Who am I?

I am Amrutha. And yes, that must be evident by now. But anyway, I am a girl who loves what she is doing and believes in chasing dreams rather than money. I hold a post-graduate degree in International Affairs, another in French literature and a Bachelor’s degree in History. That’s right. I have spent nearly all my life a student and will probably remain one till my dying day. But right now, I am teaching French at the Alliance française of Madras. I love reading, enjoy writing and am passionate about my work. My primary areas of interest include research on terrorism-related issues and maritime security. I love languages and believe in the right to equality of opportunity for all.

I write on everything that I read: feminism, politics, culture, religion, cuisine, you name it, and it’s here. I speak English and French, apart from Tamil, Kannada and Hindi. I love to talk about practically anything under the sun. I also write in French, though I am not very regular at it. I enjoy reading books, and despite much teasing, Harry Potter remains my favourite series. My other favourites include The Alchemist, Ponniyin Selvan and Freedom at Midnight. Please feel free to mail me your feedback and comments. You can find my contact information in the "contact me" section.

What am I doing?

I am currently teaching French at the Alliance Francaise of Madras. Starting November 2003, I have been an on-again, off-again teacher. My latest teaching stint started in November 2007. I also do freelance translations for whoever asks me to. I hold a special interest for politics, and continue my personal work in the subject, especially on security-related issues.

First, continue to teach, at least part-time. Second, I would love to get a research position in a non-profit research organisation. While my areas of interest are politics and security studies, I remain open to working on economics, law and related subjects.

What am I capable of doing?

• Research and analysis: Collect, analyze and present raw information in a coherent form, both as text and presentation. Experience includes, but is not limited to research on domains related to security studies, international relations, law and economics, at the Centre for Security Analysis as Research Intern.
• Event management: Provide logistic support (venue, accommodation, transport, sponsorships etc.) to seminars, conferences and inter-collegiate events. Experience in event management at college level in organizing inter-collegiate cultural events and seminars and at the Centre for Security Analysis in organizing international seminars and conferences.
• Publishing: Proof-read and copyedit articles, essays and papers presented by participants at seminars for publication. Liaison with printers and publishing houses to ensure quality output. Experience at the Centre for Security Analysis as Research Intern
• Language: Teach French language to beginners and non-beginners at both elementary and intermediate levels. Translation of legal, technical and commercial documents from and into French. Experience at the Alliance Francaise of Madras as part-time faculty since November 2003. Translation experience as freelance translator.
• Other skills: Well-versed in using the PC for office applications and reasonably well-informed from an end-user perspective.