Writing in Practice 2010-11

Writing in Practice will run next semester. Don't forget to sign up tomorrow and on Thursday. The course is open to UG3 and PG2.

Welcome 2007!

A warm (if somewhat belated) welcome to our new members, some of whom got sent invites to WIP today. WIP classes are in full swing, and we have learned numerous interesting things about each other. At least two of us for instance, are several thousand years old, and one is the sole possessor of the key to an ancient language, while another is a Tibetan princess, incognito.

Character sketches have been done, and one collective effort went like this.

A girl, let's call her Buchki, is the child of Jatra-playing parents and travels with them all over Bengal, hidning backstage to watch the performances when she's supposed to be in bed. Buchki's hero is a young boy who plays female roles, (since women do not act in the Jatra; Buchki's mother cooks, makes costumes and plays the dhol): she wants to grow up to be just like him. But he doesn't want to grow up, beause when he does, he won't be able to play women any more. So Buchki thinks up a plot to save him: she secretly takes his place.

ALSO:
Regarding WIPLash, do not despair. I am having to revert to original plan and shell out, provided the editors buck up and give me the disk (Hello? Wiz?). A thousand apologies that it has taken so long: we will do our utmost to make sure it reaches you when it gets out, so 2006 batch please mail me your addresses if you are now out of town.

Next crop ready to be planted

I hear that 20 of you from UG3 signed up for this course. Have you read the guidelines on this blog? I mean, do you realise your writing hand is going to shrivel up and fall off at the end of it? ask the people who've done it all ready. Seriously, there will be a lot of writing (and not so much reading) in this course, and people who think it'll be an easy ride often can't keep up. Consider your options carefully.
Havign said that, the PG2s are welcome to sign up. I know their courses haven't been advertised yet, but that's coz we currently don't have a PG1, and we want them to have a bite at the apple as well. Here, however, PG1 doesn't come into the equation, so if they like PG2 can sign up for WIP now, or at the beginning of the next sem with the rest of the courses.

For PG2s especially

PG2s can sign up now if they want. The delay for PG2 sign-up for courses in general is to prevent all seats being filled up before the PG1s come on the scene. Since we have no PG1s in this course, it's not a problem. So post-grads, if you wish, you can sign up now. That's why I've put both categories on the same sheet.

Calling all final years

The Writing in Practice notice is now up on the departmental notice board. The list of courses to be offered next semester is still being finalised, and should be done by Friday. We will then give the signup sheets to Anandada for you to put your names down on. You have to sign up by the 16th of June, so your window is essentially 5th to 16th. There will be separate lists (on the same page) for UG and PG. All signup sheets will be in grid form and sequentially numbered. Do NOT put your name in between slots: this is to stop people squeezing in and jumping the queue. And no, if someone has struck off their name you can't replace them: you add yourself to the bottom of the list (Dada/didi line acchhe!). We will be strict about this rule this time, for all the courses.

What next?

Listen up, people, because soon the date for signing up to new courses will be upon us. It hasn't been decided yet, but today we made the list of courses that will run in the next semester, and Writing in Practice is definitely running. To refresh your memories, this course is for FINAL YEAR STUDENTS, that means UG3 and PG2. There will be separate signup sheets for UG3 and PG2, and I will take the first ten on each sheet UNLESS there is a huge response, in which case I will have to conduct a screening test. Please be alert for notices on the blog and on the dept notice boards, because if I need to screen I will do it as early as possible, as the unlucky ones will have to scramble onto other optional course lists to fill their requirements. I'm afraid that if you have to go on your holidays or attend weddings it's just too bad; try if you possibly can to linger a few days after the exams end on the 6th and sign up before you go. But hopefully we won't have a problem. Watch this space for notifications.