Of Whipple-Scrumpets and Vexatious Teachers

Today is Roald Dahl's birthday, and I couldn't let the day go without a tribute. He was born on 13th September, 1916.

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pic courtesy flipkart

Spotty Powder and other Splendiferous Secrets
Compiled and illustrated by Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin (Pocket Money Puffin series)

The book begins with a quote from his book The Minpins: “Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most likely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” This should be the guiding light for all who associate themselves with children’s books. Or any books at all. Or anything that raises one above the mundane. As Dahl’s books certainly do. He was a keen observer of his surroundings, human or otherwise, and each of the twelve chapters begins with his essay on the month or season.

Do you know…

…that there were as many as ten naughty children to feature in his most famous book Charlie and the Chocolate factory? These were to have names like Bertie Upside and Herpes Trout. Or that the Oompa-Loompas were to be called Whipple-Scrumpets?

…that the Roald Dahl-Quentin Blake partnership began in 1976, quite late in Dahl’s career, and that initially Blake was nervous about illustrating for such a famous writer?

…that Dahl kept two notebooks in which he pinned down any stray idea that entered his head, and that almost all his books came from these years later?

…that strange though it may seem to his readers, his English teacher at boarding school had written him off? “This boy is an indolent and illiterate member of the class.” “Vocabulary negligible, sentences malconstructed. Ideas limited.”

…that in the churchyard at Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, big friendly giant footprints lead to Roald Dahl’s grave?

pic courtesy flipkart

D is for Dahl

A gloriumptious A-Z guide to the world of Roald Dahl

Compiled by Wendy Cooling

Illustrations Quentin Blake

Publisher: Puffin books

It begins with a smudged copy of the Dahl family tree on page 1. The next 149 pages are cram-filled with alphabetically arranged snippets that will warm the heart of even the most reluctant of readers. All things Dahl : personal life, his books, quirks, his literary associates, his working style, his opinions about everything he came across- it is all there, in bite-sizes, and embellished with the zany illustrations of his friend and long-time illustrator, Quentin Blake.

Some our favourites are the Random Roald Facts in boxes:

He wrote his first ever story at the age of 10, titled “Kumbak II” about a machine that could tune in to conversations from the past.

From an essay written by him at school, describing his teacher: “He’s a short man with a face like a fried elderberry, and a moustache which closely resembles the African jungle.” On his teacher's cane: “It wasn’t simply an instrument for beating you. It was a weapon for wounding.” Do you see Miss Agatha Trunchbull from Matilda?

No wonder his teachers were vexed with him!

Here is a review of a proper biography, Fantastic Mr Dahl, written by Michael Rosen, on Guardian Children's Books.

Cross-posted at Saffrontree.

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Happy Birthday, Roald Dahl! You have given us - A and myself - some giggleworthy moments of childhood.

Friends, birthdays and gollus

The kid is safely back at school! So what did we do during these hols?

Attended in all 3 birthday parties. We were all invited as a family to all three, so they were family outings of a sort.

The first was at Gerry Martin Farm. Enjoyable as always. It was Gerry's mother-in-law's 60th birthday. She is a good friend in the complex, as is her daughter, Gerry's wife Yamini.

The next too was at a farmhouse we have been to earlier. Geese Haven is a wonderful farmhouse and homestay just an hour's drive from home, near the Art of Living centre on Kanakpura road. It was A's best friend in the complex, W's birthday. Her mother Jamie had arranged a fun treasure hunt for the kids, which is always a good idea at a place like this.

The third was at my dear friend P's home, her daughter's 11th birthday. We were 6-7 families, all close friends of P. Her cooking is yummy, and as usual we had a wonderful time.

It being Navratri time, there were of course the gollus to visit, as also many kanya-poojas. We were invited to a total of 8 gollus, of which we managed to make it to 6. Actually, I found it a bit unbelievable that this year was just the second time in all my years in Bangalore that I actually went for a gollu! Must thank the blogosphere for that.

Some gollus we visited.

Pic- Artnavy's album

Artnavy's. We had been invited here last year too, but could not make it. Made it a point to go there this year. 

Art had made some yummy payasam that we enjoyed. A and Anush hugged like long-lost sisters and promptly sat down to a spot of artwork- a picture of the Devi mask to be coloured. It had been Aditi's birthday just the week before, and we had not been able to be there for the party, so I had carried a book as a gift. Aditi was thrilled. She sat down cross-legged next to me with the book on her lap, and insisted that 'Aditi read.' I thought she wanted me to read aloud to her, but she demurred. 'Aditi read' meant exactly that. She sat there, turning pages, moving her finger down the text, making 'reading' sounds. It was so hilarious! 

Pic from Sangi's blog

The other notable gollu we visited was at Sangi's lovely home. Visiting Sangi, along with a visit to the famed kilo bookstore, has been long on the to-do list. The kilo book store has been postponed to another date (say when, Sangi. After diwali?) but the gollu was an iron-clad excuse to go over to her new place. It is a dream house, built at many levels, full of natural light, the woods peeping in - there is a wonderful wood-jasmine tree bending over the balcony, showering the balcony with its flowers, and bringing in the fragrance every time a breeze blows in. Went there with Choxbox and her brood (another reason to do this- what A wouldn't give to spend the day with her dear friend, Choxbox's FB, and of course, LB) and had a fab time. Great company, great conversation, lovely coffee, and of course, Loopy! Checked out the book shelf, but forgot the potter's wheel.

There were some gollus we couldn't make it to. Sorry Swapna. Next year! Also wanted to visit the gollu at Dhaatu, which Choxbox has been raving about. It is on till the 21st of October, 3-8pm, so we still have a chance of going. Should certainly try to make it.

Honorable mention under the gollus- the one put up by Choxbox's LB, and to which we were so lovingly invited.



Soft toy and doll gollu at Choxbox's

Pic from Google Images
Search "Diwali killa"

There were three more that we made it to- two in the complex, and one at another of A's friend's home. All of them transported me back to Diwali celebrations of my childhood, when we would make mud and rock forts (Killas- similar to complex sand castles). Work on these would start a week or so before diwali, and we would sow mustard and coriander seeds on it to depict the crops and plants. Toy soldiers on foot and horseback, farmer dolls, domestic and wild animal dolls would be placed at strategic points to complete a picture of the rural lands of Shivaji's time. The fort would be complete with a flag on the top, and would be lighted up by diwali lamps during the festival. Just like the navratri gollus, we would visit each other's houses to see the forts. We have these every diwali at my parents' place- now it is made by my nephew and niece!

Of course there were many play-dates through the holidays- either A had to go to a friend's place, or the gang would descend on our house.

We also watched some long-awaited movies-- something that we do not have much time for during school days. So we watched 'Gods must be Crazy 1 & 2,  'Born Free', 'Beautiful People', 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs', and re-runs of Harry Potter, all on DVD.

Books- of course, again. Any free time A had, she picked up a book. I've lost track of all those she devoured.

We also engaged in some mother-daughter cooking sessions, and every day she would decide what she wanted for dinner, and we would proceed to cook it together. A surprised her father one day with a breakfast of aloo paratha, nicely stuffed and rolled out round! I would, of course do all the work at the gas.

All this hectic activity was tempered by holiday homework, among which is a detective story written by her, inspired by a chapter in the curriculum from Emil and the Detectives. Needless to say, the book, too was read- at one sitting. (Thanks, Chox!)

And now, we look forward to a new term at school.

Happy Birthday, Joanne and Harry Potter!

Yesterday evening I received a message from Crossword which said: "Join the magician and celebrate Harry Potter's birthday at Crossword.... Call-... Sent  30-July-2010." It was a message like any other I get as a Book Rewards Member. What amused me was that there was no mention of the date on which the event was supposed to take place. After all, everyone should know that Harry Potter's birthday is on July 31st, right? Yes, if you are a Potter fan. Obviously, Crossword thought that the date of the event was obvious to everyone! Such has been the popularity of this series created by J.K. Rowling, whose birthday, too, falls on the same date. So much so, that book-readers of the world have been divided into those who like Harry Potter, and those who don't.

This isn't a post about the books. It is about my association with the books, my experience of them.

In 2004, we were in Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK for a period of 9 months. I had a two-and-half yr old, and hardly any time for reading for myself. Always a book person, I had been reading to A since she was old enough to sit up on my lap. So one of the first things I did was to check out the Council library.

It was here, in the library that I first encountered the Harry Potter series. I sometimes wonder how I missed them before, as 5 of the books had already been published by then, but I can only ascribe it to other pressing matters, not the least of which was the birth of A and her early childhood.

Anyway, I had read the first four by the time we returned to India. At that time, three of the books had also been made into films, the first two of which we watched on DVD. Prisoner of Azkaban was released in May 2004, so I went to watch it at the local theatre. I remember I dropped A off at her summer camp, and took a bus to the theatre, reached it just in the nick of time, watched the movie and rushed to pick up A. We had been to Scotland just a few weeks before this, so we could identify the locales at which some of the filming had been done. We had also passed Winterbourne enroute to Wales. This was the town where Rowling had gone to school, and had had as neighbours the Potter family, whose name she used for her protagonist.

After coming back to India, I bought books 1-5, and waited impatiently for the last two. In the meantime, A had started school here, and I made a friend, one of the mothers, whose daughter too is with A. She is as Potter-mad as I am, and we have seen all subsequent movies together. I also have a niece in Bangalore (who is now a collegian) who is a fan, and we would compare notes often.

The release of The Deathly Hallows on July 21, 2007 had all the hysteria of a rock concert. I remember I had pre-booked it at Strand Book Stall, something I had never done for any other book. All news channels were full of the news of the release. Half-blood Prince had already shocked us with its ending, and there had been a lot of speculation about the outcome of the next book. My niece had gone so far as to not take any calls from any of her friends for a few days prior to the release (all equally book mad) so that no-one could be a spoil-sport and reveal the end.

I remember that the husband was in the US on a business trip at that time. A and I were by ourselves. The day was a Saturday and A had had a birthday party to attend. After the party, which was at lunchtime, we went to Strand, picked up my copy, and came home post-haste. I started reading some in the evening, but had to be patient and wait till we had had our dinner, and A had gone to bed. Then, without further ado, I sat with the book and finished it around 5am. In the morning, my niece and I had a very long, interesting conversation about the book. When the husband came back, he had got me a copy of the newspaper in the US which had a cover feature on the release.

Since then I have re-read the book many times. It has many layers, like all really good books, and yields something new at each reading. I have also gone to this book in search of strength at difficult times, and have found it. Not every Potter fan will identify with this experience of mine, but there may be some who do.

Since then, I have had reason to re-visit the books with my daughter A, who has also been charmed by them. Since I feel they may be slightly beyond her, I have been reading them aloud to her. She has many pertinent questions, like:

 "Aai, but I did not understand why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry."        OR
" But why did Dumbledore leave Harry with the Dursleys? Why did he not take him with him or someone else who would not be so mean to him?"

My answer to such questions have always been, "I don't think I should give you an answer to that, A. You will get you answer in some later book. If I tell you, it will spoil your fun in finding out."

So now if she has a question, she comes to me with: "Aai, I wanted to ask you this about Harry. Tell me only if you think it will not spoil the fun for me in finding out myself."

I firmly believe that the book should be read before one watches the movie made on it. I have been trying to impress this upon A, and to her credit, she has shown incredible restraint. Since we have read books 1 & 2, she has watched those movies. Book 3, I think, is darker, and we want to wait for a few more months before we read that. In the meantime, A has read the books once more by herself, coming up with many more questions.

I have been a bit disappointed with some parts of the movies. I think Ms. Rowling has a perfect plot, and all her dots connect perfectly. I feel that the storyline should not be deviated from, not one bit. But that is not something I want to discuss here. In the meantime, we have the movie version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows being made in 2 parts in 3D.  These will be released on 9th Nov 2010 and 11th July 2011 respectively. So I need to start re-reading the book in October, so that I refresh myself about the details.

Writing and publication of the series by J.K. Rowling and her meteoric rise to fame has been a fairy tale of sorts, one that may make many a struggling writer dream of success too. In this talk to Harvard students, in June 2008, Ms. Rowling makes an excellent case on the role of failure in attaining success. She should know.

In the meantime, Happy Birthday, Joanne Kathleen Rowling. And Happy Birthday, Harry. 

Catching up with friends

The husband being out on a business trip, A and I are at a loose end. Feel it more on weekends. So what do we do? Catch up on friends.

On Friday we went to a book launch with Choxbox and her daughters.  Any time spent with this trio is fun as none of us are at a loss of words. Yak-yak-yakking away about books (what else?) and such is extremely therapeutic.

The book launched was WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, reviewed by me here  and here.  A had already read it, and we had discussed it, so she had a list of questions to ask the author,  Leila Seth, who answered them with a lot of humour and affection. Unassuming, she looked like anybody's grandmother, and had a great dialogue with the children. A, of course, asked her questions, and got her answers. Got her copy signed too.

Saturday- A's best friend at school, AM had a birthday party at their farmhouse. It was a wonderful day for an out-of-doors activity. Bangalore weather has always been great, but these days have been lovely. A cloud cover, cool winds but not much rain make for a great time to have a party on a farm. We walked in fields picking tomatoes, corn and much else, fed goats and calves, ate hot corn-on-the-cobs fresh off the farm, had a treasure hunt with the kids having a great time searching everywhere on the farms, ate yummy rajasthani food that was provided, and met up with a lot of friends who we have not met since school runs have become a thing of the past.  A lot of the mothers echoed my views. So while the children rambled around, we sat down and yakked away.

Sunday-There was a society meeting that I had to attend. A went to her friend W's house for the morning while I was at the meeting. Post that, a good friend J from the building invited me over to share lunch with her and her husband. Good food, good conversation. After that went with some friends to the Strand book sale. I got a few lovely book for A, and one book for myself that I had wanted to read for a long time.


Today too, a friend whose daughter studies with A has invited us over. Haven't met her for a long time, so I think it would be a great idea to go.

In the meantime, my tag on fear is doing the rounds among friends in the blogosphere. Hope to read the differents points of view and about different books. Will be interesting.