FaBlo!: The Faculty Blog

  From Baggage to Freedom: Healing the Wounds of the Past We’ve all heard the phrase “carrying emotional baggage.” It’s an image that instantly comes to mind—a suitcase stuffed with memories, fears, and feelings we can’t seem to put down. But when that baggage comes from trauma, it’s not just a poetic metaphor. It’s a real, lived experience that can weigh heavily on the mind, body, and spirit. Trauma isn’t only about the events that happened to us; it’s also about the way our mind and body hold on to them. Whether it’s the ache left by childhood neglect, the shock of a violent event, or the slow burn of repeated smaller wounds, trauma embeds itself deep in our nervous system. Even after the moment has passed, our body can still respond as though the danger is right in front of us. As trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk reminds us in The Body Keeps the Score, these experiences can stay locked inside, showing up years later as triggers, survival habits, and emotional responses that see...

   Beyond the Blackboard: A Joyful Journey with the Al Shifa Family! August 14, 2025 From the outside, a teacher’s life may look simple – after all, what could be more straightforward than teaching classes and going home? But those who live it know the truth. Our days are filled with preparing lesson plans, teaching, checking assignments, attending meetings, organising events, and taking on countless other responsibilities. It’s a profession that demands both the mind and the heart, and in the process, it leaves very little time for ourselves. Amid this continuous cycle, it becomes easy to forget what it feels like to slow down, breathe deeply, and simply enjoy a day without deadlines. That is why moments of recreation are not just enjoyable for teachers – they are essential. Recently, the management of Al Shifa College gifted its teachers something precious – a day away from timetables, attendance registers, and academic discussions. They organised a staff trip, and from the ...

  Beyond Textbooks: Lessons from a Tribal Community Nutrition Camp ”Some things cannot be taught; they must be experienced. You never learn the most valuable lessons in life until you go through your own journey." — Roy T. Bennett We are well aware of the diversity within our community. Several factors—such as gender, caste, religion, and income level—can contribute to disparities in opportunities and quality of life. In Islam, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasised empathy and social responsibility, stating: “He is not a true believer who eats his fill while his neighbour goes hungry.” To bridge such inequalities, our government introduced the system of reservations. While there is ongoing debate about whether reservations are still necessary in today’s India, my own experience during my postgraduate studies showed me that the need is still very real for many. As part of my master’s program, we were tasked with organising a community nutrition camp for the tribal community in Karulai...

  Data: The New Oil          Data has often been called “the new oil” in the modern digital economy. It’s valuable, but if unrefined, it cannot really be used.” The comparison is more than a catchy slogan; it is a meaningful metaphor that helps explain the value and challenges of our data-driven world. Just as crude oil powered the industrial revolution, fueling cars, machines, and entire industries, data is now powering the digital revolution, enabling artificial intelligence, business intelligence, automation, and scientific discovery. However, the raw form of oil is thick, unprocessed, and of little direct use until refined into fuels or other products. Similarly, raw data—whether it comes from online transactions, social media activity, sensors, healthcare systems, or research experiments—cannot deliver value until it is processed, cleaned, and analyzed. This is where data science comes in, acting as the refinery of the digital age, transforming vas...

  Two Teachers, Two Paths  Some people walk into your life like a gentle breeze and leave behind a storm of inspiration. For me, that person was my high school teacher. She wasn’t the loudest voice in the staffroom or the most awarded—but in her classroom, something special always happened. I was a quiet student, just one among many, often too shy to raise my hand. But she saw something in me—not just my academic potential, but the person I was becoming. Her eyes scanned beyond test scores. She noticed the silences, the hesitations, the quiet dreams. She asked questions that made me think, not just remember. She smiled when I got something wrong and turned my errors into stepping stones. For her, a mistake was never something to be punished—it was an invitation to grow. I still remember the day she paused after class, handed me a paper I had nervously submitted, and said softly: “You don’t need to be perfect to be great. Just keep showing up.” That line stayed with me. It foll...

    Letting Myself Be   These days, I had been feeling strange. Something inside me didn’t sense right. I couldn’t describe it clearly, but there was a heaviness— like a silent storm was moving through me. It wasn’t just grief. It was rather deeper… something I didn’t know how to confront.   That same night, I experienced a dream.   I was standing in a wide, silent field. The sky on high was soft and golden, gleaming as in the evening light. The wind was blowing gently through the tall grass. I had no idea where I was going—but I didn’t need to as if I was escaping the things I could no longer carry. I saw a little house stood quietly, I simply took a few steps towards it.                                             ...

  Falling Like Badam Leaves As monsoon clouds gather once again, I find myself remembering the quiet poetry of rainy days like those moments on bus rides, wind brushing against my face, and the red shimmer of badam leaves clinging to wet roads. These are not just memories; they’re gentle reminders of what it means to belong to a place. Here is a piece that captures some of those fleeting, yet deeply rooted feelings. Falling Like Badam Leaves The damp, sweet scent of rain— it sways me with the wind, like red leaves of the badam tree, falling gently, season by season. I'm the sunshine breaking through gray, followed by raindrops threading glass windows with silver lines— the quiet signature of the storm. I pass children in their raincoats, laughing in puddles, slipping like centipedes across green algae trails. The beauty of my country rises again in the mirror of my thoughts. This is home—where comfort blooms in rain-soaked earth and rustling trees. A place worth living for— its nat...

Time: The Fourth Dimension and the Doorway to the Infinite I often find myself gazing at the world—not just through the eyes of science, but through the deeper lens of wonder. We live in a beautifully structured, three-dimensional universe where length, width, and height form the foundation of everything we touch and see. We build homes, measure distances, draw shapes, and navigate spaces—it’s a world we seemingly understand, one we believe we control and design. But then there is time—the fourth dimension. Mysterious. Invisible. Unstoppable. It moves forward relentlessly, never backward, untouched by our desire to pause or rewind. It is the one dimension we are bound to, yet cannot command. Time doesn't reveal itself the way space does. We can walk through space, travel across it, explore its vastness—but time keeps moving regardless of our position or preference. We are not travelers of time—we are captives of it. Every ticking second changes us, moves us forward on a path we can...

  Parenting: love and acceptance One of the most fulfilling and difficult jobs a person can have is that of a parent. Although it starts out with a lot of enthusiasm, the trip is full of patience, learning, and adaptation. While there isn't a one parenting style that works for everyone, the key to effective parenting is striking a balance between discipline and affection.                   Parenting is fundamentally about helping kids grow up to be responsible, self-assured, and emotionally stable adults. This entails fostering their social and emotional growth in addition to meeting their basic requirements, such as food, shelter, and safety. Since children pick up beliefs, behaviours, and communication styles from their carers, the early years are especially important.One of the most important foundations of good parenting is unconditional love. Children need to feel accepted and valued, even when they make mistakes. A secure emotional...

കണ്ണുണ്ടാവട്ടെ, കാഴ്ചകളും  കാണാൻ മനസ്സുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ ഹൃദയം നിറക്കുന്ന കാഴ്ചകൾ കൊണ്ട് സമ്പന്നമാണ് ലോകം എന്ന് തോന്നാറുണ്ട്. വായിക്കുന്നവർ മാത്രമല്ല, കണ്ണ് തുറന്ന് കാണുന്നവരും ഒരുപാട് ജീവിതങ്ങൾ ജീവിക്കുമത്രെ. ചുറ്റുമുള്ള മനുഷ്യരെ കാണാനുള്ള കണ്ണില്ലെങ്കിൽ പിന്നെ എത്ര വെളിച്ചമുണ്ടയാലും ഉള്ളിൽ ഇരുട്ടായിരിക്കും എന്ന് എവിടെയോ വായിച്ചതോർക്കുന്നു. കോളേജിലേക്കുള്ള യാത്ര ഏറ്റവും മനോഹരമായ ചില രാവിലെക്കാഴ്ചകളുടേത് കൂടിയാണ്.  ഊട്ടി റോഡ് കഴിഞ്ഞ് വരുമ്പോൾ ഒരച്ഛനെയും മകളെയും കാണാം, വാ തോരാതെ സംസാരിക്കുന്ന മകളും എല്ലാം ചിരിയോടെ കേൾക്കുന്ന ഒരച്ഛനും. സ്കൂളിലേക്ക് പോകുന്ന വഴിയാണ്. എന്നും സംസാരിച്ചാലും തീരാത്തത്ര വിഷയങ്ങൾ എല്ലാ മനുഷ്യരുടെ ഉള്ളിലും ഉണ്ടെന്ന് വെറുതെ ഓർക്കും.  പിന്നെ എണ്ണമറ്റ കച്ചവടക്കാർ, വിലപേശി ജീവിതം മിച്ചം പിടിക്കുന്നവർ, സ്വപ്നങ്ങൾ തുന്നിച്ചേർക്കുന്ന തയ്യലുകാർ, പിന്നെ ബാധ്യതകളുടെ കുമിളകൾക്ക് മേലെ അധ്വാനം നീട്ടിയടിച്ച് ചിരിയും ചേർത്ത് ചായ വിളമ്പുന്നവർ, എന്നും കയറുന്നവർക്ക് വേണ്ടി ഒരു മിനിറ്റ് അധികം കാക്കാനും സ്റ്റോപ്പ് ഇല്ലാത്തിടത്ത് മെല്ലെയൊന്ന് ബ്രേക്കിടാനും മടിക്കാത്ത നാടൻ ലൈൻ ബ...

  Who Am I Without the Noise? A Dive into Identity and Purpose Ever find yourself in that rare moment of stillness? Maybe early in the morning, before the day grabs hold. Or in the pause between conversations. That’s when it whispers: Who am I without all the noise? We don’t ask it often. Our world runs on distraction – buzzing phones, society’s “shoulds,” career ladders, relationship roles, the endless scroll of comparison. It’s a constant hum telling us who to be, what to want, how to act. And slowly, we forget it’s even there. We forget that underneath it all, there’s a quieter, truer version of us… just waiting to be heard. We build our identities around the hats we wear: parent, partner, professional, friend. And those roles matter. But somewhere along the way, the mask starts to feel like our real face. We start measuring our worth by our output, our success by likes and promotions, our value by how well we please others. And that raw, real self – the one behind the r...

  ചിലർ വരുമ്പോൾ… ഒരു മനുഷ്യനും ഓരോ വ്യക്തിയാണ്.  ചിലപ്പോഴൊക്കെ തോന്നാറുണ്ട്  ഒരു സ്ത്രീ ഒന്നിൽ കൂടുതൽ വ്യക്തിയാണെന്ന്. ഒരു വ്യക്തിയെ അവൻ അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവളാക്കുക അവരുടെ പേര് നാട് ഭാഷ ഇവയെ ആസ്പദമാക്കിയാണ്. എന്നാൽ ചില സന്ദർഭങ്ങളിൽ ചില ചോദ്യങ്ങൾക്ക് ഉത്തരം നൽകുമ്പോൾ ഒരു സ്ത്രീക്ക് മാത്രം കൺഫ്യൂഷൻ ഉണ്ടാവാറുണ്ട്.  ഉദാഹരണത്തിന്: “എവിടെയാണ് വീട്” ചോദ്യത്തിന് സ്ത്രീകൾക്കു മാത്രം മൾട്ടിപ്പിൾ ചോയ്സ് ഉത്തരങ്ങൾ ആണ് ഉണ്ടാവാറ്. “എൻറെ വീട് പാലക്കാട്. വരുന്നത് മലപ്പുറത്ത് നിന്നും- ഭർത്താവിൻറെ വീട്”.  ദിനംപ്രതി വളരുകയും മാറ്റങ്ങൾ വന്നുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നവരാണ് ഓരോ മനുഷ്യരും. ഇത് അറിഞ്ഞും അറിയാതെയും സംഭവിക്കാം. ഇഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടു ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടാതെയും ആവാം.  എന്നാൽ  സ്ത്രീകളിൽ ഭൂരിഭാഗം പേരും നിർബന്ധിതരാവലാണ് പതിവ്.  സാഹചര്യങ്ങളുമായി പൊരുത്തപ്പെടാൻ സ്ത്രീകൾക്ക് ഒരു പ്രത്യേക കഴിവാണ് എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു കേട്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്.  വാസ്തവത്തിൽ അത് ശരിയാണെന്ന് തോന്നാറുണ്ട്. ഒരു പത്തുവർഷം പിന്നിലോട്ട് സഞ്ചരിച്ചു നോക്കിയാൽ നമുക്ക് മനസ്സിലാക്കാം. വിവാഹം കഴിഞ്ഞ് ഒരു പറിച്ചു നടലിന്റെ ഭാഗമാവാത്തവർ ...

                From Page to Screen: How the Digital Era Is Transforming Literature   Once upon a time, literature existed in dusty libraries, manuscripts, and printed books. But what about now? It’s just a click, a swipe, or a tap away. The digital technology—particularly tools like AI, e-books, apps, and online platforms—has completely reformed how we read, write, and interact with stories. There is no need to go out to a library to read; rather, you can create a personal library on your mobile phone and chat with AI-powered characters. Literature has never been more exciting, accessible, and interactive.  Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Have you ever thought about a circumstance in which you can control the story? Where you get to decide what happens next? That’s what hypertext fiction and interactive fiction are all about. These digital stories offer different paths and endings, giving you control as...