Highly Recommended

 Our teachers have a lot to pass on to us, the younger generation. 

But everything that they have to tell us may not be conveyed 

effectively in the short time we have in the classrooms. 

We needed more from them, and just went to our teachers in the Department of English and asked them what we needed to know. 

This time, it's only about that one book and one movie 
that they would recommend to us. 

More to come in the coming weeks!

Roslin K Mathew & Tintu Thomas, II BA English Copy Editor

The quest to find the favorite books and movies of the faculty of the English Department was interesting. It helped us understand their varied taste in literature and arts. The senior faculty, with some exceptions, preferred the time-tested brilliance of classics while the new teachers showed an inclination towards the new, experimental works. 

Let’s have a kaleidoscopic view of the favorite books and movies of our teachers.

One of our senior faculty members, Prof. P J Philip recommended the book Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy. He opted for the newly released movie Indian Rupee. According to him it is a typical Ranjith movie, understated and evocative. Its engaging nature and realistic way of narration also attracted him. 

 
Prof. Binu K D sticks on to the world famous autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi, My Experiments with Truth. However, in the film category he goes contemporary, choosing Kuttisrank by Shaji N Karun. He admires the work for its powerful depiction of minority communities.

Prof. Tom C Thomas chose Herman Hesse’s The Prodigy in the book category and Benhur directed by William Wyler for the film category. He says the film is the revelation of the immense potential buried in everyone.

Krzysztof Kieslowsky is an all time favourite of Prof. Jose Varghese. He recommends the Polish director's trilogy Three Colours: Blue, White, Red. Watch them for the regular reasons: great story, excellent actors, stunning cinematography, neat editing, haunting music and the unique colour theme in each film. But more than all these, they are worth watching for the way they disturb you, for life! Among books, he recommends Gabriel's Gift by Hanif Kureishi. It's meant for the young generation who care for creativity, he says.

The Last temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis captured the interest of Sreeja ma'm. She thinks it's a book that everyone should read. Her favorite movie is Downfall directed by Olivier Hirschbiegel. She says her selections may just reveal her personal taste, but would be happy if we could find out for ourselves what they are. 

Arundhati Roy's very first work of fiction, The God of Small Things, which was critically acclaimed worldwide, impresses Sunu ma'm. Lagan is her favorite movie, which also created waves in the Indian film industry, and was nominated for academy awards.

The book which narrates the pseudo-didactic love On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan tops the list of Prof. Aravind's favourites. Its subtle humour and brevity are the most intrinsic aspects of the book, according to him. The movie he recommends is Lost in Translation directed by Sofia Coppola.

Non-Stop India, the latest book released by Mark Tully has caught the attention of Prof. Rajesh. It is a sociological, cultural analysis of India the nation. Circumstances, the Iranian movie, directed by Maryam Keshavarz, which deals with a controversial and unorthodox subject liberally, is recommended by Mr.Rajesh for all.

Both Prof. Bijo and Prof. Sunil opted for the book, Zorba The Greek. It shows a rather curious convergence of interests. According to Prof. Bijo it is a chronicle of resurrection from failure, frustration and dejection. 'It is a book that affirms life', says Prof. Sunil. When it comes to movies, Jonathan Livingston Seagull tops the list for Prof. Bijo and for Prof. Sunil it is Love in the time of Cholera and Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring.

We had a great time interacting with the teachers and they surprised and inspired us with their choices. It was really a pleasant experience when everyone came out with their unique choices and explained why they would recommend those books and movies to us.