Ensemble - A Souvenir

a a aaaa a a s s ssss s s o o oooo o o u u uuuu u u v v vvvv v v e e e e e e e e8th August 2020 - 31st August 2020 n n nnnn n n i i iiii i i r r rrrr r r

MA Literatures in English a a a a a a a aSemesterII MA Literatures in English Semester IV MA Literatures in English MA Literatures in English Semester II Semester IV s s sMA English Literature ss s sMA Literatures in English s Semester II Semester IV o o o o o o o oMA English Literature Semester II MA English Literature Semester IV u u u u u u u uMA English Literature Semester II MA English Literature Semester IV MA English Literature v v v v v v v vSemesterII MA English Literature Semester IV MA Comparative Literature e e e e e e e eSemesterII MA English Literature Semester IV MA Comparative Literature n n n n n n n nSemesterII MA English Literature Semester IV i i iPhD Comparative Literature i i i iPhD Comparative Literature i Semester II Semester II MA Hindi r r r r r r r rSemesterII the team

a a aaaa a a s s ssss s s o o oooo o o u u uuuu u u v v vvvv v v e e e e e e e eSlam Poetry Changing the C n n nnnn n n Photography Ensemble Sessions limax i i i cioniteintis i r r rrrr r r

a s Prepared by Rafid C, Akinchan Xaxa, Samya Brata Roy, Shiwani Jaiswal, Gopika, Suneha E. o u Do you know what happens when a group of thinkers, enthusiasts and people who keep trying to get a v e new experience everyday, come together and talk? Well... They come up with ideas which is equal parts fun and equal parts an experience which can enrich one's knowledge. And this is exactly what happened when a group of EFLUites decided to meet one fine morning in the VC lawns to discuss an idea. The idea was to host a series of 'talks' and to have various different competitions which would come under the School of Literary Studies' annual fest. But the entire pandemic situation was an inconvenience to say at the least. Despite the new Covid situation in the mix now, the group continued with their efforts to host the sessions. Only this time, it was decided that the sessions will now be webinars, conducted through various online platforms. Session I - How the Indian Publishing Industry Works; How to Get Published. Date - 8th August, 2020 The first session of the webinar 'Ensemble: Discussions and Beyond' was held on eighth of August. The esteemed panelists were author and literary agent, Suhail Mathur with author and editor Samyukhta Nair who also happens to be an EFLU alumna. The session was moderated by Shiwani Jaiswal, conducted through Google Meet and streamed live on YouTube, and introduced the audience to the world of Indian publishing industry. The key speakers discussed and gave insights into the intricacies about how the publishing industry works in India. And the audience was thrilled to learn the details which according to Mr. Mathur, an aspiring author should know and keep in mind while trying to get published. There is one word that captures the spirit of the first session: Encouraging. The session was not only encouraging but was also full of lively interactions between the key speakers and the audience. To sum up the session, we can say that we could not have expected a better start to the entire webinar. n Session II - Being Around Poetry i Date - 9th August, 2020 The pursuit of perfection, says Matthew Arnold, is a pursuit of sweetness and light. Well, then, for sure our second session of Ensemble, on Poetry, was one beautiful perfected session of delight. Sweetened with anecdotes, memories shared and moving recitals, lighted with brilliant commentaries on contemporary poetry scenario, it was such a good session. Dr. Vijay Tadakamalla breezed through the pleasantries and put the poets at ease, even before the session started. And hence by 7.30, we were listening to the trio chit chatting among themselves, about Corona, raining Kerala, and reduced traffic in Delhi roads. r

a Pleasantly surprised at the informal tone this already set, the three guests were welcomed by reciting two lines from each of their poetry. With Sri. Satchidanandan, and Sri. Keki Daruwalla, Dr. Tadakamalla led the s discussion with questions to the poets about journey through their literary career, unforgettable o experiences, and of course, requests to recite their favourite lines. We heard Sri. Satchidanandan recite his u poem Keys and share the story of moving out of his home, a quite emotional anecdote with a sweet twist. Sri. v Keki Daruwalla, true to his style, presented another side of the writing experience and recited some of his e best works. The audience responded with zest to the conversation of poets, as well as to Dr. Tadakamalla's n style of moderation. After the question-answer session, when the conversation drew to a close, there was a i surge of \"thank you's\" in the chatbox, from a delighted, contented audience. The session, informal and heartwarming as it was, will remain a memorable poetry eve in the hearts of many. Session III - Raw Wound and Silenced Eyes Date - 16th August, 2020 The third session of ensemble, \"Raw Wounds and Silenced Eyes\" provided us understanding and apprehension of the caste and religious oppression in our current scenario. The title was a combination of the names of works by both panellists. \"Raw wounds\" is a short story by Dr. Gogu Shyamala and \"Silence Eyes\" by the second panellist Dr. Huzaifa Pandit. It was a memorable day due to it being an occassion to get to know two emiment writers from the two different ends of the country and listen to them keenly. As the title suggests, the session was an amalgamation of two different worlds of experience through literature. Dr. Pandit, being a Kashmiri poet, shared his poetry, shaped by the circumstance of political and religious discrimination. For him, poetry was written in the language of pain, anguish, and sufferings. He read his poems and discussed the Kashmiri reality which nourished the poet in him with the historically rooted oppression. Dr. Gogu Shyamala's short stories are situated in the socio-cultural landscape of Telangana. As a Dalit woman, Her talk provided insights to multilayered and complex encounter with social realities. Similarly, the tales she shared unveiled the structures of hegemony and casteism in society. The session was a venue for the students to listen from the experienced story teller who was recently honoured by the Telangana government. The session was enlightening and it opened our perception into two different worlds of experiences and expressions. Session IV - Digital Humanities Date - 30th August, 2020 It was on the 20th of August that we had all finally been able to gather to have a discussion on the tenets of Digital Humanities. As panelists, we were glad to have amongst ourselves the brilliant duo of Ms. Juhi Garg and Dr. Dibyadyuti Roy. Ms. Juhi Garg is the founder of ED Times, an online news network, which focuses on creating credible digital content in an age when Journalism has been exposing itself to every new shades of yellow. Dr. Roy is the Chair and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at IIM Indore. Apart from extensively working in the academic field, he also happens to be one of the founding members of DHARTI, the largest DH body in the country. Ms. Garg focused on writing in the digital era and how to hold the attention of the reader whereas Dr. Roy elaborated on decolonising DH and the methodological politics of reading in the same space. r

a What emerged out of the conversation and the elaborate question answer session that followed was that we s were able to gauge the new digital discourse that is emerging more and more as we speak. We came to know how the politics of reading, writing or doing anything in the digital is intrinsically connected to who we are and what we do. Therefore, as it evident, the amalgamation of industry and academia, or, that of theory and praxis could not have been any better. Session V - Anatomy of Pride: Ways of Being Ourselves Date - 31st August, 2020 o The final session focused on matters pertaining to Queer Identity. Besides the necessary introduction and u contextual understanding of queer identities across categories of caste, class, and gender; the talk was a v significant reminder that simply being different in a heteronormative society has become increasingly e challenging. Dr. Paromita Chakravarti talked about her experiences working with the queer community and n voicing out their problems which were present since the colonial times, and which magnified during the last i few decades – especially with the onset of syphilis and the covid – 19 thereby turning them into r pathologized identities. The social structures that threaten the co-existence of plural identities during these fragmented and isolated times have also highlighted the urgency of community response and the need to pay attention to tangible aspects of queer identities such as economy, mental health, health services that are contingent upon identity cards and proofs, the social stigma of being single, of being a sex worker, and of being anything other than the norm; has emphasized on the conundrum of being authentic with oneself along with valid citizenship before the law. Dr. Kaustav Bakshi discussed about the queer person as an idea of a pathological figure and how this pathological figure has become more vulnerable within a pandemic situation. The COVID – 19 situations has actually made more prominent to the queer people to the challenges which they were aware of. The pandemic lockdown has enforced the queer people to live with their biological families which do not accept them. These biological families are not an emotional haven or support system for them. The community becomes the family, but due to lockdown, there is a loss in community care leading to the decline in the emotional health of queer people. The emphasis was also made on the civil rights of the queer community. Even when the government recognizes a person as a legitimate citizen subject, it is not giving them enough rights to survive as medical insurance cannot include the name of one’s partner. As the world struggles with the pandemic, and queer lives are affected more than ever, the talk gave the participants an insight into the dynamics of social structures and queer lives during the crises. The aspects of familial relations, gender dysphoria, gender affirmative care, and representation of queer identities in the Indian society that has refrained from free expression about it has been insightful and a significant affirmation. The talk series was a silver lining in these dark and gloomy times offering us the hope that we could discuss, talk and exist as we are; and gives us hope that with conscientious effort for the queer community in the post-pandemic world, pride would gain momentum.

a Ensemble was also an occasion for students to participate in different competitions and recognize their own potentials. Keeping the literary and aesthetic nature of the event in mind, the core team decided to conduct s three competitions. Originally the offline plan of the event had six competitions but due to limitations of o medium, time and resources, three made it to the online version of ensemble. Those three are- slam poetry u competition, photography competition, and change the climax competition. ‘Confessions’ was the topic for the slam poetry competition. The entries maintained rich literary and auditory quality. More interestingly those works covered a wide range of themes from the total futility of confessions to the deep psychological expressions of confessions. The participants had to send a recorded version of their poem hence enhancing the auditory and aesthetic appeal of their poems. With interesting experiments in metrical structure, tone, and vocal quality, each entry worth a dedicated connoisseur. The Photography competition was slightly challenging because Ezra pound wasn’t lenient towards shutterbugs! The topic was “The apparition of these faces in the crowd: / Petals on a wet, black bough.” But the judging panel was exited to see myriads of compositions with a variety of tones, angles, settings, and perspectives. The highlight of the competition was the difference in these entries and the way each of them connect to the central theme. v Change the climax competition was another happy experiment with a popular fairy tale. The story of the “Little Mermaid” was altered and reinvented with multiple new climaxes and exciting endings. The competition opened a world of possibilities and urged the participant to transcend conventions and canonical norms. The competition opened a horizon of possibilities and each story will be an interesting read for you. e Now it’s your turn, read and enjoy the entries. We could not publish all entries because some participants preferred not to publish their entries. Apologies in advance and happy reading. n i r

a Winning Entries s An Ode to the Inevitables - Chunduri Prashanti o 6 u v I Confess - Ashlin Abraham e 7 n i Unspoken thoughts confessed - S Saritha Sasidharan r 8 Other Entries Endings - Yugantika Mohapatra 9 World of Women - Ananya Pahari 10 Confessions of a Murder - Surjith V R 11 For the Stranger - Upasya Bhowal 12 I am not Going to Confess Anything - Diyana B Shajahan 13 Abandoned - Nirmal Thrideep 14 slam poetry

a winning entries | slam poetry s We wonder if we are a coincidence, o mayhap a planned conclusion. u Like sunflowers in a minefield, with no excuse to bloom, but too late to stop. I tell you that we could be like gravity, the Big Bang, or evolution – fated. Or perhaps more like the enticing aura of a confession box – foreseeable, awaited, expected. We wonder if we are a coincidence, mayhap a planned conclusion. Like sunflowers in a minefield, with no excuse to bloom, but too late to stop. I tell you that we could be like gravity, the Big Bang, or evolution – fated. Or perhaps more like the enticing aura of a confession box – foreseeable, awaited, expected. v And so, we begin An Ode to the e a life of inevitable failures, Inevitables clichés like poetry about love confessions. Doomed youth singing anthems MA English of pre-emptive apologies, EFLU - Hyderabad confessions like wildflowers, their sickly saccharine scent scattered on the wind, 1 and amidst them, overwhelmed, our porous proclamations and promises, pointless and pungent like plastic passionflowers, and our confessions – comical, careless, coexistent; so here we go: n Here's to the first porcelain teacup you’ll smash, i the first time I’ll tell you I hate you. Here's to the first sparkling tear you’ll shed, and the first fissure in my once-firm heart. Here's to the first missed intonation, the first ignored crack in my voice, the trembling fingers you’ll hide from me the first time you’ll refuse to meet my eyes. r

a winning entries | slam poetry s I confess to the world He asked me why and she asked me why o Well I confess to the world u For being one among them v Treachery, jealousy, and envy Among whom asked he and she e We're made by us, Among you replied me n Hatred, intolerance and injustice Why asked them Followed us everywhere Don't you know why don't you know why? Among us, the mother sells her child, Look around and you will find why And it is among us, Alexander, Hitler Look around any you will find how. and Saddam Hussein Lived and I confess for being one among them. Aren't we the only one who kills a zygote Inside the mother's womb We also had Gandhi, Greata and Mala said them. Yeah we had and we have them. Aren't we the only one who eats We are humans only by birth, but not When not hungry and kills for pleasure by heart and I confess for that. Dominating the earth are we the I confess for not being a human only ones who cuts, burns and pollute our nature With blinded eyes in front of a begging child. I confess for not being a human Yes we're and yes we are When failed to close the leaking tap. And for that I confess. Aren't we the only one who kiss and rape at the same time. Aren't we the only one who fights each other in the name of religion and country I Confess BA Philosophy JDV Pune 2 i And at last I confess for being a human without a human heart. r

a winning entries | slam poetry s I laugh an empty laugh and wipe my tears, o I am still not used to it after all these years. u They say that there is an end to every sorrow, v e That hope arrives with every tomorrow. n I find it harder to believe with each passing day, i r I find myself slowly losing my mind, my way. Each breath feels like a knife in my chest, I am tired, I do not have much will left. How much more am I to take? Before I finally give in and break. I am just a broken glass doll patched up with glue The places I am broken in are more than a few. Sometimes I wonder if I should give in to Death’s Lullaby? It is tempting to rest and let the world pass by Unspoken thoughts confessed PhD Research Scholar BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus 3

a slam poetry s Ted once said, \"Just because you know how something is going to end, doesn't mean you o u can't enjoy the ride\"- v e And so I start this by confessing that I already know how this one's going to end n i Because I planned it all out in my head. r But then, I don't know how the story's going to go Maybe midway I'll decide that I don't like my ending after all Maybe you can't plan your endings before the story even begins I'll tell the 14 year old looking for books To stop choosing the ones where the girl kills herself. I'll turn back time and I'll write all my stories without working towards an ending Because its six years already and I am nowhere near where I thought I'd be But lately I've been waking up on odd days feeling happy. I'll write to myself so that on my 14th birthday On the nicest cake, I wouldn't blow my candles and wish for death I'll take her to my favorite spot in the entire world I'll tell her to look at the stars from there I'll tell her that conversations fade in your memory Till they don't ring as loud in your ears ever again. Friends stay, even when they could've left And that one day I'd know if I'd call someone at 3 AM, they'll pick up Because, I have a confession to make- I never thought I'd make it to twenty; No scratch that, I didn't even want to turn 15 But on my 19th birthday, for a second in 5 years So even if I know that this can just go away I could see a life without my ending. I swear I never believed I'd fall in love with breathing With walking under the moon, laughing at something Knowing in my mind, I'm worth it all. Maybe I started out too careless Working plans I knew wouldn't work Maybe I was hoping that they wouldn't So I could look up at the stars for some more years. I'll stop writing sad poems... Endings I started out knowing exactly how I'd end this Not much fuss, a simple plan But as I walked more, and stopped running I realized, I really liked the journey I like where this is going BA English (Hons) So maybe I'll postpone the ending EFLU - Hyderabad Or tear out that page And you'll just have to read a longer poem Because I don't remember the ending to the things that mattered the most to me It was always the long walks, the dancing in rain, the endless laughter, and the hugs that took away all of my pain It was always what made me feel warm So maybe I don't need the ending Maybe I'm chasing the wrong train Maybe I don't even need a train, maybe all I need is to walk back into my story Without planning out how it end.

a slam poetry s For me .. o You were an angel.. u v You were a child e Grew to be a beautiful girl n Reached your puberty, enjoyed your adolescence.... i No sooner than I wondered ,you turned out to be a lady, a grave, professional would be maiden.... r I still glance at your kids wear I still hope you would come running to me and say \"Please, Fix it mom!\" And I would utter in that same frivolic manner \"When would you grow up?\" And today .. when I ask you to comb your hair, put oil in it, Urge to get back that request from you You sardonically brush aside my desire Pass a sly smile and how majestically reply \"Mum, I fulfilled your wish, I grew up\" How badly I want you to fit yourself in that bask of my lap How desperate I am to see you back in your school-uniform How curious I am to attend your PTM's and scold you for your marks... The journey was going on beautifully Time was flying smoothly You were my child and I your mother But ,look today, though I am your mother ,you are motherly... I wished to cuddle my little angel even today I want to scold her, hug her, kiss her But how can I forget that little girl whom I knew has got wings now.. I am happy for her But could anyone return me my angel for one last time? Just for a final time.. World of Women BA English Seth Anandram Jaipuria College, Kolkata

a slam poetry s I did realize it later how you felt. o The empty desk in our class seems to shout out your presence. u v The spectacled face and the wet eyes still remains a horror. e n I did realize it later how you felt i Sometimes the trade of empathy had to be done. r The wolf pack was large and strong. A few moments and a sheep would wear a wolf pelt. I did realize it later how you felt. Many laughs and teasing seem to have caused a wound But none did saw the little drops of blood. Alone you dropped into the sunken place. Those toilet taps may have removed the red stains from your eyes. I did realize it later how you felt. There seems to be an invisible blood in my hands. I know the wounds have been inflicted and it's hard to heal them now. At last, the sheep seemed to have taken refuge in the shady corner of the barn. The Sunday paper tells a story of a hangman's noose and a fragile spec. The tongue is twisted as the word sorry is born Confessions of a Murder MA English MG College - Trivandrum

a slam poetry s Stranger, o Once upon a time, I had a dear friend. u This. Is his story. Some people crash into you as you're speeding down the corridors of life And the impact is such that you both are thrown in opposite directions - Stunned, shocked and with birds chirping round your head (like in the cartoons). It takes you a second or two to refocus as the world blurs past you. You got up that day, and gave me a hand, \"Oops! Sorry about that!\" And you smiled. And we were suddenly somehow walking down the corridor together. I don't remember which of us decided to change our direction (does it matter?) The important thing was that we were now walking together down our individual ways. I say \"our individual ways\" and not \"our way\" because we never did boil down to that, did we? A thread of promises is a dangerous thing walk on. It seems never ending. The worst part is that when one snaps, it produces ripples of falling and no sooner we're chasing crumbling Dominoes We don't know how to stop it I still don't know when exactly we started crumbling. v When exactly you decided that you were in the wrong part of the building For the e And wanted to go back. Stranger n Everyone deserves a closure. i Even strangers who you bump into while hurrying down the corridor do. MA English The correct thing is to apologise EFLU, Hyderabad and walk away. Go where you were originally going. But how does that work when you don't remember who changed paths? Who then is responsible for those final words? Friends smile and stop to have a conversation when they bump into each other at coffee shops or corridors. Strangers don't spare a glance. But I have known a kind of stranger who looks but doesn't smile. Once upon a time, I met a \"dear\" stranger. And then I lost him. It's funny how I'm not quite sure what I lost - The stranger Or The Dear r

a slam poetry s You tell me to confess. o “Confess your sins to the priest over there”; u “Confess your miseries to the psychologist over here”; Or maybe you say, “Write a poem on confessions. Let your words speak for you.” “Confess about the overlooked corners in you”, Of those areas dumped with dirt and soot. And after that? What happens after I confess? The priest gives me indulgences. Will he offer me a condolence? The psychologist gives me condolences. Will she give me a permanent solution? My words give me power over my sins. Will they erase my sins? No. They remain. Like the old bench in the city park. Rusted and dusty. Like worms in a rotten fruit. Curling and whirling inside my mind. Nothing happens to me when I confess. Everything happens to you. v You GET TO KNOW. I am not Going to e Get to know who sleeps in my subconscious. Confess Anything n Get to know what haunts me in my dreams. Get to know how I fell from grace. MA Literatures in English Get to know how to sell my vices to me. EFLU, Hyderabad Friends, I am the one who commit my sins. And I will be the one to absolve them. Not you. No. I am not going to confess anything. I am not going to contribute to your petty pleasures of hearing my secret sins. Thank you for your concern. i r

a slam poetry s I sat down to look at the words o that I had written, u when it came to me in the middle of a walk, v but never was the longing and I was not disgusted, e more powerful than n for the tongue of my mother, but simply i in which she so excelled disappointed. r and in which she so exquisitely wrote - the Malayalam that she taught me, Ah, this plague that I had that I too occasionally had written in, begun noticing only recently that I abandoned in school. seemed not to spare this either. And here as I sit My words were too plain at a poetry reading, too ineffective listening to the words of a poet as she explains why she writes for the intensity that my emotions not in her mothertongue were often blessed with. but instead in English, (This I knew I am struck again by would be noticed by an emptiness and a desire to once more far too few and even fewer feel those curvy letters form would complain.) phrases not borrowed but which I composed myself, And I wished again, and to feel I have not forsaken like many times before, that language that I had, that I could write in Malayalam. sadly, never called my first. I'd wished before for prowess in other tongues too, like French and Arabic, Abandoned BA English EFLU Hyderabad

a The youngest of six mermaid princesses, the little mermaid is not only the most beautiful, but the most introspective and thoughtful. Since their mother has died, the mermaids are raised by their grandmother. The youngest asks for all s the information she can get about the world above the sea. Each princess has her own sea garden, which she can o decorate as she chooses. The youngest arranges everything in the shape of the sun, and places in it the statue of a u handsome prince from a sunken ship. As each princess reaches age 16, she is allowed to swim to the surface and observe life above the waves. When it is her turn to visit the upper world, the little mermaid approaches the windows of a sailing ship and sees inside the prince whose statue she has kept in her garden. A terrible storm comes up, wrecking the ship and drowning all on board except the prince. He is saved by the mermaid, who places him safely on a distant shore. When some maidens and a princess discover him, the little mermaid flees. Her grandmother reveals the little mermaid can live on land, but at a terrible price. The sea witch has a potion that will transform her tail into legs and feet, but to get them, the little mermaid must give up her beautiful singing voice. And in order to gain a mortal soul, she must make the prince fall in love with and marry her. The mermaid accepts all the conditions put forth by the sea witch and trades her voice and tail for legs which would make her the most talented dancer any one has ever seen. But every walking second feels as if she walking on a hundred swords and the little mermaid is in constant pain. She still manages to become friends with the prince and hopes that he'll fall in love with her but is never able to tell the prince that it was her who saved him from drowning. The prince one day reveals it to the little mermaid that he is in love with the princess who he thinks had saved him from drowning and was planning to marry her. Upon knowing this the sisters of the little mermaid trade their beautiful hair for a lethal blade which, if used to kill the prince, will bring the tail and voice of the little mermaid. The sisters of the little mermaid give her the blade and the little mermaid... She..... v The participants were asked to change the climax of the story above: Winning Entries Other Entries Alan Alex AGI Jaza Rizma MT 16 21 20 e Aiman Khan Deepak D Anupama Santhosh n 22 20 17 Suma M S Elizabeth Cherian 20 18 C Ramya Christie Rachel Saji 21 19 i change r the climax

a winning entries | change the climax s She looks at the blade and sees her reflection in it and she remembers her blissful life under the sea. As tears stream o down her face, her sisters realize that the mermaid would never kill the prince. They descend to the depths of ocean, u leaving their little sister along with the blade. v The wedding arrangements begin in the sea-side castle of the prince, where the little mermaid is given a room along with the little brother of the princess. Both of them become close friends as they sit and talk for the whole day. The little brother reveals his little secrets to the mermaid one by one, and one of them being the little wooden box. The box has a miniature model of a sea-kingdom inside, at the centre of which there’s a mermaid who sings. The little boy says that when he grows up, he wants to be a sailor and that one day he wishes to meet a mermaid and he will marry her and live with her in the sea. Tears stream down the mermaid’s face and she starts regretting her decisions. The wedding happens in the sea, in the ship. As the little mermaid observes the wedding preparations with curiosity she sees that not a lot of people are happy. The cooks abuse their assistants, the crew are toiling hard and the children clean the floor while the rich on board toast and drink to their full. The mermaid has the blade hidden in her dress. As she sees the Prince his wedding attire, anger swells up in her, but the little brother’s happy face fills her with compassion, and she throws the blade away in the sea. She decides it better to die rather than to kill. As the exchange of vows begin, the mermaid feels death approaching her. Suddenly, there’s an underwater storm, and the prince, who stands on the deck, along with the little brother is thrown-off, into the water. The mermaid jumps after them immediately. As she sinks down she sees that her sisters have caused the storm. She swims towards the prince and the little brother, and sees a huge shark swimming towards them. The sisters have melted the lethal blade into the shark’s teeth. The mermaid tries her best, but her legs can’t take her further. She watches helplessly as the shark tears the prince apart, and his blood spreads in the water, causing the little mermaid to get her tail and voice back. She is filled with anger and hopelessness at the same time, yet she forgets it when she sees the little brother drowning. She rescues him and places him safely in a shore. When he wakes up, he sees the mermaid vanishing down the sea. e Back in her garden, the little mermaid removes the statue of the prince and replaces it with the statue of the mermaid (from the little brother’s box). She takes the hair off the mermaid’s statue, to silently thank her sisters. n MA Comparative Literature i EFLU Hyderabad 1 r

a winning entries | change the climax s She couldn't kill the Prince who she was irrevocably in love with. Without a voice and feet that pained with each step, o she wandered with the blade. She had many chances to execute the Prince. But she didn't. She had watched the royal u wedding of the Prince and the Princess who lied that she saved him. She couldn't kill....she was not someone who would v kill selfishly. Yes, she wouldn't have a voice and would be stranded on land for the rest of her life but she couldn't bring herself to kill him. And so for years she roamed on land with the blade. Solitude ...it was all she knew. She sometimes met with her sisters at the shore. The sisters had said that her father missed her. But alas...even the great King of the Sea couldn't give her tail back. She had to do as the sea witch has said. And she couldn't do it. Over time she learned to yield the blade. And because of her wonderful swordsmanship, the Prince appointed her as his Lady Knight. The Mermaid ,now a Lady Knight learnt to live with the pain in her legs and stayed by the Prince's side. She had tucked away her feelings for him long ago. But he still was dear to her. One day, one of the soldiers had bestowed the Prince with a present. It was a Mermaid. Not just any Mermaid, it was our Lady Knight's eldest sister. The Mermaid had come to meet her little sister on land but unfortunately one of the soldiers saw her and bought her to the King after capturing her. The Lady Knight was devastated. If only...she thought. If only I hadn't fell in love with the Prince, my sister would have never been caught. The Mermaid was put in a tank, as a show piece at the center of the hall in the palace. There was always 2 guards present to watch her. The Lady Knight wanted to help her sister. She waited for the chance to break her sister out of her glass jail. In the following days, the Princess was bedridden with some kind of unknown disease. The Palace doctor couldn't find out the solution. So they met with the Old Warlock and he prescribed Mermaid Heart boiled at the seashore for the Princess's ailment. And fortunately for them they had a Mermaid with them. The Mermaid was bought to the sea-shore. The Lady Knight had found her chance. They were in close vicinity to the Sea and she could help her sister to get back. The Lady Knight had by now loathed the Prince. She hated him for never understanding her and she hated him for wanting to kill her sister. Now nothing held her back, she wielded her blade for the last and final time. And stabbed the King. It was easy as she was a trusted Knight who was always kept by his side. He had fell on the ground, in the puddle of his own blood. And while the soldiers were awestruck for a moment, she carried her sister who was in a wire mesh into the shore and jumped. Safe. They were safe. e And she felt something.... Her tail. She got her tail back. She had killed the Prince with the blade just as she was n supposed to and she had gotten her tail back. She screamed with happiness and hugged her sister. Now she could go back to her Kingdom. She was the happiest and also felt very bad. On the swim back, she self-reflected. Falling for a person's beauty and then getting forgotten by the man she saved and to finding out what a cruel man he was to keep an innocent Mermaid in a glass tank and kill without any guilt. Oh my, I have BA English Literature been a fool.... But at least I'm back home. Even though I left behind me a lot Govt. Victoria College, Palakkad of chaos, a Prince murdered and a Princess in her death bed. Yes ,Chaos. I will forever live in that guilt and that is my punishment for doing things on a whim.... she thought Sometimes, life isn't fair. 2 i r

a winning entries | change the climax s \"A little of the mortal blood could save me. I could sit beside my dad again, swim and dance across Atlantica with my o sisters”. Lub-dub Lub-dub. “Is ingratitude a sin? Is forgetfulness a crime?” Ariel’s hands quivered as the thoughts u clouded her mind. Her mother’s whisper echoed in the room: “Soul or sound?”. As she rushed out of the room, she v could hear the heart banging against her ribs. Her dagger bore no blood.Ariel’s eyes locked with another pair of green eyes that she had seen on the day she rescued the prince. The princess had seen those eyes, but the legs… Shock and bafflement turned the princess pale. Ariel collapsed into tears. As Ariel acted out the whole story , she knew her end was near: the Sea witch’s slave or Prince’s prisoner.However, destiny had other plans. The princess cried,“You did not have a tongue, but he had one. He had never asked if I saved him! He thought I saved him. How could the prince be wrong, alas!”. Sigh replaced her rage. “I was a happy girl playing on the seashore till I saw a mystical sheen of the azure tail. She had deep blue eyes. When people swelled up near the half awakened man, my feet followed the strange trail that the waves were erasing. The lusture reminded me of my grandma’s travel story that she called ‘The Mermaid of Atlantica’. The most beautiful sight in my life, it was! Everyday I came to the shore in hopes of catching a glimpse of what others called a lie, the story that made me crazy as my grandma. One day, I saw the prince walking along the beach. He erupted into a dance with an entire bunch of half naked men and women dancing behind him till the prince stopped and kneeled in front of me. “Will you marry me?”. Everyone cheered. Scared for my life, I said, “I don’t think we should get married”. He cracked: “Marry me Juliet, you'll never have to be alone/ I love you and that's all I really know/ I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress/ It's a love story baby just say yes’.” Ariel’s eyes widened. “That's a human song”. She smiled.“Love needs no speech or song. The world simply becomes more beautiful than before”. She gently touched Ariel’s hand. They walked towards the sea, their breaths in unison. “Go, live your life, my mermaid ”, she made a slit and blood oozed out. Ariel’s earthly legs disappeared and fins appeared. Her tongue had not regrown, the sea-witch had said only the prince’s blood could redeem it. “Soul over sound”, Ariel knew now. “The lethal wound?”, her sisters asked as she narrated the story. She did not reply. One day her princess would cease to wait near the shore for her flips. But she would be in heaven, the place where the heart was. \" e PhD English Literature n EFLU, Hyderabad 3 i r

a winning entries | change the climax s \"Killing would be cruel. Yet it was her life that was at stake here. What should she do? But if she killed him, would she o be able to live with the guilt. And what about the love she had for him, for which she gave up her world, people and her u voice? Oh this was very confusing. As she looked at the blade, a thought suddenly crossed her mind. She had only lost v her voice, why can't she tell the prince that she had saved him through her dance or through a letter. The solution was e too simple, then why hadn't she seen it till now. That was when she realised it; it was never the lack of voice that n cripled her, but her fear to use that voice. She was afraid of what he might say? What if he rejected her. She was afraid to make the first move. She had always thought she just needed to be on land and the prince would just fall in love with her. She had never thought that she might actually have to do the talking. But a blade can change a lot of things, especially when it symbolises your death or a murder. Thus the mermaid made up her mind to meet the prince.Next morning, she found the prince in the garden. He was alone there as he had asked the guards to give him some space. The mermaid walked up to him. Seeing her, the prince looked startled. Oh... the knife. Why was she carrying it everywhere? Before he could call the guards to arrest her, the mermaid dropped the knife and gave him the letter that narrated the events of the day when the ship had sunk. The prince read her letter in silence and looked up at her in utter diabelief. Of course who would believe somebody who says that they were a mermaid. No... But she had already asked her sisters to appear on the shore at the right time. Their sight made the prince trust her letter. He looked scared. Thats when it struck the mermaid, the prince had always seen her as a dancer and now he looked at her as a past mermaid. She sighed. The prince asked her for some time to think. The next day, the prince told her \"\"I had always loved the princess. The assumption that she might have saved me was just an excuse I found to love her more.\"\" The prince didn't know what more to say. She understood that he felt sorry for her. She wanted to tell him it was okay but then that was difficult. Anyway she had kept from him the ultimatum on his and her life. That is the last bit of service she can do for him. Now what?She walked to the shore and sat there. She saw someone peeking at her from the water. Who?? The witch??? What does she want? The witch asked her in her own singing voice, so whose life did you choose- yours or his. As it was her moment of self-expression, she wrote in the sand. \"\" I think its pretty unfair that I have to either lose my life or kill somebody and live with that guilt for the rest of my life.\"\" The witch was surprised... \"\" So you know how to talk?? But still shouldnt you bear the consequences of your decision.\"\" The mermaid had nothing to counter that. After a moment of silence, the witch said\"\" To lose ones life just because someone doesnt love you back sounds unfair. But you should take responsibility for your decision. So ai will give you a chance to live. But it wouldn't be so easy...You will continue to live on the land, you can never return as a mermaid nor will you ever get your voice back. Your legs will always be in pain. You also lost your chance to get a mortal human soul. It will be really difficult to live with a mermaid soul in a human body. Your memories will always be that of the sea and its life. Your yearning will be for the sea. But your body would never love the sea. You will live your life thus. Not very happy right. \"\" The mermaid was not very satisfied. She knew that the life she was going to choose was more difficult than the death to which she bid adieu. Yet it was still life. Thus, she decided to live. She moved away from the palace. She went from place to place dancing her skills and telling tales of underwater life through her dance. And one of her popular bits was of a mermaid girl who lost her life for love. Plane sensationalism. That seemed to sell more than what really happened. Her life was not easy. She always yearned for water. But she learned to swim. Her legs were always in pain, but with time she got used to it. Her soul body divide was always there... But still she managed to live bridging them. And above all she learned to use her voice very well.\" i PhD English Literature r EFLU, Hyderabad 3

a change the climax s \"She took the lethal blade and walked towards the Prince. By this time, the Prince had married the Princess who he o thought had saved him. They were now sitting in the garden conversing something that The Little Mermaid couldn't hear. So ,she stood peeping and making her ears sharp from the big tree behind the newly married couples. Because, from the time she got the lethal blade onwards she was palpitating and pondering. She never wanted to kill the Prince but always wanted to convince him the truth. But what she heard from The Princess made her heart to beat louder, her eyes to enlarge. As for now, the Princess was talking to the Prince wondering that everything had worked according to her plans. The Princess's words echoed in the little Mermaid's ears, \"This marriage was just for the wealth that I needed from you...\" and the Princess pursued. The lethal blade slithered from the little Mermaid's hand and made loud resonate, which made the Prince to recognize her. Though the little Mermaid was in agitate, she managed to hurl the lethal blade at the Princess's leg. This situation made the Prince have passionate about the little Mermaid and was espoused soon after. This marriage made The Little Mermaid's sisters recoup their hair back and also made her change into a mermaid with beautiful singing voice whenever she desired to see her family underneath the ocean.\" u Higher Secondary PKMHSS v Kerala .....upon knowing this, collects random objects from the human realms such as nail clippers, combs, and belts. The little mermaid plots with the princess whom, the prince thinks is the one who saved him. The little mermaid and the princess kills the prince together with the blade, resulting in the little mermaid getting her voice and her tail back, in a surprising turn of events, the princess also turns into a mermaid, they say the body of the prince magically altered to become the tail of the princess, who had been dreaming of exploring the ocean ever since she was a toddler. They both go back into the ocean, the little mermaid and the princess, fall in love with each other and spend their time exploring the innards of the ocean. e B.A. English Literature Govt. Victoria college pkd n \"She thanks her sisters and tells them that she can not kill the prince. They get angry and leave her taking the blade i with them.She tries to make the prince realize the fact that she is the one who saves his life. Unfortunately, he blindly believes the princess who lied to him.The little mermaid suffers a lot throughout her stay on the land except being with the military chief, the Prince's friend. Her unexpected day of the Prince's wedding comes at last. Her sisters come back and tries to convince her to kill the prince. She jumps into the ocean! Her sisters are shocked! They see the miracle of their sister getting back her tail and a man drowning with her. The sea witch explained to them that she did not save one but two lives. The military chief searchs for her madly and falls in love with her despite knowing that she is a mermaid. She gets a boon of tail to swim and legs to walk on land. She saves him second time as well. And they together live happily and she, both inside and outside of water!\" PhD EFLU, Hyderabad r

a change the climax s ..meets the princess and threatens her to reject the prince when he asks her hand for marriage else her throat would be slit with the blade and gets married to the prince...later she returns the blade to the witch and all her sisters get their lost hair... and the prince is coronated after the marriage within no time the prince charming loses all his charm and the mermaid learns he is just a lethargic scum bag who now doesn't go anywhere as he can't chase any girls now.....and he lost his kingdom to the neighbouring king because he was too lazy for a war..soon the mermaid who is no longer a queen now..gets pregnant and things turn more difficult for her now...as her husband never helps her and keeps blaming her for bringing bad luck....On a tired evening the mermaid utters aloud \"O dear.. only had I preserved the blade....\"and throws an evil smile o B.A Arabic EFLU, Hyderabad u \"She didn't listen to her sisters and turned away hoping that she will tell The Prince that she was the hero who saved his v life.The wedding was in two days,The Little Mermaid only had a few days to confess the truth.She tried talking to The e Prince about this, but she couldn't. she felt that he wouldn't believe her. Later she understood that The Prince was in n love with The Princess and The Little Mermaid was just a friend for him. The Little Mermaid never felt like The Princess was in love with the Prince because she was acting really weird . The Little Mermaid kept watching on the princess and felt like she had a puzzle. That evening The Little mermaid was Outside the castle watching The Princess through a window and saw her taking jewels from a drawer and putting it to her purse.The Little Mermaid was astonished for a minute but then she rushed to the guards and revealed that The Princess was stealing.The Princess got caught.Soon The Prince heard the news and felt disappointed.They questioned The Princess and this is all she said \"\"I don't care for love, I only care for wealth,And that's what I live for! .Everyone was shocked when they heard that. This was The Princess's plan, When The Little Mermaid saved The Prince from drowning and left him on the shore. Thats when This Princess came and stood there, so that when The Prince open his eyes he would see her and thank her for saving him and fall in love and marry him.soon after they get married,she will get in hold of all the treasures in the castle and take it all by herself so that she can live her life alone. But all of that plan is torn into bits of paper. The wedding was cancelled,this was the best time for The Little Mermaid to say who she really is and with no fear, she told The Prince who she was. The Prince was shocked, and did not even doubt her. The Little Mermaid was so happy that he believed her. After a few days, The Prince announced that he was going to marry The Little Mermaid Princess .The dream of The Little Mermaid became a miracle They both lived the happiest life ever..............\" High school PKMHSS Kerala i r

a change the climax s \"She takes the blade unwillingly because no matter what she still loved the prince but seeing her sisters’ sacrifice, she o accepts the blade. One evening the prince and his fiancée who are madly in love with each other talk about how they u fell in love. The girl asks him, “What made you love me the most?” he replies, “the day you saved my life risking yours, I v realized what true love was. You exhibit the qualities that even the most perfect person in the world might not.” The e next morning the prince and a mermaid go for a walk, the prince asks her what would be the gift that she as a girl would love so he could gift his fiancée. She smiles; they decide to go to the market. The next they reach the market, shops filled with all sorts of beautiful to magnificent gifts from small trinkets to dream catchers to the most lavish jewelry. The little mermaid points out at a small glass bottle the prince picks it up and tells her that it was a message bottle. Her eyes suddenly sparkled with the idea of message in a bottle. She told him that it would be the best gift he smiled and explained her that he could not gift the queen to be a glass bottle it must be something rare and beautiful. Eventually they bought a very valuable ring engraved with some rare gem, to the mermaid, which seemed ordinary. The next morning she woke up and found under her pillow the same message bottle. With tears in her eyes she opens it and there was something written which she could not read. She thanks the prince and asks him what was written he reads, “A soul mate is someone with whom your fate your destiny and your life is entwined with. It is something that is written by the stars and it isn’t necessarily your lover you can find a soul mate in a friend and I have found that in you thank you for being there”She tells him it was lovely and asks him that she wishes to learn to read the prince gets everything arranges for her to start learning. In a month, she learns to read as well as write. Everyone was truly amazed how fast learner she was. By the time, she had decided that she would not kill the prince because he was someone who she valued more than her own life.She realized the days for her to live were few. The day of prince’s wedding comes she bids him farewell and decides to jump off a bridge he insists for her to stay but she tells him something urgent had come. She jumps off the bridge and like a human, her body drowns. The prince in the midst of everything going on the prince remembers something and goes to her room, and finds a little diary he opens and reads it everything that had happened was written in it. He realizes everything and cries in horror. He goes to the sea begs to the skies and the seas for her to return, but she does not. The same sea witch emerges; he tells her everything and asks her to trade anything of his to make the mermaid return. She says there’s nothing but one thing that is your soul the prince was so deeply in love with her by now he agrees but he asks her you can take my life but give me just one day with her to live. She says I can give you 12 hours, he agrees. The mermaid comes to life. They both were most happiest and the saddest souls for those 12 hours that ever existed .the prince tells her that she could live after him but she says if I could die for you once, why not twice? At least this time, it would be with you. They both give up their lives together. That was the day the seven skies and the seven seas wept.\" n BSc Christ Church College i r

a B. A. (Hons.) French EFLU - Hyderabad 1 s Amidst all the chaos, he finds a space for him to pray, o spreads his handkerchief and just tunes away. Around him, there are passengers running to catch their trains; trains passing by, families and friends bidding adieu-but the cacophony just falls into dim silence for him. It's like everything else fades aways, only him and his faith remains. u v e PhD Indian and World Literatures n EFLU - Hyderabad 2 The Doppelganger i r photography

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