Movie Mr and Mrs Iyer by Aparna Sen next Tuesday (March 24) at 7 pm at La Sorbonne

The movie Mr and Mrs Iyer by Aparna Sen will be screened at La Sorbonne (amphi Milne Edwards) next Tuesday (March 24) from 7 pm to 8:30pm. You are all most welcome to come and join us. The movie will be screened in original version with English subtitles.

Here is a trailer (use Internet Explorer instead of Mozilla Firefox if this does not work):

An insightful article from The Hindu:

Which Mrs. Iyer?

By Rahul De (published Feb 8, 2003):

[http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2003/02/08/stories/2003020800041000.htm]

Other links and articles:

"Love in times of riots" by MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER (The Hindu, Feb 24, 2003):

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/02/24/stories/2003022401730400.htm

Wikipedia: "Mr. and Mrs. Iyer"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._and_Mrs._Iyer

CLASS IN BOUTRUCHE LIBRARY (March 17 and 19)

Dear students,

In case the rooms remain closed tomorrow (March 17) and on Thursday (March 19), we will have class in the BOUTRUCHE Library (near the History Department's office, the room is on the same floor).

I also want you to think about the fact that this strike will have very adverse consequences on mostly the students themselves, specially the weaker sections of them. In this case, is it really worth to continue it? Could not there be other means of voicing protests and oppositions that would not hurt and affect the weaker parts of our community of students and be efficient at the same time?

Days and weeks are passing by and many of these weaker parts of our community will have no other choices that stop their studies at the end of this academic year because of financial, family, housing reasons and the like. If there is no class at all, how will they be graded and how will they get their diplomas? What will they write on their CVs and résumés? Will they report that they were in third year in the History department but they could not finish their studies and could not get their degree because of a prolonged strike? Only the "priviledged" and the strongest parts of our community will be able to continue their studies. Only those who have their parents and family to support them financially will be able to afford one more year to make up for the year that will be (most probably) lost. Only those who are good and strong enough will be able to catch up quickly and efficiently, but what about the rest of the students? What about the weaker parts of our community that will be most affected because they do not have the financial means and family ressources (housing and food and the like) to afford another year to make up for the time lost and, because they are already weak, they will not be able to catch up as easily as the strongest parts of the good students. Is that all fair?

Should not a movement of protests and strikes also be mindful of these weaker parts of the community that will deeply be affected by the movement itself? The question is not about the legitimacy of the movement but, at some point of the movement, maybe there could be other ways of protests that could protect these weaker sections and be efficient at the same time. And if there are not, well, we have to decide what is fair and what is not and how we should make sure that our actions will not affect these weaker parts of our community we are all most concerned of...or are we really??...

I hope you will all share your thoughts with me and express your views and suggestions. If you wish so, I will publish your reactions and suggestions on this blog itself.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Message for all groups / vocab quizz on March 24 and 26

Dear students,

There will be a short vocabulary quizz on March 24 (Tuesday) and 26 (Thursday) on the vocabulary from "Oregon Discovery", "Coretta Scott King" and "Barefoot College in India".

The questions will be asked orally, so you should be able to understand them orally. I will not repeat the questions more than twice.

There will be questions on the vocabulary, on entire phrases and sentences from these two reports.

Therefore, it is crucial that you listen to oral English a lot and particularly the reports we are discussing and studying.

Should you be absent that day, you are required to provide me with a valid and sincere justification, otherwise, you will get a zero. There will be no catch-up whatsoever!

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

Message for the Tuesday group

Dear students,

I would like to apologize for this morning. A mishap in the RER B prevented me from coming to class this morning. When I finally arrived at Luxembourg, it was around 8:55...

We will definitely catch this up: from 9:30 to 10 am, 3 times.

My apologies again.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor

For the Thursday group only

Dear students,

As convened and agreed, on Thursdays, from next Thursday onwards (March 12), we will start class at 8:30 am except when there is an in-class test. To allow you to finish your test for 10-15 extra minutes, we will start at 8 am. As you know, the next class after our class starts at 10am.

Best regards,

Mounir Nassor (mounirnassor@yahoo.co.in)

For March 10 and 12: message for all groups

Barefoot College in India: prepare 5 questions and their answers, check and start learning the vocabulary:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/asia/july-dec08/indiaschool_10-06.html

Movie Earth by Deepa Mehta next Tuesday (March 10) at 7 pm at La Sorbonne

The movie Earth by Deepa Mehta will be screened at La Sorbonne (amphi Milne Edwards) next Tuesday (March 10) from 7 pm to 8:30pm. You are all most welcome to come and join us. The movie will be screened in original version with English subtitles.

Here is a trailer (use Internet Explorer instead of Mozilla Firefox if this does not work):

Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes:

Deepa Mehta's epic tale of the hateful religious and civil wars that took place in India and Pakistan in the 1947 battle to gain independence from the British, EARTH is the second movie in a trilogy from the director, preceded by FIRE (1996) and followed by WATER (due in 2001). The story, which is based on an autobiographical novel entitled CRACKING INDIA, by Bapsi Sidhwa, is told through the eyes of a little girl, Lenny (Maia Sethna), who has one leg in a brace. The impediment keeps Lenny from being very active, so she spends her time sitting and talking with her loving nanny, Shanta (Nandita Das), whose beauty attracts a faithful following of about six male friends. Lenny and Shanta sit in the park, fly kites, take long picturesque walks through the ruins outside their village, and all the time Lenny is absorbing the conversations around her. Between Shanta's Muslim and Hindu suitors--one of whom is a Sikh--and Lenny's parent's varied group of Parsee and Catholic friends, the debates about the futures of India and Pakistan, including a litany of stereotypes, fearful opinions, and hateful feelings about all parties involved, become more and more heated. Finally, Lenny watches as the warring begins. A horrific trainload full of the bodies of massacred Muslims arrives in their town. Gangs march through the streets raging with violence. Hindu tenements are burned to the ground. Lenny is terrified, and as she struggles to understand all that is happening--and why--the tragedy only gets worse. EARTH is an intense and moving film that illustrates beautifully the terrifying political and cultural atmosphere of 1947 India.

Synopsis from Rotten Tomatoes:

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/1099317-earth/?critic=creamcrop#contentReviews