"Ricky Stanicky" - Movie Review by Sai Varshini of B.Sc BTCFS Final Year

Picture Credit : Special Arrangement 

Ricky Stanicky, what started as a fun, relaxing, and celebrative evening after my last exam turned out to be a real bombshell! It's the story of Ricky Stanicky, a movie now streaming on Amazon Prime Video (Sorry about the spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't watched). A man who was once a nobody managed to find himself, and all it took was one day. Just one day, and he didn't miss the chance. It's a story where lies come to life and lives turn into a lie.

So, Ricky Stanicky is an imaginary friend that three friends made up as a pushover, a lie that grew too big and for good. 

It was a real journey watching the friends toast to "Ricky Stanicky, the best friend we ever had" from "Ricky Stanicky, the friend we never had."

He was down in the ditches, simply broke, lost, singing sexualised versions of pop hits, running away from people he didn't know how he wronged, and suddenly he was a nationwide hero, leading mergers, dancing the night away with the woman he loved. He had the best social circle, the highest pay and the perfect life! All because he took the chance. He rediscovered himself and respected himself in probably his mid-30s. Ricky Stanicky taught us that it's never too late. It's never too late to come clean and start afresh. And we're all barely 20, what are we waiting for!

All the movies and fairytales show us happy endings, but this one taught me happy beginnings. Something new for a change. And in life not everything happens slow, steady and planned, some things flip around real fast, be it good or bad. This all wouldn't have come off happy if it weren't for Erin, who looked at everything with a different perspective. Maybe it was just a fun comedy and drama-filled movie to some, but this is what I saw. Many of us have had a gazillion of these epiphanies, but we just chose not to act upon it, but Ricky didn't! 

GUESS IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

"Your Beautiful Eyes" - By Safiyyah of BA First Year

Picture Credit : Special Arrangement 

When I see your charming eyes,

Where all the untold secrets lie, 

Understanding your mysterious gestures, 

Seems as difficult as rolling a dice. 

It is purely white and cool like snow ice, 

Even if it holds hatred, it would still look nice, 

Even the glimpse of your eyes,

Can force many to die.

It shows your sensitivity when you weep, 

Shows your innocence when you sleep, 

It reflect the deepest of the deep, 

It will still express the silence you keep. 

Your lustrous eyes are like crystalline,

Sometimes your eyes lack happiness, 

And they still look fine,

Your stress never affects, it shine, 

And they are as addictive as wine.

Your eyes hold the attractiveness a jewel,

Hence, it feels like drowning into a well, 

Looking into your eyes, anyone would fall,

These eyes are enough to take me to hell. 

As you have these glamorous eyes, 

I wonder how beautiful the eyesight is, 

You need not groom your eyes, 

As I've already been poisoned by these.

"Which Side Am I On ?" - Diary Entry by Devyani Konkati of B.Sc BTCFS II Year

Picture Credit : Special Arrangement 

This work of mine delves into a deeply personal journey of self-discovery as I grapple with a question that arose from a quote that sparked me to deep dive into my own experiences. All of it that forced me to ask: Am I the victim or the villain?

WHICH SIDE AM I ON?

Dear Diary, 

I felt disgusted today. While I was on my usual social media spree of liking thousands of reels and posts, I came across this one quote “The abused becomes the abuser.” I cannot completely describe how I felt, but, only one question came to my mind, to the person who wrote that, “Whose side are you on?”

Everyone in this universe has been a part of a wrong doing just like me, and I think whether to be the abuser or the abused, purely was depended on us and our choices. People intentionally fail to recognise this and always tend to play the part of the abused, because they never want to seem castigated. Although I need to answer as to “Who is the actual abuser?” I find myself trying to camouflage into something that I myself am unaware of what it is. 

When I think about what I have been through and how difficult the course of life was, I blame all those who played a part in leading me there. But that one particular quote got me thinking if I deserved to do so. I find myself asking, “Am I the abused or the abuser?”. Every inch of me accepted I was abused but not a cell of me thought if I ever hurt or abused someone. While trying to answer this, I noticed to tend to just stay in every shoe except mine, so that I could seek as to WHY it happened to ME. I never saw the world from my shoes. But when I finally put every lego piece of myself together, I realised that it was harsh for me to say, the abuser is the main culprit, because even though they knew exactly what they were doing, and what affect it would have on me, it was hard to swallow the fact that even, I knew all of this and yet chose to be a taunting part of the play. 

So, it becomes inevitable for me to say that a minute part of me chose to sit there and let it all absorb into myself. A minute part of me which didn’t fight back enough, which gave up and accepted all of it. Had I been a little more courageous, a little more fearless and a little more selfish, I would have had the chance to switch from, “Why am I going through this?” to “Why am I letting myself go through all of this?”. And this pulled me back to my senses. 

It is true that the abuser shattered me into countless pieces, but it is also true that I gambled those pieces just for them to toy with those again and again. I had been placing those tiny pieces of myself on stake, to knowingly fall into a pattern of getting hurt again. And that way I became them who abused even the minute parts of me over and over again.

It is still not clear to me as to what it takes to break this cycle, but I now know that, when I stop being the abused I will stop being the abuser of myself. It is clear to me I must stop thinking of myself as a wounded cat that is to be rescued, instead to think of myself as a rescuer who carefully picks every single piece of me and still embraces it as it is.

"Writing Culture And Identity" – Report Writing by Hafsa Ahmed of FNZC I Year

   On 6th March 2024, The Capacity Development Program - "Writing Culture And Identity" was organized by the Department of English and Foreign Languages in collaboration with Quills literary club. 

   Tenzin Tsundue a writer, poet and activist born and raised in India who writes and lives for the freedom and independence of Tibet. The session was started by his introduction as a refugee. He had a unique way of attracting the audience with his words. He said he tours colleges to inspire students to become writers and find their writing style. The writer shared his struggle story and his life stories as a Tibetan refugee studying literature and practicing writing In India.  

   The writer kept the audience entertained and active by asking questions and knowing the students opinions. He spoke about how he worked hard in his writings and never gave up inspite of receiving criticism. He shared his writing experiences and recited one of his poems, which was funny yet amazing and was highly adored and enjoyed by the students. The students really enjoyed his poem and were inspired to write and got an idea on how to write using one's culture. He ended the session by narrating a part of his short story and explaining it. The session was really useful and informative for the students and filled the atmosphere with enthusiasm and interest for writing. The students paid keen interest and attention to the writer throughout the session.

     He then introduced his poetry and short stories book "kora" and a book on Tibetan essays and short stories "Nowhere to call home". He brought a few copies of these for the students to buy, which the students purchased with great excitement and interest. The Head of the Department, Dr.M.Suchitra Madam felicitated him as a token of gratitude and respect.

"Valorous Women" - By Ayesha Siddiqua of BA First Year 

Picture Credit : Ayesha Siddiqua 

Be Bold enough to dream,

And brave enough to try,

Be Bold enough to use your voice,

And brave enough to listen your heart,

Be bold and brave, my beautiful queens.

Dare to believe that you can,

Dare to make your dreams a reality,

Dare to live your life limitlessly,

Dare to be yourself,

Be bold and strong enough,

To live a life you've always dreamt of.

"Crumbling Kinship : A Tapestry of Gratitude and Betrayal" - By Prakarshitha Borra of BA Final Year 

Picture Credit : Special Arrangement 

In shadows of kinship, trust was sown,

A family’s embrace, a haven to own.

Yet, the ties that bound, so fragile, so thin,

Crumbled beneath the weight of the unseen.

In halls of family, echoes of strife,

Where once was solace, now a fractured life.

Friends, once allies, turned to wield the knife,

A narrative of betrayal, cutting like a scythe.

Siblings, once pillars, now shattered and torn,

A heart once whole, in fragments is worn.

Extended kin, once a sanctuary, now scorned,

A trust obliterated, a foundation mourned.

Through wreckage of hopes, I bear the weight,

A soul battered, a spirit in its direst state.

Blame not cast on those who participate,

For my trust, my own, I must re-evaluate.

In this crucible of pain, gratitude finds its voice,

To friends, to parents, to siblings, a choice.

To the ones who broke me, yet offered a lesson,

A conflicted thank you, a bittersweet confession.

For every betrayal, a mirror to my soul,

A reminder to rebuild, to regain control.

In the ruins of trust, a chance to be whole,

A journey of healing, a narrative to inscroll.

So here’s my gratitude, wide and vast,

To every actor in this intricate cast.

In the tapestry of life, lessons amassed,

A thank you to the present, a farewell to the past.

“Hey Girl” – By R.Srivally of B.SC MPCS First Year

Picture Credit : Special Arrangement 

If you think you don't have enough clothes, 

Be grateful to atleast own them.

Your parents refrain from sending you after 9pm,

Yet, they do send you before 9pm. right?

You say, they don't respect your choices,

Atleast they gave you choices.

You say, you are not allowed to go for night outs,

But at least you go out in day time.

You say your parents are too harsh on you, 

But atleast thank god you have them.

They love you a lot because you are their child.