My Debt to Monash
Nish Niruthan
Speaking at the Premiere launch of a movie (2018). ▶
Playing Monopoly with
Monashians (2006). ▼
What I didn’t anticipate at all was that regular classes
and assignments would bore me to death. My
attendance was notoriously poor, my assignments
were submitted late (if at all) and my bibliographies
were non-existent. I still remember running into Dr
Yeoh at the old foyer, where he would nonchalantly
ask me if I managed to catch the mysterious virus
that kept crashing my assignment files. But I attended
every tutorial sessions with joy, I took part in all the
discussions, enjoyed video assignments and, most
of all, I relished discussing Communication with my
peers. My assignments were either graded with a
Distinction or not submitted at all. I loved everything to
do with actual Arts, while fizzling out on the academic
side of it.
My point is that had I joined a legal course or
medicine, with their academic rigidities, I might
have crashed and burned out a decade ago. But at
Monash, I got to meet people, teachers and students
alike, who practiced and applied what we learned.
Even though our lives have taken us apart, I treasure
my memories with Shanil Samarkoon, Dahlia Martin,
Shazwan Kamal, Jeremy Hu and others who inspired
me to no end with their sheer drive. All of them are
now doing unique things in their field and, with the
exception of Shanil, were all Arts students.
A great turning point in my life was being mentored by
the late, great Benjamin McKay. I cannot express in
words how important his guidance was to me. When I
gave my first interview for a film magazine many years
ago, I credited him as my guru. He pushed me to
think of cinema as a tool that could reach individuals
and communities simultaneously. He took a small
team of us to various workshops and gatherings of
filmmakers, just to let us know the endless possibilities
of the Arts. When I left Monash in 2007, he told me
that, even though it was easier to squeeze water out
of stone than get an assignment out of me on time
(!), he foresaw a great future for me. When he passed
away, I was distraught both at the sudden news and
the realization that he would never see any of my real
success. But now I feel he is always watching his
students. Rest in peace, brother.
◀ Impersonating angry professors
at the Sunway Condo (2006).
47
I Iearned
what I could,
ignored what I
couldn’t, and
the universe
rewarded me.
February 2005 remains one of the most unforgettable
months of my life. I arrived at Monash, fresh off the
plane from Sri Lanka, clinging to the idea that a
University education would make all my dreams come
true. As a first-generation college student from the
subcontinent, I had to carry the hopes of an entire
clan on my 17-year-old shoulders. Cinema had been
my childhood passion, and after many battles with my
family (who were flabbergasted at the idea of pursuing
a “mere Arts degree” rather than Law or Medicine or
IT), I decided that an education in the Communication
field was what I wanted and needed.