Inter-Disciplinary Interactions

Today I had the opportunity to explain to school students the prospects of a degree in English Language and Literature! I truly believe that an informed choice in such matters is essential.

The Aided department of English at Madras Christian College held a ‘Grand Exhibition’, an event to encourage students to consider taking up English studies. I was part of the representation of music and it should be no surprise that I found a way to include the Pipe Organ in my work.

Inspired by the role that organs have played in World Fairs and Expos, I tried to find a way to include the ‘King of Musical Instruments’ in my exhibit, while still making it easy of comprehension for schoolchildren. Thus I decided to use organ pipes to show my idea. In my own stall, armed with a laptop and two pipes, I began speaking.

I’m happy to say that the children listened! They were fascinated by how organ terminology sometimes mirrors human anatomy and I was astounded at how quickly I could communicate basic aspects of linguistics by using an organ pipe as a model. Most importantly, the kids accepted that learning a near-universal language like English is not just for personal pleasure (reading books or poetry) but to be able to communicate concisely and eloquently, across disciplines and cultures too. I was able to show them the fun side of Linguistics, a field oft labelled as dry and boring.

I think of my own journey of earning a degree in English Language and Literature, learning music and now stepping into musicology through wave physics and acoustics. This has been made possible through voracious reading as a child. That exploded my worldview as wide as my precocious mind could hold at the time and helped me be who I am today. I hope that today I have lit a few fires that will burn into passionate and true leaders in their fields, and that they will inspire even more.