ChrisTribute believes in holistic development and therefore brings numerous opportunities in the form of events held time to time. Here is a glimpse of our events and winning entries of extremely talented Christites.
Winners for the Month of July 2022
the narrative –
“your mouth remains bleeding and everyone’s hands shiver to carry all the blood that falls. yet i believe whatever red falls on these rough palms belongs to us. it belongs to us.”
the poem –
chasing off the second one of your kind.
have i ever spoken about your hand on mine when i hold a pen? have i ever spoken over your mind about mine?
this isn’t what i want to tell the people about.
no left heart has ever been as silent as my soul
and my heart is to the left but the red doesn’t reach my mouth. my mouth remains bereft of all blood.
your mouth remains bleeding
and my hands are destined to carry all the blood that falls.
my hands shall carry your voice
and it is for everyone to see;
and hear.
and if they die tomorrow,
would they not think about what i carry of you
in my palms belonged to them?
you say we’re kind people,
and i am kind.
so i shall give it to all, your ideas, your thoughts,
I shall give it to all, my all.
it belongs to us;
whatever blood falls on these rough palms,
it belongs to us.
– Aayushi Modi, 3EPH
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime” – Aristotle
Revolution and crime, said in the same breath To rebel, to fight for yourself is a crime They speak about freedom fighters and martyrs And in the same breath ask us to bind ourselves With chains of a foreign normativity
We pay to live in a land we were born into To follow rules set down by a powerful few Knowing well, we can cease any second For the “prevention” of unlawful acts Restrictions are put on our bodies, our minds To act freely is illegal. To speak freely is illegal. For now, to think is free, not sure till when Apparently the way to live in an unfree world Is to be so absolutely free that your existence Is an act of rebellion, says Camus
I say burn the world that doesn’t let you
Be absolutely free. Being free is not rebellion Morality has only made a few people rich And the others, robbed of their freedom
If I cannot grow my hair out, naturally
If I cannot grow hair in certain places, naturally If I cannot colour my own natural hair
If I cannot be attracted to someone Which is in my nature
If I cannot change who I am because I wish to If I do not have rights to my own body
To my own mind, to my own skin
Then isn’t that what is the most unnatural? And if so, to that hell of repression, my father
My country has been dragged down
I am not much of a rebel with action
I would not be where I am if I was
That is the sad reality I must accept
But rebel I will, however I can Revolutions are not started by outspoken rebels It starts as a whisper, as growing unrest One day, when the bells and the alarms blare I will be there on the street waving the flag Not of the oppressors, of the oppressed Not of patriotism, of humanity
Not of hate, of love
To misquote Marx for the sake of it
Let them tremble at our rebellious freedom For when we set out into the streets
We will have nothing to lose but our chains And we will have a new, free world to gain Let the revolution win. Let the revolution win.
Sidharth AM, 5ENGH
Inquilab
Revolution is a term that is bound by political ideologies as soon as someone thinks about it. Ironically, a word that offers freedom, is usually bound in shackles. But is it not our inherent nature to revolt, change and revolutionise? I shall provide some examples to illustrate these surging tsunamis.
When Amitav Ghosh writes that humans by nature are catastrophic, the shackles of revolution are shaken. Do we believe in such a statement? If revolution is seen as a drastic change of space, time and perception of reality then such a statement would make sense. Revolution offers change but not any change, a drastic change. The change that I am talking about has to be so radical that it has to be thought in red. Blood red. Not the kind of red that you see on traffic lights or Stop signs. The kind of red that is red with a purpose. The kind of red you bleed when an affectionate kiss can be turned into a wound. The kind of red that does not flow but it creates tsunamis.
In recent pop-culture I remember seeing this kind of “catastrophic” trope. In the first season of Marvel’s Loki we see how the timeline the universe works on is always “manifesting” to break lose. Then revolution is seen as not an absent thought but a suppressed one. A thought that you feel is wrong to feel. It might not be socio-political but in one’’s own stream of consciousness. A thought so strong it feels like it will create ripples in the stream and let it out from your goosebumps. Revolution is a tea in a boiling pot with a lid on. If you decide to remove the lid or not, the tea will spill.
“Hum Hain Ki Hum Nahin?”, shouts Haidar in front of a defeated Kashmiri crowd. The question of a collective existence that is collectively erased. Revolution in Haidar, is the question of this existence itself. The collective freedom cry in Haider is the voice of a change. To ask if I exist or not entails that I absolutely do. If this “Absolute” is anything but an absolute the revolution will crumble. For example: I maybe do or I perhaps do or even I really do. The absoluteness of existence lies in the freedom cry. Hence, when Descartes conceptualises about his existence through thinking, this thinking in our course of action where freedom is a privileged commodity, should and must be: I revolutionise, therefore, I am.
The other constant than revolution has to be sexual desires in humans throughout our hisory. The song “Lahu Muh Laggaya” has to be a flagship of this constant. But the beauty of the song is that it is written in red ink. The idea is that once you have tasted blood, you cannot go back. The human mind cannot be made farther from the spirit of revolution. Sure, one can suppress it. One can put barriers of “should” and “should not”. One can drill the idea of the stable life into my eye sockets but the human mind will still bleed the tears of revolution. Once, I have tasted blood, I wont and cant go back.
On a more theoretical basis the Althusserian idea of contradictions have always induced a kind of pleasurable pain in my chest. Contradictions are like building blocks of imbalance structures. The problem does not end with the corrupted blocks. I call them “blocks” because they are building a whole another, bigger and hungrier imbalanced structure. Multiple ruptures collectively rupturing our minds. But one flaw within this structure of flaws is that contradictions demand to be broken. The blocks present a possibility for revolution to creep in them and break them from the very contradiction. The crevice of the rich for labour to dig deeper.
So you see revolution is not something that is new or sudden. For a glass container to boil, sand is revolutionised into glass. The sand breaks away from huge mountains. Tectonic plates collide and create mountains. The moon shall always demand for the Sun to set because the Sun loves to shine. And that shine can be blinding if it stays for too long.
Inquilab Zindabad!
Bilal Khan, 5ENGH
Event for the Month of March 2022
As children, all our Bollywood souls had consumed a very “filmy” idea of love. As we grew up, this idea grew along: with more cinema, more books, more observation and more experiences.
Since we couldn’t bring this event to you last month, with the month of love coming to an end, Christribute has brought to you an event on your unique perspective of love.
Write a creative piece exploring this emotion and get a chance to get published on our blog!
Criteria:
Submission in Word Doc or PDF
Submit your photograph along with the document
Send in your submissions to:
ellipsis.ecs@christuniversity.in
The Submissions for the event will close on the 15th of March!
For inquiries contact:
Steffi: +971 50 879 0540
Needhi: +91 70338 34444
Samridhi: +91 93897 52877
Winners for the Month of November 2021
The vicious sphere of Pandemic entangled us in the shackles of depression; the whole world stood horrified as there was just the air of doom around. However, around the corner, one could listen to the mesmerizing tone of the embarking starry days, which showcased the scintillating normal life, away from the murkiness of the Pandemic.
So Christribute here brings an event for November, which talks about the hope for daylight to enter our lives and sail us to the new normal. It is more like gazing at the beautiful starry sky or days which may seem a bit distant, but we will soon be able to welcome the new bright life after a long period of eerie Pandemic.
Write a creative piece beautified with Illustrations related to the theme of gazing at distant starry days, which will mark the sunrise of the long-awaited advent of so-called new normal or waiting to step into the starry days after the conclusion of the horrendous global chapter of Pandemic.
Criteria:
Submission in Word Doc or PDF
Submit your photograph along with the document
The best three entries will be up on the campus blog!
Send in your submissions to:
ellipsis.ecs@christuniversity.in
The Submissions for the event will close on the 20th of November!
For enquiries contact:
Steffi: +971 50 879 0540
Needhi: +91 70338 34444
Samridhi: +91 93897 52877
Winners for the Month of October 2021
Although the feeling of being young and youthful can be achieved at any age, the various confusions, dilemmas and struggles of youth are mostly restricted to a certain age group: our age group. We are considered too old to do and say certain things, while too young for some others.
Christribute brings to you an event to celebrate the chaos of our age. Write about anything that you find chaotic about our age group (18-24) : it could be anything from life changing decisions, struggles, changing worldviews, mental health, relationships with yourself or others. Also, include what helps you deal with this chaos.
Criteria:
Submission in Word Doc or PDF
Submit your photograph along with the document
Send in your submissions to:
ellipsis.ecs@christuniversity.in
The Submissions for the event will close on the 20th of October!
For enquiries contact:
Steffi: +971 50 879 0540
Needhi: +91 70338 34444
Samridhi: +91 93897 52877
Winners for the Month of September 2021
Don’t you love when you hear old melodies by Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi, but then you strangely start relating to your parents when they say that they don’t make good music anymore? And then, you listen to ‘Aaoge Jab Tum’ from Jab We Met, ‘Ek Dil Ek Jaan’ from Padmavat or ‘Mere Dholna’ from Bhool Bhulaiyya and think to yourself that the industry will always make good music. We just have to find the pearls in the ocean…
Hindustani music is one of the two most important and popular forms of Indian Classical Music. Hindustani music has always been a form where instruments are given a lot of significance. With the different rhythmic talas and the melodic ragas, earlier, most of the music in the industry was inspired by classical music, but with time and the permanent change, music evolved, and Hindustani music had lost its place somewhere. However, it has always made its way back again in the Hindi Film Industry.
Write a piece on how classical music has gained a new angle in Bollywood over the past decades and also about your favourite song from a Hindi film, which has been inspired by classical music.
Criteria:
Submission in Word Doc or PDF
Submit your photograph along with the document
The best three entries will be up on the campus blog!
Send in your submissions to: ellipsis.ecs@christuniversity.in
The Submissions for the event will close on the 20th of September!
Past Events
Shared Shelf Event
Gender Studies Forum Events
ChrisTribute Events
“The clock struck 1 and all of us ran downstairs so that we could occupy the swings first. What I remember about school are not the quarrels or scoldings, but the time I spent with my friends sitting on the swing, talking. The best thing about a swing is when the cool breeze hits your face, and for a few moments, you just feel that you are capable of reaching heights. Sitting quietly on a swing and reminiscing about the past is still a thing for a lot of us” – Asmita Das 
“Childhood Memories” – Rhythm Sharma 
“Mother – A Title Just Above Queen. She is the one who shows you the correct path when you are falling down” – Avani Milind Muthe 
“How happy we were as children 
Sayee Pawar 
“While there was construction work going on for a new house in our village, we siblings would play in the sand and make sandcastles and houses. We would be so fixed on our work that we would lose track of time, and every time someone would have to come and tell us to get inside as it was getting dark” – Ananya Dungdung
*Are you spooky or sweet?* Event: Face Painting (Month of September) Theme: Halloween 
“This look is known as SUGAR SKULL MAKE-UP. It is the most famous symbol associated with the Day of the Dead. I chose this look because I found it to be really unique and aesthetic, where I can showcase my creativity.” 
“I was inspired by the look of the Venom from the Spiderman Comics. I have also have been looking at all the current face painting videos where the MUAs create illusions with make-up. Therefore, it was just my take on that.” 
“This look is inspired the creepy yet cute look of the Joker. The actual reason behind choosing this look is that I often believe that I am 99% angel, that is, most of the times dressed up elegantly, but this attire showcases that 1% hidden devil inside me, evoked just for those few people who try to envelope my life with bad vibes.”
In the month of August, Christribute held the event “LETTER TO THE FUTURE” 
Dear future self, Oh, how I wish you could come back in time and tell me that we make it! Just reassure me that things will be alright and that life will become beautiful again pretty soon because it is crazy right now. I have too many questions to ask you and have my hopes high that you are the person that I’ve always wanted to be. So here we go, are you happy? I know for a fact that no one will ask you this often because no one asks me either. So I do pray every day that you are happier than me; that you find the laughter (the childish, carefree laughter) that we lost somewhere in between. That’s the ultimate goal, isn’t it? To find happiness! Did you find love? I mean, I hope and pray that you have. We know what it means to be love deprived, and we have seen the depths of the pit of loneliness and depression because of it. I am getting through each day thinking about you, and how loved you will be, and that is what keeps me going. I strive and hustle harder every day in the hope that I will, and you have found love and happiness at the end of this tunnel of hardships. I do hope that you are successful! I am still trying to figure out what success means and will seem like for us, but whatever it means I hope that you ended up being successful. I hope you are still the strongest person you have ever seen and that you have fought off enough demons that they don’t affect you any more. I hope you keep your head held high at all times and never once given up on life (that is one of our trademark qualities). Do you still have the habit of not crying in front of people? I mean, it is okay to cry in front of loved ones once in a while but never in public and never in front of people who belittle you ( don’t you dare!). Do you still uphold all the values, morals and the high standards we set up for ourself? If by any chance you gave up on some of them (I hope not!) just remind yourself of where you came from, what makes you unique and what makes you – You and that will bring you right back on track. Finally, if you are the exact opposite of whatever is there on the list mentioned above, and you end up reading this letter, please don’t get upset, okay? It will still be okay; I will still love you (I kinda have to!) and you will always have all the time in the world to make it better. Life doesn’t have to be perfect; it can’t be ticked off of a list. It is a process where we keep striving while trying to be sane. So let’s just keep doing that. But if you have reached the point in life where you are everything I wanted you to be, just know that I am ‘crying happy tears’ kinda proud! It means you have made it to the other side! Even if you have, please do not stop there (I know you won’t but saying anyways) keep shooting for the stars, keep dreaming, keep carrying your heart on a sleeve and keep loving like you always do – with all your heart! 
Dear Sway I hope they call you Sway now, and they have forgotten all about the weird little names you had. Oh, the agony! I am sure you are reading this on a device that my 20-year-old self would be terrified of. How is your technological paranoia doing these days? I am trying super hard to fit in, when I am supposed to be standing out, lifting my head above the pack of my wolves. I am no alpha, but I hope you are. This year has been a rollercoaster ride and quarantine has been an enrichingly devastating experience. You will be reading this letter, ten years from now and flashing a faint smile, thinking about naïve you used to be. Let this be a reminder of how you are all about the stories you read. You must have read so many books, and ticked off so many things off my bucket list…it makes me envy you. I keep telling myself that I am “uncomplicated”, forgetting all about the labyrinthine tendrils creeping around my body, becoming a part of my identity and tangling my thoughts like lovers under the sheets after an aeon of separation. Every story that you read adds on to your persona. You find yourself in every book that you pick up and that is so, so beautiful about you. I am sure there is some word humming around your ears, as per the usual. You pick phrases and words from every story, and make them all about yourself. You are not what the world makes of you, but who you want to be. Today, I am a lost cause. I look deep into the woods, stealing moments in the wilderness and I find myself. There are days when I am surrounded by people and I put party animals to shame, then there are others when I lose my phone for hours on end, for crawling out of the bed is sheer pain in my guts and I am hungover the next morning, inebriated with the book I read last. Swayanka, your skin glistens with your obsession with paradoxes. You are, what your name urges you to be. Do you remember that one time, when you wrote your first poem? Do you remember the adrenaline rush, the blood coursing through your veins and your heart pounding in your mouth? How about the one time you thought you were in love, but that boy was just tall? Or that one night, when father hugged you for the first time in forever? Or the impulsive tattoo that he hated? Like I said, you are what you make of yourself. Your rose-tinted glasses are biting the dust in the back of the bookshelf, asking you to pick them up. As you read this letter, I want you to whip up a quick poem. People tell you not to write about love, for love songs are too overrated. Tell me something. How many other people have you met that go by the name ‘Swayanka’? Keep thinking, maybe we will discuss that in a letter that we read 20 years down the line. Human beings are overrated. Do what calms your soul and slows down your frantic breaths. Isn’t it dumb to take advices from your younger self? Well, its not. Read this time and again, when you feel so lost, paranoid of being watched. You are made for the greater things in this endless universe, stretching across the infinite galaxy. I am going to let you in on another secret: Scars heal, all pain ebbs into nothingness, and you can run around the entire planet, but you will never find a being more worthy of your love than yourself. And dark chocolate is your favorite! Love and hope, Swayanka, adulting in the year 2020. 
Dear Future Self, I want you to know that I’m proud of you. Not that I know how old you’re right now, but still I’m happy for you because you succeeded to survive all these years on this planet. Maybe by now you’d have forgotten much about your younger self, and don’t worry, I’m not mad at you for committing such a sinful act because I do understand that you might’ve been extremely busy proving yourself in the middle of this chaotic world, the mayhem which you never wanted to be a part of. But hushhh…you did get involved into this chaos without even realising. Nevertheless, you’ve a moment now. So, sit back wherever you’re, close your eyes and recollect all those memories that you once went through as a teenager. Think about all of your dreams, all of your wishes that once topped your bucket list and which you used to live for, in order to fulfil each one of them. Even though, the major chances are of you not remembering most of those but probably I’m here to help you with it. Do you remember your first ever Gold Medal that you won? The smile on your face and Mom & Dad seeing you standing the tallest on the victory stand, is the memory you should always stick to whenever you feel overwhelmingly happy because you must never forget your firsts, be it your first love or your first understanding of what true happiness means. Then comes that episode of your life when you got deprived of numerous opportunities coming your way since that was the time when you were actually growing up and we both know that you always took time to adjust whenever something around you dynamically changed. But you know what, you’ve always been this girl who never really gave up and stayed strong no matter what, ever since you were a little munchkin, and that’s the optimism you’d need even now whenever you feel sad and hopeless. Also, don’t think I’m telling you all this simply. After all, YOU are the one who is going to accomplish all MY dreams and goals, so yeah, I was bound to do my part. Hope once you finish reading this letter, it does leave a genuine smile on your face and gives you enough reasons to wake up the next morning with a fresh new motive. So apparently, now at least you know how you were when you were an 18, and maybe you, on the other hand, have crossed your 30s or even 60s – I don’t know – already but that doesn’t matter at all till the time you’re happy with whatever you’re today and whatever you’ve been able to achieve today! Stay Happy! Stay Peachy! Just like me, always… Your Younger Self, Swastika Roy 
Dear future self, I want you to know that I am becoming more and more like you, and I am terribly afraid. Had this been a letter to the past, I’d have cocooned reassurances amidst mundane details of my life, surreptitiously leaving out all the bad parts, perhaps giving an outgrown self some hope. But how do I testify for you the richness of life, when it tastes like spoilt grape juice, not a well-aged wine? What more do I tell you about the suffocating, tormenting place that the inside of my head is – angry strokes of crayon in my third standard textbook? or a tangled ball of wool? Would you laugh when I told you that I am afraid of the very person I am becoming, dismiss it as a hormonal overreaction as you are wont to do in your complacency? Or would you betray a panicked air and crumple this tale-tale note which proves that you aren’t the inevitable result of your circumstances but a deliberate push on the accelerator down every wrong turn? Or would you send a letter back – the writing messy, hurried – and plead with me to pay attention to those GODDAMNED sign-boards? I’m driving down the road of destiny, that High-road you took rising sharply above and away from this mud-track I am on (it’s bumpy). That elevated road is tempting: tarmac as smooth as internet-borrowed pickup lines, a no-hurdle pathway to that isolated island of yours. Or is it a hill-top, high enough that the clouds of your entitlement shield you from the rather nasty view below? (People like ants. Tiny, tiny voices. SQUASH!) It’s unsettling to peer below, so you don’t, and anyway, it’s easier to take a high moral standpoint instead, and to shut out dissenting voices (a gale of too strong wind against even stronger windows). Just like that I shut out the blaring horns of passing cars, drown them in music I despise – the heat of an overworked engine. Stop. Do you remember this moment when you pushed the brake and rushed outside to vomit on the side of the road? The little pouch of empathy had been left behind in a restaurant too many stops ago, but your integrity (three bags full) was still on the luggage rack, along with the somewhat dusty enthusiasm. Do I take out the toolkit and repair the car? The highway flank isn’t too far away. It won’t be long before I reach you – with your empty compassion and your performative wokeness, a distilled mediocrity that perfectly matches the societal social media expectations (it’s easy). Or do I stand beside this post-box and these yellow blossoms in their sun-dappled freshness, and wait? Knowing that I am waiting, would you send me a reply? Plead with me to try some more? To do better? (Would you tell me to hitch a ride because I can’t, for the world of me, drive?) 
DEAR FUTURE SELF, There are a lot of things I wish I could tell my younger self. I wish I could hug her tight and tell her to keep fighting for the dreams she believes in – they did turn true after all. I wish I could cheer her on as she refused to believe that she had to speak softly to be lady-like. I wish I could tell her I was proud that she had begun calling out the society for its patriarchy even before she first heard the term feminism. But I can’t. But there’s something I’d like to remind you ten years later. Excuse the second person tone, but I’m not the same person I was a year ago heck I don’t know what I’ll be ten years later. Thank the internet I won’t have to depend on keeping this note safe inside your copy of The Fountainhead. I know you’ll protect your books like living beings, heck I give books more regard anyways. I’m at a crossroad now, I think you might be on one as you read this. Over the course I’ve realised they never do actually end. One crossroad eventually leads to another plethora of choices. But I hope you’ve learnt to enjoy the process now. I hope that you no longer check your work and erase the controversial segments because you would do anything to run away from confrontations. I hope you deal with them head on now. I wish you still find yourself a bit more in poetry each time – that poetry is still your refuge – your safe space. I’ll bet you my diary knows me better than I. Because all that I hide from the world and from myself too, often lies itself bare on the pages of my poetry and I hope you haven’t learnt to deceive the art yet. I hope you’ve lived all your wild crazy ideas, those fairy tales that just you and best friends are aware of – I hope you’ve turned each one of them true. I hope that your poetry gives off a happy vibe of a soul that’s soaring and singing to the harmony of life. And I hope you give back to the world. I hope you’re the same crazy person who’ll experiment with a bold shade lipstick before an event and flaunt her legs unwaxed. Who’ll say yes to impromptu plans to leave for another city the next hour. And most importantly I hope you’re doing what you love. I know even now, that maturity comes at a price that it makes you value the monetary price of your dream and weigh whether it will be worth it and I hope you decided it is. I hope you’re still the fierce feminist – fighting the fight for equal rights for all genders. The fight is tough even now, I can’t imagine what it will be a decade later. But I hope you create a ripple – the change will follow suit. And wherever you are, as you’re reading this I hope you smile looking back upon the 19 year old perched on the sofa with drooping eyes but even stronger dreams and take a moment and shine that smile brighter on the world. And know that I love you forever no matter how long that’s going to be. And yes, Damon Somerhalder is still your favourite character, there shall be no negotiation on that. P.S. Say hi to the forty year old me. Yours lovingly (do they even use the same format now) Malvika Dangwal A year old ready to rock the world.
Click on the link given below to see the top three entries on our IG:
WINNER: Raveer Bajwa (5BBAH C) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBsejyVgoL3/
FIRST RUNNER-UP: Vanshika Bhatt (5JOUH) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBsBlQNApoV/
SECOND RUNNER-UP: Suryansh Bhatt (5BBAH D) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBsAVS4A9G6/
Shared Shelf Events
“We had the stars, you and I. And this is given once only.”
– Andre Aciman
Call Me by Your Name. Where do I even start? Well, I think I’ll start off by saying I LOVE this story, the movie and the book alike. I don’t think there’s any other book to movie adaptation about which I can say I love both the book and movie equally. I watched the movie first around May last year and read the book this year and re-watched the movie right after. And Find Me, the sequel, sits on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Having watched the movie first, there was something about the first frame that pulled me in. Combined with the ethereal music, it felt as if I was being transported into another world, and in a way it did, as the story is set in the 80s. If I were to describe the feeling the movie gave me, the words ‘lazy sunshine’ come to mind and seeing how much time Elio and Oliver spent lazily by the waterside enjoying the sunshine, I feel it is quite appropriate. I went into the movie blind without knowing what it was about and it was really a beautiful experience watching Elio’s and Oliver’s story bloom and it was equally heartbreaking to watch it end. Needless to say, I ugly cried watching this movie (oops?) but as far as heartbreaks go it was a beautiful one. One particular scene in the movie stuck out to me. It was the one when Elio and Oliver are in Rome wandering around at night arm in arm and Elio looks at Oliver with this look of pure wonder and awe. I felt that the wonder and innocence of first love was captured in that moment and that look perfectly.
Having seen the movie, I knew what would happen when I read the book, but it did not make the experience of reading the book any less. The details in a book are always more pronounced than in the movie and Call Me by Your Name was no different. The book, written in Elio’s perspective gives an exact picture of what is going on in his mind, every little though he has about Oliver or otherwise, his worries, his doubts however fleeting they are, the moments of happiness he feels, and his whole journey of self discovery ending in his first real heartbreak, all written so carefully and beautifully making Elio feel very very real. Even characters like Marzia have a very tangible touch of realness. We find out that Oliver, whom Elio had put on a pedestal with complete adoration, was just another human who was not perfect after all.
One of the main things that stood out to me about the book was the time Elio and Oliver spent together in Rome. It was so beautiful, the feeling of a beautiful city and the one you love by your side, the spontaneity, the conversations Elio has with the people at the party, everything had a touch of fairytale beauty and yet I knew the heartbreak was coming, and so did Elio in a way. And when it did, the finality of it and the events that followed somehow made it both terrible and beautiful in a way.
One of the main differences of the book from the movie is of course the ending. In the movie we see a 17 year old Elio staring at the fire, tears brimming in his eyes, with the world around him moving on unaware of how totally his own world had been destroyed. It is a powerful scene to leave us with and I think it makes the movie all the better. But in the book we see Elio and Oliver as middle aged adults meeting again. And there is something in that meeting, the conversation they have, even Elio’s tiny spark of hope quickly quashed, of two men wondering what would’ve been, and then their realisation that life had passed them by. The reality of life that hits the reader and the characters at this point is incredible, heart wrenching and dare I say more heartbreaking than when Elio and Oliver had to part when they were younger. It is not always fairytales and happy endings in life.
I still struggle to put into words the feeling Call Me by Your Name gives me or even why I like it so much but there is something in it that made me completely fall in love with the characters and the story and the setting and just everything about it. Watching the movie again after reading the book gave me better understanding about all of it and only made me love it more. And of course the music by Sufjan Stevens in the movie is just. I don’t even have words for it. I feel nothing else could’ve captured the feel of the story more than those songs. There is something magical about Call Me by Your Name and I am certain I will treasure it for a very long time to come. I feel like I could keep gushing on and on about the movie and the book alike, and like I haven’t even cracked the surface of my feelings for it but for now I shall leave you with a quote from the book.
”And on that evening when we grow older still we’ll speak about these two young men as though they were two strangers we met on the train and whom we admire and want to help along. And we’ll want to call it envy, because to call it regret would break our hearts.”
I was in tenth grade when I first watched Call Me by Your Name and although I was introduced to the movie first, and then the book, if anyone ever asked me to choose between the two, I would choose the book in a heartbeat. The movie is exceptionally beautiful in terms of visuals, cinematography, acting, soundtrack and dialogues but it’s also in a way forms a very misunderstood image of Oliver.
I have to add that I watched the movie three times on a loop because I was so distraught by its ending. I was so disappointed by Oliver, because in my head I had structured him as a really introverted but mature character that definitely wouldn’t leave his conflicted teenage lover stranded behind. And Elio was just a young boy who received the shorter end of the stick, the one who gave his all to Oliver and was left with nothing but memories to nurse his broken heart.
But the book really justifies the character’s feelings and motives in a more elaborate manner. Elio from the book is a very temperamental and fickle minded young man. He would jump from one desire to the next frequently; one moment he would hate Oliver and in the next, he would be at his feet, worshipping him. I had the wonderful opportunity of engaging in an email conversation with the author, Andre Aciman, and he really emphasized on Elio not being a reliable narrator.
Elio is young and anxious and he views Oliver almost like a mysterious, scholarly demigod who changes moods like seasons. His desire for Oliver, and his periodic hatred for the same man always limited his description as to who Oliver really was. And even though through Elio’s eyes Oliver was seen essentially as a Casanova, charming all the ladies in the town and playing into Elio’s desires and retreating back whenever and however he wanted, Oliver was just a shy man who was scared of getting too emotionally involved in a young boy’s quest for discovering his sexuality.
Oliver once says “for you it’s still fun and games, which it should be. For me it’s something else which I haven’t figured out, and the fact that I can’t scares me.” He walks on a double edged sword of his own desires and shame. He was raised in a homophobic environment and he knew as soon as summer ended, he needed to get out of this bubble of love and face the real world again. And he was terrified, rightly so.
Reading the book made me realize that Oliver always loved Elio way more than he or the movie could ever express. He would sit by the ocean alone for hours thinking of the summer he spent with Elio while Elio would presume he was out trotting with the ladies of the town. Oliver wasn’t as outspoken with his feelings and desires as Elio was, but with his gestures, he showed that he always completely and wholly accepted Elio as a part of him.
“I believe with every cell in my body that every cell in yours must not, must never, die, and if it does have to die, let it die inside my body.” These were the words spoken by Oliver that made Elio realize how much Oliver truly revered him and probably was the reason he could never entirely get rid of his feelings for Oliver, even years later.
Having watched the movie more than twenty times now, I know just like Elio knows that Oliver is not a villain. He never was the villain; he was just a really misunderstood literary character.
In the words of Heraclitus who was the topic of Oliver’s dissertation, “The meaning of the river flowing is not that all things are changing, so that we cannot encounter them twice, but that some things stay the same only by changing.” which means we can never continue to exist as the same version of ourselves at different points in our life. We consistently change and that’s the only way we remain constant.
This story holds the same place in my life. It touched me in a way that made me evolve into a slightly different version of myself and for that, Elio and Oliver, I will always be thankful to you.
Our eyes met and whispered
In secret tongues of daylight.
Enunciating their love affair,
When you secretly played with my swimwear.
And echoing desires, moaning to be heard,
Lips yearning for satisfaction, for relief, for love.
But your hands are on peach curves.
From wrapping my arms around,
To cycling around Italy.
Amid the sun-drenched splendour,
Our first kiss on the meadows so tender!
Under the dim light from the window,
And the folds of white sheets.
We lie together and make love,
As you utter your own name.
In the darkness of the night,
I brush your hairs with my fingers before we part
If I wouldn’t have been so ashamed,
Oh Elio! You would still be calling me by your name.
“ELIO, ELIO, ELIO………OLIVER, OLIVER, OLIVER”
“I don’t believe it’s real,” I said, as my friends talked about love. But Luca
Guadagnino’s ethos proved me wrong and Michael Stahlberg’s pathos manifested it.
As I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, while feeling a plethora of emotions, I come back to this monologue every single time. As Elio, the protagonist of the film sits evasively with his father after experiencing a tragic heartbreak with another man, there’s evident tension, yet something about it is comforting.
Set in 1983, one would expect a gay relationship to be a disgrace, but Perlman emphasizes that he is not a punitive father. Instead, he envies the vibrant connection Elio shared with Oliver. It’s fascinating because parents live through us and by us. But sons and daughter aren’t theirs. They come from them but don’t belong to them. They are children of life’s
longing for itself and that is what children crave; Validation for who they really are. I saw that in Perlman as he caresses his son’s hair. This is when I realized that, that “something” I previously mentioned, was the love and understanding he had for Elio.
Perlman says, “Right now there’s sorrow and pain but don’t kill it and with it the joy you felt”. Tears ran down my face as I heard it for the first time. That is the most beautiful aspect of life itself, isn’t it? It’s completely letting yourself wallow in pain, guilt, and heartbreak. Even if every cell in your body is drawn to the allure of nothingness. This film is not just about two men falling in love. It’s about the universal human experience, to fall and to keep falling till it consumes you. And it is because of this falling that we face
obstacles that make us break one another. So much so that to a point, we make ourselves weak and constantly search for companionship but have less to offer each time we start with someone new. As much emotion life has, the logic in it is extraordinary. We tend to keep the ones we love on a high pedestal that we forget to be content with ourselves. That is what
Perlman beautifully conveys to his son by stressing “you too are good”. He held his hand like a father should and let him know his feelings are valid.
Human creatures love and unlove. Some have the privilege of finding their fantasy but some don’t. To me, that’s a perfect balance. We understand the science of time, gravity, and space but one thing remains perplexed to humans, perhaps forever, and that is: Love.
To say the least, call me by your name is the single most breath-taking queer- representative movie of this generation that has moved and consumed me as a spiritual being. The depth and intimacy of Elio and Oliver’s relationship will forever be held accountable for transforming me, a solid rock of a person, into a dreamer of ethereal experiences.
“…Words are Futile Devices…”
It’s been a long, long time
Since I’ve memorized your face
It’s been four hours now
Since I’ve wandered through your place
Even though books have their own unique charm and an inevitable destiny of being better than any audio-visual adaptation, sometimes it is the latter that often surpasses them. In the case of ‘Call Me By Your Name’ mayhaps this has happened but one cannot totally dismiss the base for why that particular film adaptation took birth – the book by Andre Aciman. This should be the
case for any film adaptation or vice versa – each are works of art and experimentation and should not be dismissed, no matter how deplorable.
And when I sleep on your couch
I feel very safe
And when you bring the blankets
I cover up my face
I do
Love you
The reason why the film adaptation stuck out more for me is because of the astonishing accompanying soundtrack by Sufjan Stevens. If you have been wondering why the verses from his song ‘Futile Devices’ have been scattered in between my thoughts here, it is so because that is what the song does to you. When the melody is entwined with the end credits of the film, it is
almost impossible to stop back the tears- the audio and the visual aspects enhance the emotions of the particular character and convey it to the spectator/s – the tears surface from Elio’s eyes and trickle down your cheek.
I do
Love you
And when you play guitar
I listen to the strings buzz
The metal vibrates underneath your fingers
The song is written so well that it captures the element of the film and the book as a whole. If the book was missing one part was this song and the various other songs by Stevens – the songs drive the nail home. If one has not watched the movie or read the book, one listen of ‘Futile Devices’
should give them a gist of what the former are about.
And when you crochet
I feel mesmerized and proud
And I would say I love you
But saying it out loud is hard
So I won’t say it at all
And I won’t stay very long
But you are life I needed all along
The verses of the song are drenched with ache, pain and unsatisfied feeling of a love which is not possible. It begins with a hope, a recollection of the moments that were blissful and phenomenal but now in their place is an emptiness, a wasted chance, a regret of experiencing something so
wonderful even when the inevitable sadness is haunting you in the distance. The eerie strings and chords of the song echo in your mind long after having listened to them for the umpteenth time, making you go through emotions which Elio and Oliver feel for each other, in the other’s absence. The film left me speechless and continues to do so because “words..” indeed “..are
futile devices..”.
I think of you as my brother
Although that sounds dumb
And words are futile devices
Lyrics from ‘Futile Devices’ by Sufjan Stevens
Examination FAQs
ChrisTribute thought to answer some frequently asked questions regarding online examinations. We hope it helped in clarifying doubts of Christites
For the calculator, just tell them once. That should be enough, as they can see what you’re doing. 
Using the scanner won’t be an issue, but I suggest you either sit near the scanner or set it up beside you. The proctor will not allow you to step out of the camera’s range each time you finish writing an answer. This will eat up a lot of your time too, so please be mindful of that. 
For exams in which there are numericals, you’ll have to write the exam on sheets of paper, just like a normal exam, and then scan and upload the answers question-wise. 
They are not very strict as long as you follow the guidelines and ensure you stay in front of the camera. I personally found the online exams to be a very new experience, but at the same time adaptable and user-friendly. No, they don’t ask you for a 360° view of your room. Just make sure that your lighting is good and that you have a stable internet connection. 
It is advisable to keep Grammarly and all such extensions disabled during the exam as they can definitely get you in trouble. 
Yes, you can withdraw a paper for up to one hour after submitting it. There will be a link in the KP for that purpose. 
You will have to put your phone on silent mode. Make sure you inform the proctor beforehand each time you need to use it for scanning and uploading your answers. 
The exams have two formats for submitting answers: a.) Typed b.) Upload. The entire exam would be in either one of the aforementioned formats only. The Cluster as a whole makes a decision regarding which format will be used and all questions will need to be answered accordingly. In the typed format, there will be a text box where you type out your answers, then hit submit. It’s fairly simple and hassle-free. In the upload format, you can upload a file of maximum 100 MB, and it has to be in jpeg/jpg/pdf format. You can only upload one file per question.
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