FaBlo!: The Faculty Blog

  RONTH: INTERPLAY OF POWER AND POWERLESSNESS        We made rules to balance the system and if the system itself malfunctions and overpowers rules, we may have to stand jaw-dropped, being helpless and victimised. The Malayalam movie Ronth (2025), written and directed by Shahi Kabir, reflects the silent struggles of the personal and professional life of police officers in general and two police officers in specific. Unlike the usual action, thrill and heroic aura packed plots, this movie brings out the slow-burning human stories blending subjectivities and objectivities of being law enforcers compressing the dilemmas of night patrolling into a single night of duty. The film encourages viewers to reform their perspectives and views on justice, power and being a part the system unable to question back.      The central contest of the movie is the opposing ethics of its two protagonists: Sub-Inspector Yohannan, play...

  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.                                             ...