Monday, 12 October 2026
Sunday, 11 October 2026
The Language of Pain: Representing Illness in Literature - The New Yorker Article Summary
Hermione Hoby’s article, “Why Is Illness So Hard to Write About?”, revisits Virginia Woolf’s 1926 essay “On Being Ill” to explore why physical suffering remains difficult to represent in literature. Although contemporary writers increasingly describe bodily experiences explicitly, pain often resists language because it overwhelms thought while it lasts and becomes difficult to recall accurately afterward. Writers also tend to transform illness into a metaphor for spiritual revelation, personal growth, or impending death rather than portray its physical realities. Drawing on works by Susan Sontag, Garth Greenwell, Anne Boyer, Albert Camus, and others, Hoby argues that effective illness narratives must remain faithful to the individual body while acknowledging the social, political, and emotional circumstances surrounding suffering. Ultimately, illness may isolate individuals, but it also reveals their dependence on others and the importance of human compassion, care, and the power of writing to communicate experiences that words can scarcely express.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/10/12/why-is-illness-so-hard-to-write-about
Published in the print edition of the October 12, 2026, issue, with the headline “Sick Lit.”
Saturday, 10 October 2026
Friday, 9 October 2026
Thursday, 8 October 2026
Wednesday, 7 October 2026
Tuesday, 6 October 2026
Monday, 5 October 2026
Sunday, 4 October 2026
'A Very Safe Place' by Rachel Heng – Short Story – New Yorker - Review
I read this short story in The New Yorker, titled “A Very Safe Place” by Rachel Heng. The story is about a nine-year-old boy, Shawn, and his father, who finds a man on the beaches of Singapore. Shaun’s father takes the stranger home despite stiff resistance from Shawn’s mother.
I followed my usual method of reading and listening to the story, which was read by the author herself. The story deals with migrant issues that plague the small but well-ordered island nation of Singapore, often regarded as a role model for the world in terms of governance and economic growth.
The presence of the stranger in his home and bedroom makes Shawn talk about violence with his English teacher. It also makes his mother feel insecure about having a stranger in their home. The sickly, abandoned cat that Shawn’s father takes care of becomes a symbol of how the lives of human beings are sometimes devalued even in comparison with those of animals. It also shows how sympathy and empathy play a part in Shawn’s father’s life—qualities that seem to be largely absent in the others.
The story is notable for its deep observations and sharp dialogues. The way even a young boy is bereft of sympathy and empathy is particularly striking when he commands the stranger to leave his parents’ home. Homelessness, along with the desire for a sense of belonging and safety, is one of the main themes of the story.
The rotan, or police cane, is another powerful symbol that represents the strict rule of law in the country. In the interview accompanying the story, which is also part of the October 12, 2026, issue of the magazine, Heng talks about her visit to Singapore, where she saw a signboard put up by the police asking the public to be cautious about strangers swimming in the sea. This signboard became the seed for the story.
I was reminded of Gabriel GarcÃa Márquez’s short story “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” and the eighth segment of the 2009 Malayalam anthology film Kerala Café, titled “Bridge” which is about abandonment and unwanted existence.
If you are interested, listen to the story.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4yNFTkRtCrZnyu8Pz5dxc7?si=b7wJj6SQRgy7iGVganzE7A
Saturday, 3 October 2026
Friday, 2 October 2026
Thursday, 1 October 2026
Wednesday, 30 September 2026
When Academia Stops Questioning: India’s Drift from Reason to Ritual - Article Summary - 30-09-26
The article “Indian Academia’s Drift from Reason to Ritual” questions whether Indian universities are moving away from reason, critical inquiry and academic freedom towards ritual, hierarchy and unquestioning respect for authority. The author argues that universities should be spaces where students and teachers can question established ideas, challenge authority and engage in open debate. While traditions and cultural practices may have a place in academic life, they should not replace evidence-based thinking or intellectual independence. The article also raises concerns about political influence, institutional autonomy and restrictions on dissent, suggesting that these can create an atmosphere of self-censorship within academia. The concluding reference to Tagore’s “Where the Mind is Without Fear” reinforces the ideal of an education system based on freedom, courage and the pursuit of truth. Ultimately, the article reminds us that the purpose of education is not simply to preserve what we know, but to teach us to question, think and seek knowledge freely.
The article ‘Indian Academia’s Drift from Reason to Ritual’ appeared in the Hindu e-paper on 30th September 2026.
Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Monday, 28 September 2026
First Year - 26UENG1A - Revision Exam - Answer Key
This answer key is intended for revision and reference. Minor variations in answers may be accepted where appropriate.
Beyond Grammar: Learning English as a Language - Article Summary - The Hindu - Education Plus Supplement - 28-9-26
The article argues that English teaching should move beyond memorising grammar rules and terminology. Knowing grammar does not automatically make students effective communicators. Instead, learners need opportunities to listen, speak, read and write English in meaningful contexts. The author highlights the importance of interesting reading, real-world communication and meaningful exposure to English, drawing on Stephen Krashen’s ideas about language acquisition. Grammar should support communication rather than become an end in itself. In the Indian context, English should be treated not merely as a subject to study, but as a language to acquire and use.
India’s PhD Boom and the Career Challenge - Article Summary - The Print
India has witnessed a major rise in PhD enrolments, increasing from 1.17 lakh in 2014–15 to about 3.44 lakh in 2023–24. The number of PhDs awarded has also grown significantly. The expansion of universities, research fellowships, growing interest in research and the discontinuation of the MPhil have contributed to this trend.
However, the growth in doctoral education has not been matched by enough career opportunities. Many PhD scholars face limited faculty positions, low-paid contractual teaching jobs, delayed recruitment and inadequate postdoctoral opportunities. As a result, several researchers are looking towards industry, corporate R&D, startups and overseas research positions.
The problem is particularly serious because India’s research ecosystem still has fewer researchers and less research infrastructure compared with countries such as China and the US. Experts argue that simply increasing the number of PhDs is not enough; India needs better funding, laboratories, postdoctoral programmes and stronger links between universities and industry.
The article also highlights the Professor of Practice model, which provides an alternative route for experienced professionals to enter academia. Industry-sponsored PhDs, joint research laboratories and industrial postdoctoral programmes could similarly broaden career opportunities.
The central issue, therefore, is not whether India should produce more PhDs, but whether it can create diverse, stable and meaningful careers for the growing number of people who earn them.
Sunday, 27 September 2026
When Places Remember: Memory, Trauma and Stories - NGC Articles - September 2026
Remembering Sites of Trauma
Photographer Haruka Sakaguchi spent two years visiting former Japanese American incarceration camps from the Second World War. In her project The Camps America Built, she photographed survivors and their families returning to these places. For these families, the camps are not simply historical locations. They are sites of trauma and memory. The photographs help preserve experiences that might otherwise be forgotten.
https://thecampsamericabuilt.com/
Remembering Through Travel
Writer Gary Shteyngart travelled through Uzbekistan, a country he had imagined since childhood through books and pictures of its famous Islamic architecture. His journey shows how books, photographs and stories can create memories of places before we ever visit them. When he finally experienced Uzbekistan, his childhood image of the country met its present reality.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/uzbekistan-silk-road-cities-tourism
Remembering 9/11 - Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, the memory of 9/11 is also changing. A new generation has grown up without personal memories of the attacks. For them, the event survives through photographs, videos, documentaries, oral histories and stories told by survivors. What was once a living experience is gradually becoming history.
Can Cells Remember Their Youth? The Science of Reversing Aging
What if aging is not simply a process of decline, but also a loss of cellular memory? A National Geographic article on the emerging science of longevity explores this intriguing possibility through the work of scientists investigating whether old cells can be made to behave like younger ones. At the heart of this research is the discovery that cells carry more than their DNA: they also possess epigenetic information that records which genes should be switched on or off and helps maintain a cell’s identity. Shinya Yamanaka’s discovery of four transcription factors demonstrated that mature cells could be reprogrammed into a younger, stem-cell-like state, suggesting that a cell may retain traces—or a molecular memory—of its earlier potential. Researchers are now attempting to use this principle selectively: rather than completely resetting a cell, they want to restore aspects of its youthful state while preserving its identity. Experiments by Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and others have shown promising results in animals, while researchers including David Sinclair are investigating whether cellular rejuvenation can eventually be applied to humans. Other approaches described in the article, such as eliminating senescent “zombie” cells and manipulating factors in blood, similarly attempt to counter the accumulated biological changes associated with aging. Yet the science remains experimental, and uncontrolled reprogramming can cause cells to lose their identity or become cancerous. The deeper significance of this research lies in its challenge to the idea that aging is an entirely irreversible biological journey. If cells retain molecular traces of their youth, aging may involve not only damage and deterioration but also changes in the way cellular information is stored and expressed. The emerging field of cellular reprogramming therefore raises a fascinating possibility: perhaps the future of longevity will not simply involve repairing old cells, but learning how to read, restore and carefully rewrite the cellular memories of youth.
Saturday, 26 September 2026
Gladys Hynes, Ezra Pound, and a Forgotten Modernist Life by Ed Vulliamy - The Times Literary Supplement - May 15, 2026
The article is a personal and archival exploration of Gladys Hynes (1888–1958), the author’s great-aunt, whose remarkable artistic and political life has largely been overshadowed by her famous correspondent, the poet Ezra Pound.
Gladys was an accomplished painter, illustrator, sculptor and suffragette who moved within the artistic circles of early twentieth-century London. She knew figures such as Wyndham Lewis, Roger Fry, Laura Knight, Nina Hamnett and Arthur Lett-Haines, and worked with Pound on illustrations for his Cantos XVII–XXVII. Her artwork combined modernism, mysticism, Catholicism, pagan imagery and political concerns. One striking painting, Crucifixion (1939), depicts a young pilot crucified on a fighter plane, while another presents war as the product of powerful financial interests.
The article centres on the letters exchanged between Gladys and Ezra Pound from 1927 until her death in 1958. The correspondence, donated to Yale’s Beinecke Library by Gladys’s sister Sheilah in 1967, remained unpublished for decades. The letters reveal a complex friendship that continued despite the enormous ideological gulf created by Pound’s fascism, antisemitism and wartime propaganda.
Gladys herself was an Irish Republican, pacifist and anti-fascist sympathiser. Her family had a strong Irish nationalist tradition, tracing its ancestry to Patrick Hynes, who participated in the 1798 United Irishmen rebellion and later travelled to India. Gladys supported the Spanish Republic and helped anti-fascist refugees, while maintaining friendships with Irish Republicans whose politics sometimes moved in very different directions.
A major theme of the correspondence is the unexpected convergence between political extremes within the modernist avant-garde. Pound admired both Bolshevism and Italian Fascism and was deeply hostile to capitalism and what he called “usury”. The article points out that the shared opposition to finance capitalism sometimes became intertwined with antisemitic ideas, making the correspondence particularly disturbing when read after the Holocaust.
Pound’s letters from his years at St Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, where he was confined after being deemed unfit to stand trial for treason, are especially revealing. Gladys continued corresponding with him and even participated in efforts to secure his release. She sought help from figures including Don Luigi Sturzo, Laura Knight and Frank Dobson, while Ernest Hemingway was also campaigning for Pound’s freedom.
Despite Pound’s increasingly offensive political statements, Gladys continued to engage with him primarily as a poet and artist. She admired his work, including the Rock Drill Cantos, telling him that although she found them difficult, reading them made her “more alive”. Their correspondence also discusses vorticism (an early 20th-century British avant-garde art movement, associated particularly with Wyndham Lewis and Ezra Pound, that emerged around 1914) music, literature, modern art, Nina Hamnett, Wyndham Lewis and Irish politics.
The letters also document the changing world around them: the Second World War, postwar Britain, the coronation of Elizabeth II, Irish Republican activity, immigration from the Caribbean and the beginnings of the Troubles. Gladys supported the IRA’s campaign against British rule and opposed Partition, while also expressing affection for London’s growing multicultural population.
Pound was finally released from St Elizabeths in 1958 and returned to Italy. Gladys died later that year. Her sister Sheilah informed Pound of her death, noting that Gladys had left poems she wanted him to read.
The article ends with a particularly troubling discovery: Gladys’s final document in the archive was a letter to the Observer defending Pound against the accusation of antisemitism. She argued that Pound hated “usury”, rather than Jewish people, despite the deeply antisemitic language present in his correspondence and political writings.
Unveiling Keralam’s Forgotten Maritime Vocabulary - Article Summary - The Hindu - e-paper
A Portuguese-era manuscript preserved in Portugal contains 122 Malayalam words recorded around the late 15th or early 16th century. The vocabulary, discussed by Professor Gonçalo Fernandes, offers a rare glimpse into the everyday Malayalam spoken by ordinary people in coastal Keralam, rather than the formal language found in court records, inscriptions and literary texts.
Words such as kadal (sea), kappal (ship), thandu (oar/pole), chukkan (steering) and everyday verbs such as parayunnu (speaking), thinnunnu (eating), nadakkunnu (walking), kudikkunnu (drinking), po (go) and va (come) reveal the language and experiences of working-class coastal communities. The vocabulary suggests that Keralam already possessed a rich maritime culture and knowledge system before the arrival of the Portuguese.
The article argues that maritime history should not focus only on spices, ports and international trade. It should also recover the largely invisible contributions of fishers, fish vendors, boat builders, port workers, cargo handlers and others who sustained coastal life and enabled interactions with foreign sailors. The manuscript also opens possibilities for studying maritime linguistics, labour history, gender and sexuality, and indigenous knowledge.
The author connects this forgotten linguistic archive with contemporary concerns about Keralam’s blue economy, ocean governance, coastal erosion and climate justice. As Keralam develops policies around the ocean, the article calls for greater attention to the oral histories, traditional knowledge, cultural practices and resilience of coastal communities.
200 Papers in a Year: When AI Meets Academia - Article Summary
Nicholas Polson, a statistician and professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, has sparked debate after producing more than 200 research papers and being associated with 14 books in 2026. Polson has acknowledged using AI to assist with his work, saying that it makes routine research tasks much easier and allows him to work faster. The controversy intensified when SSRN removed 257 papers associated with Polson and froze the accounts used to submit them. While several papers reportedly lacked AI-use disclosures, SSRN said its primary concern was the unusual volume and pattern of submissions. Researchers have also questioned whether such a large number of papers can maintain the expected standards of academic quality. The episode highlights a broader challenge for academia. AI can help researchers with literature searches, data exploration and other routine tasks, but excessive or careless use could also result in fabricated citations, plagiarism, repetitive research and errors in analysis. Meanwhile, the growing number of submissions is placing additional pressure on already-strained peer-review systems. Polson insists that AI has simply accelerated his work and that he has genuinely worked on the problems addressed in his papers. The controversy ultimately raises a larger question for academia: As AI makes research faster and easier to produce, how can the academic system ensure that scholarship remains original, reliable and meaningful
Friday, 25 September 2026
Thursday, 24 September 2026
Midlife: A Chance to Begin Again - Article Summary - The Hindu - e-paper 24-09-26
Pragya Mittal’s article explores midlife not simply as a crisis, but as a period of possibility, self-discovery and renewal. Drawing on Margie Lachman’s Primetime: A New Vision for Midlife and two novels—Doris Lessing’s The Summer Before the Dark and Benjamin Markovits’s The Rest of Our Lives—it examines changing identities, relationships, careers and aspirations. Lachman distinguishes between biological, social and psychological age, highlighting how our perception of ourselves shapes the midlife experience. As familiar roles change, midlife can create space to rethink priorities, explore new interests and imagine new ways of living. Midlife need not be an ending—it can be a new beginning.
II CIA - Revision - One Line Summaries - Find the Lesson and Author Names
A publicity material which gives information about programmes or events is known as __
The poet talks about the need for women to be bold and self-confident. She is ready to come up in life in spite of the restrictions placed on her by society.
Put off, put on, take off, take up, look into, look after – The combination of a verb with a preposition.
The tale about Ahmed from Isfahan who becomes a fortune teller without knowing anything about fortune telling.
The author talks about the importance of listening in personal and professional areas. He recommends active listening and the need to practice deliberately.
Apple of the eye, a piece of cake, fish out of water, beating around the bush, put all your eggs in one basket, rain cats and dogs, are all examples of phrases or expressions which make our speech more colourful and fluent.
The story of a hero who is feeling bored at home and wants to travel the world with his companions. He believes that life is about this line – “To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.”
A type of grammatical item which acts as an adjective.
The poet who is searching for a rented house comes across a proud landlady who asks him his skin colour. The main theme of the poem is racism.
What is the name of the correspondence that invites someone for an event or function?
A married couple and their acts of giving gifts to each other is the main plot of this story written by O. Henry.
The need to relax and spend some time with nature is stressed in this poem. The poet asks us to take time to rest and also to stand and admire nature.
Can for ability, should and must for doing something without fail, and may for possibility are all called by a word which resembles the word model.
The story of a Mumbai-based businessman who is not happy with his son and wife but maintains an illicit relationship with his company employee.
If you do not have any friends, you are like an animal, says the author who talks about the three advantages of friendship.
This Nobel Prize-winning activist from Africa talks about the Green Belt Movement and the need to plant trees. She and her team have planted more than 50 million trees in her country.
Leave letter, letter of application and permission letter, all these will come under a single topic.
A type of grammatical item that is for showing purpose or reason for doing something.
Are you anxious about your future? This is what the poet discusses in the poem, which tells us the ways we can control our anxiety and live a peaceful life.
This lesson is about a murder that happened inside a small forest area. The main character is a Samurai who is killed by somebody. The reader is given the opportunity to guess the killer.
A type of grammatical item where the verb functions as a noun.
Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Monday, 21 September 2026
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