PVK Blog ‘The English Audio Club Experience’ by Ms Shradha Sreejaya’
An introductory note.
[This was written by Shradha Sreejaya, who was, from the time she became my mentee in 2010 till mid 2025 one of the students who was closest to me and in whom I invested more time and effort than almost all other students. Then, in a move that was like a blow to my head, she “cancelled” me. I have got over it. Shradha is one of two people who have publicly shunned me. The other is that fraud “historian” who shares a name with the author of India’s biggest shame and curse, the author of ‘Manusmrithi’.
Shradha was virulently anti-Modi and anti-Hindutva. But she came from a family, in so far as one could call it a family, that was as Hindutva as could be. Shradha hated those attitudes and her Nair step father with an intensity that was frightening.
I now suspect that the old Freudian idea of intense hatred being disguised attraction is true and that ugly woman enhanced her ugliness by embracing Na Mo and his policies and ideology. At least that is what I feel. She has not provided any evidence to the contrary. I find Na Mo intensely ugly and repulsive. If there was not already a standard to measure ugliness, like the Likeart Scale, I would create one and call it the ‘Shradha Scale’. One ‘Shradha’ or unit of ugliness would be enough to, in a sense, launch a thousand ships. A ‘milli-Shradha’ would launch one ship, having enough repulsiveness to one ship.
I do not want to waste my time or energy thinking of how many ‘shradhas’ Shradha herself has. Good riddance to bad rubbish.]
Note: This is the first blog post of mine that I have not written myself. It can be taken as an indication of how fond of her I was at one point. As time goes by that point gets smaller and smaller. Following her on the net I understand that she has lost not just her mojo but also her mental soundness. She will soon be a cipher. Sad, that such a beautiful mind should end my sozzled by drugs, alcohol and all the things that stimulate but ultimately destroy your mind, your body, your social life, friendships, probably even her colourful sex life, which began early and was intense, or so she suggested.
Here is what the sane and beautiful Shradha wrote in ‘Yenta’ on ‘The English Audio Club’.
“Friday afternoons of joyful sharing, the Audio Club held in the Department of English, Govt. College for Women is a treat to the novelty seekers.
While most of the girls prefer lazing away the two hour lunch break they get on Fridays at the Govt. College for Women, a few of them are seen rushing to the II MA Literature class for an interesting weekly ritual – the Audio Club – a one hour meeting held by P Vijaya Kumar (HOD of the English Department). Each meeting has a particular theme, [some] earlier ones being ‘Spring’, ‘Cold War’, ‘Physics and Poetry’, ‘Beatles in India’, ‘Silly love songs’ , ‘Domesticity’ and so on, shared with the audience through audio and reading materials in the form of poetry, prose and songs. The themes are chosen based on their relevance, popular interest, and often student recommendations. Functioning since the year 2002, the main aim of this program is to generate an interest in the young minds towards reading and giving them an awareness about the world we live in.
A typical Audio Club session starts with Vijaya Kumar (affectionately known as PVK) giving out the supplements to the teachers and students who’ve come and greeting each one of them. He briefly describes the theme of the session, plays out the various pieces included, and shares a cheeky quote here and there, much to the delight of the listeners. There is never a pause or a faltering word, just laughs and a feel-good banter between the teacher and his students, in the rustic classroom. After a tiresome week of study schedules, the Audio Club is a getaway to an enriching and fun knowledge sharing experience for most of the students. Anisha, a second year student, and an Audio Club regular, says, “It is a novel concept, broadening the perspective of the listener to the wide possibilities once could reach out through literature and arts, in general.” While Shwetha, another of the regulars and a second year student, finds it a “totally unique brainchild of PVK and nonexistent without him.” Towards the end of the meeting, students are encouraged to speak out on the previous session, voicing their opinions and disagreements. In spite of attendance being voluntary, the Club does have a good number of gathering every week, including teachers and students of other departments in the college.
Vijaya Kumar gives in as much thought and efforts for these meetings as he would for any other class he takes. What inspired him? A lot many things of which a few he shares. In his student days, Vijaya Kumar was fond of listening to the radio programs; they had not much options other than that, and reading. While doing his graduation in English Literature at the University College, Trivandrum, he was taught by K K Neelakantan, a terrific teacher known for his ‘acidic tongue and cynical nature’, and a great scholar, who used to give them sessions with those old LPs along with his commentaries, after classes. “I still remember the session featuring a play ‘Murder in the Cathedral’. The commentary and class was so crisp and fine that I understood the play well only after that. It was something that inspired me later on.”, says he. Many of his former students who know about the Audio Club often gift him audio tapes. One such student, Sandhya Mahadevan, once presented him two tapes from popular archives of the BBC London, which he had some difficulty obtaining otherwise. Vijaya Kumar, who has always loved conducting extracurricular activities in colleges, like quizzes, debates etc., finds the Audio Club as a means to share the compiled materials with his students, the ones who benefit from it the most. He hopes that through the discussions held, students will get an insight into complex issues and create an interest to know more.
A truly dedicated and very much loved figure of the college, PVK and his Audio Club makes Friday afternoons a thing to remember for all who are a part of it.
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Thank you. Nandri. Namaskaram.
P. Vijaya Kumar / PVK 07/June/2026
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