the guts to accept their mistakes. But I would like to say only one thing to you: the road is not laid only for you. It's for all. In recent days, the accident amount has been slightly increasing compared to previous years. Even though the roadway department and traffic police take heavy measures to control the accidents on the road, it won't work well because there sh...

It's movie time – episode 5 X Men Origins: Wolverine is the Hollywood superhero movie. It is filmed based on the Marvel Comics character, which is called Wolverine. It was directed by Gavin Hood and produced by 20 th -century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Donnor’s Company, and Seed Production. It was distributed by 20 th -century Fox. It was released on May 1, 2009. The first thing I like to say is that I’m a huge fan of the characters Wolverine and Hugh Jackman. I’m not a comic book reader. I love Wolverine because of Hugh Jackman. He became the unreplaceable actor for the Wolverine character. Hugh Jackman is a fantastic actor who did justice to the character Wolverine. Even though he was affected by skin cancer, he maintained his physique very well, especially for the character Wolverine. This is the fourth film in the X Men movie series. In this film, the iconic character, Deadpool, plays the villain role, which was performed by Ryan Reynolds. This movie tel...

trust issue I have heard many people say that they suffered a lot and lost trust in someone or everything. They usually use the sentence, “I don’t want to trust anybody." I think it doesn’t make sense. The entire world runs on the basis of trust. Trust plays a key role in all things in the world, right from birth until death. We live our lives on a trust-based basis. When we are born, we trust that they are our parents, our siblings, our relatives, our grandparents, etc. If there is no trust, we won’t consider them as parents, siblings, relatives, or grandparents. We trust all the things that we have been taught by our teachers. If the teacher taught us that the sum of 2 plus 2 equals 5, we would trust them and their answer. We trust all the things that have been pointed out by our parents. If our parents pointed out a tree and said to us that it was the mountain, we would trust them, and the name of the tree would be Mountain. I know some people who claim that they have lost...