Fresh faces on the block: The two recent hires of the English Department

-Ishwarya S & Bala R

Under the many old footsteps that have walked through our department, we had a casual interaction with our new professors This article centres on the vision and perspective of the new generation of professors The conversations below will help the students get to know the new professors better.

Prof. Keerthana completed her undergraduate degree here at PSGR Krishnammal and postgraduation at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Pandemic Literature at Krishnammal.

Professor Manjupriya completed her undergraduate studies at Krishnagiri Adhiyaman Arts and Science College. She pursued her postgraduate education at Vallalar College of Arts and Science for Women. She also cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET) and was awarded the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF). She did her Ph.D from Avinashilingam University for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, specialising in Indian literature. They both are well known to the faculty as…

A spark of fire that is needed to bring a candle to life. Likewise, was there any spark that ignited you to be the person you are today?

Prof Keerthana said that it did not come to her as a spark but as a slow realisation,

‘My mother has always been my constant booster; she used to tell me that education is the best and most permanent asset I could have in my life I initially wished to become a dentist, but couldn’t due to circumstances That didn’t mean the end of my life and my passion to become a professor led me to where I am today So, I would say that my mother is responsible for who I am today ’

This was Prof Manjupriya’s inspiring response; When I was young, I was oblivious to my parents’ struggles Later on, when I started realising them, I was determined to make their lives comfortable I studied hard to get to where I am today without forgetting who I am Personal struggles open our eyes to reality and my favourite quote reflects the same: “Poverty can teach people more things than a degree can.”

A lot of people have similar personalities, but comic characters are varied and always exceed the qualities of humans So which comic characters do you think wouldbestdescribeeachother?

Manju is someone I know who has faced a lot of personal struggles in her life but I have never seen her complain I would compare her to the Disney character 'Elsa’ from the movie Frozen who is also a strong woman of great character; said Prof Keerthana.

Meanwhile, Prof Manjupriya compared Keerthana Ma’am to Lady Tsunade from the anime series ‘Naruto.’ Lady Tsunade is a brave character, who always puts up a strong front despite all her struggles. Prof Keerthana encourages her students to work hard and helps them step out of their comfort zones. She is a supportive pillar to her students who are struggling.

What advice would you give to students who are working hard to achieve their dreams?

Here is some valuable advice given by the professors People tend to compare their progress with others, often undermining their achievements To avoid this, I recommend the students who are pursuing their passion, to be consistent in their work. There will be hardships and no visible progress in the first two to three months,but we must remain persistent.

It might be challenging for a student to find motivation unless they were disciplined from the beginning, but it is important to know that it is never too late to find motivation.

Managing students of this generation has proven to be difficult for teachers, If you could have any super power to make the students listen, what would it be?

Prof Keerthana rushed to answer this question; ‘I love students and want them to be themselves. The only thing I want is for them to listen to me in class. I wish I had a superpower where they would automatically listen to me when I entered the class and not get distracted by anything else. I want my students to interact with me and I want to make learning fun for them.’

Prof. Manjupriya, excitedly added her fantasy; ‘In the anime Naruto, there is a mind power called Genjutsu, which allows me to create illusions that will make the students see or feel whatever I want them to.I think this would have a significant impact on the students.

Which recently released book would you recommend to your fellow humans?

Prof. Keerthana recommended a historical fiction novel ‘Avarana’ by S.L. Bhyrappa. ‘I suggest this book because it talks about a few controversial topics such as history, religion, identity and multiculturalism, closely related to the people of our country.’

Prof. Manjupriya recommend a book called ‘The Seeker of Nothing’ by Kabir Munjal, published in 2022. The book explores life lessons through various adventures and will leave the readers feeling optimistic. It personally helped me get through a difficult period in my life.

*Picture in Header : Our team's interaction with the new staff (Picture credit: Ishwarya S)