An update, and a poem by the daughter

And slowly, the work at home is winding up. The carpenters, painters and plumbers are out, and the electricians are currently working on the fixtures. We're not doing any major changes, just replacing the tired old white tubelights with warm, yellow light. The builders have been much remiss in their wiring work, too, as we discovered on finding that many of the 'outlets' provided had no electric current, and that called for a major revamp. We've already had the cleaners in, who did an excellent job of cleaning up the major spills of glue / paint / polish, etc., that the workers had left behind. Now it is up to us to sort through all our stuff. The stuff collected over more than 20 years of marriage, and 12+ years as parents.

pic courtesy bookgivingday.com

And of course, the books - that is going to be a project in itself. It was International Book Giving Day on the 14th of February 2014. I have been putting books that we no longer need, to give away.

While all this has been happening in the background, there is much else on the writing front, though not of any great consequence. No, that book still has to wait.

Articles and book reviews on Women's Web.

Book reviews on Goodbooks. Two of my reviews feature on the current slider - do take a look.

Articles for The Alternative.

And someone really thought I would do as a panel member for a writing contest in which I shared space with published authors. A participated in the contest, making sure there she did not show me her entry until after the contest was judged, or even tell me anything about it, as she knew I was one of the judges, and shouldn't carry any bias. Here is her entry. Feeling very proud of her.

Here's her entry. Do go to the site for the judges' comments.

WHEN SANTA CAME HOME

He came in the dead of the night
When the blue of the sky was deep
He sailed so silently over our world
When every person was asleep

He floated through the starry sky
Past the gleaming moon
He must hurry, for he was running late
The sun would be rising soon

Ours was the last town he visited
And mine was the very last house
So he began climbing down the chimney,
Quickly, but as quietly as a mouse

After visiting so many children
And eating their cookies and cakes,
Santa was rather full, and hadn't realized
How much effort chimney climbing takes

He sucked in his belly as much as he could
And began to wriggle down
But he was stuck, well and truly jammed
Yes, that is what Santa found

But here is what Santa did not know –
Our house was enchanted
Our house was home to a number of elves
A number that cannot be counted

They found poor Santa in a soup
They told him he needn't worry
They set about their elfish work
And soon they ceased to scurry

They had dug the sides of the chimney
Till Santa Claus could go through
But where they went after that
Santa wished he knew

He climbed down; it was easy now
He soon reached the ground
He tip-toed towards my stocking
Without making a sound

He stuffed in the presents
Oh, and what presents they were
Then, he was finally done with his job
He exited through the front door

Those elves loved snow more than any else
But they could find none here
And our guests were just temporary,
For they stayed out of fear

Of the wicked, oh, so wicked
Froozotapplegadeese
Who would search for and feast on
Just such elves as these

Santa, of course, was grateful to them
He owed them a major debt
He knew that quick workers like these
Were difficult to get

So he sought out the elves and said to them,
"Come with me to the North Pole
You'll find plenty of snow there
For it is freezing, and that is mighty cold"

You will be safe and sound from the
Froozotapplegadeese
For, if he comes to look for you,
I can tell you for sure that he will freeze

I would like you to do me
Another tremendous favour
And in exchange for I will give you
Snow cream of any flavour

Could you help me with the presents –
Could you make them and then wrap them?
For I know that elfish craft
Is certainly a gem

The elves were delighted – this deal was great!
They all jumped into the sleigh
Santa was pleased, and he smiled and said,
"Up, up, and away!"

That is how Santa got his trusty elves
They make each and every toy
For Santa to give as gifts for Christmas
To every little girl and boy

I wonder what became of the
Froozotapplegadeese
Did he go looking for the elves?
Tell me, did he freeze?

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My reading, in the mean-time, is going along in spurts. Will post about a challenge I feel the need to participate in, soon.

Getting their own home, finally!

When we moved into our current home, my daughter was a wee baby, not yet sitting up. There was a lot of stuff that was unfinished. Not enough furnishing, for one. We lived out of two wardrobes and sundry suitcases. Slept on mattresses laid on the floor, rolled up during the day. Our television was kept on the floor. We had inherited the cane sofa set and dining table plus chairs - brought over from our earlier rented house. The only proper woodwork that we had done before moving in was the kitchen. That was essential, and the rest- we just thought we'd get it done by-and-by.

By-and-by didn't happen for 12 years. We just made do. There was too much happening. A baby growing up. Many ups and downs. A year outside the country. Frequent overseas trips for the husband, who wasn't around for a large enough chunk of time for all this work to be done. We were sure we didn't want to buy stuff ready-to-use from stores - it needed to be custom made. And in the meantime, our books collected by the sackful. They slowly took up most of our wardrobe space, spilled over onto every surface available, into every room, even the kitchen and the bathrooms. They took over the house much like the wilderness that took over the grounds of Manderlay in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. (This, I've taken from one of my FB status updates about the books)

My beloved books. They really needed to be housed more respectfully. We also needed to make a host of other furnishings. So, after so many years, we finally have the workers in the house. They are creating a library of bookshelves in a spare room we have, where I have always imagined myself settling down to read, surrounded by my books looking out at me, with the light streaming in through the three large windows. There will also be shelves in each of the rooms in the house, including a huge one on a 15 foot wall in the hall.

Looking forward to that.

12 years...

...is called a 'Tapa' in Sanskrit literature. My little one, not so little anymore, turned twelve on the 18th this month, and I cannot let the month go by just like that.

So. We're currently big time into cooking. A little different from assisting mamma in the kitchen. Though, of course, it has to be a food item that she likes that she takes charge of. That, and the current interest in the ongoing Masterchef US, meant that the theme for a party was already decided.

Taking the DIY idea forward, I let her take charge of everything except deciding on and planning the actual contest, so that she could participate as a contestant in all fairness. She decided on the return gifts and the prizes, who to call, and the format of the contest. There were 9 girls, including her, so we decided on having 3 teams of 3 each, decided by drawing lots. The winning team from among these would then go on to round two, so that we would have three dishes again. The winner among these would be the masterchef, and there would be one runner-up.

Prizes? The winner would be presented with an apron on which we had hand-painted the masterchef logo in red. As also a copy of The Usborne Little Book of Chocolate. Lots of history and customs about chocolate, fun facts, and easily do-able recipes, and plenty of yum looking pictures.

pic courtesy usborne.co.uk

Runner-up would get a copy of The Deadly Royal Recipe, written by Ranjit Lal, published by Duckbill books.

pic courtesy saffrontree.org

The rest of the participants were to get a copy of Subhadra Sen Gupta's book, The Secret Diary of the World's Worst Cook. Wonderful book- historical fiction on the background of the Mughal period.

pic courtesy penguinbooksindia.com

Now, I am not sure about the comfort levels of the invitees' parents while working with knives, fire, etc. So I decided to keep it fairly simple, with an adult assisting.

Round 1: The best and yummiest class of food that could be prepared with a bit of planning were the chaats. I made the imli chutney and the green chutney at home. Got the veggies chopped up in the morning - onions, tomatoes, boiled potatoes, fresh coriander. Bought a few packets of murmura(puffed rice), sev, farsan, paani-puri puris, khara puris, etc., and was all set. I also kept a few bottles of unrelated stuff like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, chilli garlic sauce, etc. Of course, if they incorporated any of that in their recipe without messing it up, they could!

The judge was a neighbour, a friend who is a wonderful cook herself, and who is also wonderful with kids. Having a grandchild a little younger than A, she knows how they tick.

So there were the kids, having donned their aprons.  We told them the rules- about adult supervision, teamwork, and about cleaning up after getting their dish ready. And then the fun really began.

The winning chaat entry - tikki chaat. A's team made this, and went to the second round. The three children in the winning team went on to round two.

Second in the chaat round. Paani puri and sev puri.

Third in the chaat round. Bhel puri.

Round 2: The winning team went on to Round 2. Now they worked individually. The three of them had to put together three desserts from the ingredients given. There were sliced cakes, fruit of different kinds, ice-cream, waffle sticks and chips, sprinkles, jams, honey, dessert toppings, cooking chocolate, and then some.

The winning entry in the second, dessert round. I didn't get to taste this, but was told it was slices of cake topped with fruit, covered by strawberry ice-cream, and garnished with gems and chocolate sprinkles. Pic taken after all entries were judged, hence the messy, melted ice-cream.

A's entry for the dessert round. Two servings of banana split. Second place. Oh, and for those interested to know, since she already has a copy of The Deadly Royal Recipe by Duckbill books, we drew lots to give away the copy bought for the runner-up to one of the guest children!

Third place - Sponge cake slices stacked with layers of peanut butter, covered by chocolate icing, garnished with gems. coloured sprinkles and waffle sticks.

And the birthday cake. Red pumpkin cinnamon bundt cake baked by me, covered with vanilla icing by the kid!

Happy Birthday, my little one!

The argument about Blyton

Today is D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) day. Beverly Cleary's birthday. Here is a post I had written last year as a tribute. How opportune that I am writing the post that follows today.

A friend posted the link to this article on Enid Blyton. Obviously it is a piece written a while ago - The Harry Potter phenomenon was still new then, barely 4 years old, and the first few sentences of the article speculates about the actor who would possibly play the role that has now made Daniel Radcliffe a famous, instantly recognisable face.

This is how Kate Forsyth, the writer of the piece, brings in Blyton.

It should be no surprise that her books have proved as hugely popular with adults as they have with children. For decades the literary establishment has been blaming TV, video games, the Internet, MTV and Macdonald's for the demise of reading in the young and not-so-young. Few have wondered whether the reason reading has gone out of fashion is because the books published have simply not been what anyone wants to read.
To me, the Harry Potter books have all the verve and wit and excitement of the books I loved to read as a child – and still read today when I'm tired or sick or studying for exams, when I feel in need of sinking myself in the guilty, sensuous pleasure of reading for the pure joy of reading. And though Rowling has been compared with C.S. Lewis, Roald Dahl and Edith Nesbit, the author she reminds me of most is the author I loved most passionately as an eight year old. Enid Blyton.

Let me say AGAIN, for the nth time in my life, that I am an unashamed, whole-hearted Enid Blyton fan. If she were alive and if I could meet her, I would leave no stone unturned to meet her. I have had the good fortune to stay for a good nine months (significant, isn't it? that is equivalent to a gestation period.) in a village off the west of London, 10 mins from the place where she stayed when alive. A began her schooling at a Montessori school there, which was right in the village where she has placed Peterswood, of the Five Find-Outers fame. We had made a pilgrimage to Bekonscot, the miniature village that has a miniature model of the sprawling house 'Old Thatch', in which she had lived.

I agree whole-heartedly with the article writer. As a self-confessed Blyton fan, I agree with everything she says. Naysayers can go and scream till they are blue in the face, but these writers- Blyton, Rowling, Dahl, and the others have given their readers a wonderful gift. That of being able to read purely for the pleasure of reading.

So, Enid had a few issues. Who doesn't? Dahl himself was an obnoxious person, and had serious marital problems. Does that make him a lesser writer? I don't think so. Maybe Blyton's detracters should read a biographical work by Duncan McLaren- Looking for Enid. He speaks openly of her personal problems, her unsavoury behaviour, and also connects the various books to particular stages of her life. We get a 'why' about the books she wrote.

My collection of Enid Blyton books

I agree regarding the feminist bit too. George was an out-and-out tomboy, and Blyton herself says she has based her on herself, and that she is her favourite character. Blyton has also rooted for Elizabeth Allen, the hot-headed, but lovable and generous protagonist of 'The Naughtiest Girl' series. Much like Rowling's Hermione Granger. All strong female characters, all excellent role models for girls looking out for one. In fact, her school stories has strong girl characters like Darrell Rivers, Claudine, the O'Sullivan twins, Alica, Joan, Carlotta, Bill, Bobby, Janet, and many more. I could rattle off a list of them here if so desired. Anne, the girl from The Famous Five series on which the Blyton critics base their case of gender discrimination forget that it was the social structure at the time that reflects in her books, and there are plenty of strong girls despite it.  I can vouch for the fact that her school stories are as realistic as they come. Nothing that she has described in them doesn't happen in schools even today. Maybe the specifics might differ, but children still interact in exactly the same fashion as in Blyton's Whyteleafe school, Malory Towers or St Clares.

What short-sighted critics forget is that books have necessarily to be read in the context of the period in which they have been placed, and interpreted accordingly. we do our children a disservice by white-washing this stuff in the effort of making it politically correct. We also forget, that no matter how much we cry out against the 'problems' in Blyton's books, we give them a back-handed compliment by attempting to produce white-washed versions of them for today's children. for they are indeed classics that will always remain relevant.

As for the sunshiny milieu of her books, most of them were published at a time when Europe was either actively engaged in war, or reeling from the effects of war. Even in relatively safe Britain, children were separated from families, there was severe shortage of food, and I'm sure her stories gave them the much needed shot of positivity. One writer writes sunshiny stuff, while another like William Golding comes up with the seriously dystopic Lord of the Flies. It all is for the good.

A day to celebrate books and reading

World Book Day is celebrated in the UK and Ireland on the first Thurday in March, which would make it today, 7th March 2013. Internationally, it is celebrated on 23rd April as World Book and Copyright Day, declared by the UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

I was introduced to the wonderful idea of having a day set aside for books when we were in the UK all of 9 years ago. (That long ago, hmm? Feels like yesterday sometimes, when I remember all the lovely times A and I had there together.)

A went to a montesssori there, and one day, we received an envelope addressed to us in her school bag. It contained a book token for one pound, and a list of age appropriate books that we could choose from to buy through the school. We could choose one book from the list to buy with our book token. Not only that, we could choose more books from the list at a discount, as the school had a tie-up with the local indie bookstore. We would then receive our treasure package on World Book Day.

I was charmed by the whole thing. Every school child in the country would be extended this privilege. That, in the UK, would mean almost every child above school going age, unless one is living under a rock. Schooling for children there is subsidized after 3 years of age; even free in certain schools. World Book Day, then, served as a wonderful means to introduced a child to the pleasures of actually owning a book. This is different in many ways from actually being introduced to books - possible for any child as County Council run libraries are free and usually well stocked. And there were libraries everywhere. At least until a few years back when many faced closure due to lack of state funding. Lack of funding for these libraries due to budget cuts coupled with negative attitudes like Terry Deary's would further deplete this wonderful resource if things do not change. Sad.

Which brings me to India. Our country. We are far far away from a utopia where we have such an extensive network of free libraries, let alone book tokens for an affordable amount. There are some people doing some good in this field, though. Pratham Books, with their Read India Movement, aim to put a book in every child's hand. This is what they say in their mission statement:

"At Pratham Books, we believe that every child has the right to enjoy good books.  And we believe they should have stories set in surroundings familiar to them and in a language close to their culture. We believe that to make books accessible to every child, the price points have to be very low. Pratham Books is a brand of story books as Indian as the children who read them. As a not-for-profit publisher, our dream is to see a country where every child wants to read, is able to read, and has something good to read.
With a range of stories created to excite children with different likes and tastes, the books are illustrated by some of the most enthusiastic and talented illustrators. Our aim is to have something good for every child, in every part of the country, and in the process spread the joy of reading far and wide."

This vision has had them creating books like these, wonderful books for throwaway prices. For example, this exquisite book, my favourite from the Pratham stable, has loads of stuff to see, read about, talk about, and so many possibilities for activities. At Rs 35 for an English edition and Rs 25 for an Indian language one, it is a steal. Pratham books also are available in most Indian languages, and there are books that feature the everyday life of ordinary people. They are also more rooted in reality than those of other publishers whose book are for a similar demographic. As a result, any and every child can identify with these stories, and can be encouraged to pick up these books. The low cost, local language, and quality reading values make these books ideal for 'putting a book in each child's hands'.

Let me tell you of an experience - I volunteer at a school for special children. Among other things, I also read stories aloud. (On an aside, yesterday, 6th March 2013, was World Read Aloud Day. Another way to spread the joy of books to those who can read, as well as those who cannot.) Many of these children have difficulty in imagining much beyond reality, and fantasy, mythology, fairy tales, etc., are a big no-no. I often find myself pulling out a Pratham books publication to read to them, which they enjoy thoroughly as they can easily visualize things that commonly happen at home, in schools, or in any other 'real' setting. I find myself struggling to hold their attention with the books of many other publishers, unless that book matches these criteria. This makes these books so much more inclusive.

There are many other players who are doing good work in this kind of an initiative. It would make for a separate post altogether, which is a positive thing - the fact that these activities can provide more fodder means that there are good people out there. I would like to dwell on a recent such initiative before I sign off.

Bookalore, in Bangalore, is founded by a group of writers working with children's books. They describe themselves as Bangalore's Big Little Book Club.

"Bookalore is an independent group of children's writers, illustrators, editors, librarians, teachers and filmmakers. Its monthly fun-based events for children and young adults will be held across Bangalore at libraries, schools, bookshops, art galleries, museums, theatres and other public spaces."

They share wonderful book and reading related links on their Facebook page, and these links would make me a fan even if I wasn't in Bangalore. Their sessions are free and open to anyone, though they do require you to register the child's name with a parent's email for a session.

As the area of publishing for children in India opens up more, grows, and matures, hopefully, so will the outreach of books and reading to all our children. For every child needs to have their own books to love. Or at least a library at which books can be accessed.  

How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count The Ways...

I first encountered you many, many years ago.
So long ago, that I do not even remember that first meeting now.
What I do remember, is that not a day would go by that I could be separated from you.
I would have you with me at all times; yes, even in my dreams.
When forced to be separated from you in the mundane drudgery of everyday living, I would sometimes pause at whatever I was doing, and remember the feel of you, the smell of you, the way I lost myself in your worlds, the way you transported me above everything I knew.
Everyone, but everyone knew of our love.
You were the one I was recognised by.
You became my reason for living.
I waited for those brief periods in which I could have you with me.
I learnt so much more from you than by any other means.
You gave me my joy, my laughter, my tears, my anger, my thoughts, my dreams, my very way of life.
Often, you would disappoint me, not measuring up to your promise, but I never give up hope, seeking you in newer forms.
Some people count their life in years, some by their friends.
I count my life by your presence in it.
My love for you has brought me my riches in the form of my friends...
If I could not have you around, life as I know it will no longer be the same.
I reach out to you first thing in morning, keep you close through the day, and often fall asleep with your reassuring presence near me.
My home is a temple to you; everywhere I look, you are there, in forms more numerous than I can count.
You are the one I shall have near me forever, through sickness and health, till death do us part.
You, and my love for you, will be my legacy to my daughter.
To hold close and carry forward.
Forever.

Image courtesy the net.

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Today is also International Book Giving Day. Give away those books that you can, to those who might want to read them. Spread the love.

Give to friends, family, schools, libraries. Or just set books out into the wild. Leave a book at a park, shop, clubhouse, doctor's or dentist's or any other waiting room, in the hope that it finds a good home.

Give them to NGOs that work for those in need...not just of shelter, food and love, but also of an education, a reason to smile and dream.

Share a book. Read aloud. Tell stories.

I'm doing it. Are you?

Trips, books, friends, anniversaries and much else

I haven't posted for a long time now: my previous two posts had been scheduled. I had been busy with a lot of things that needed my attention. Just a quick re-cap.

A went on an 8-day school trip in early October. This is the first time that we had stayed away from each other for so long. In a way it was harder on me than it was on her. Children look forward- their life is just beginning, and everything that happens is just a new and interesting thing that is welcomed with open arms. As the Lebonese poet-philosopher Khalil Gibran has said, "...their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams." It is so much tougher on us mothers- so difficult to let go. I coped by making a trip to Mumbai, to my parents' place.

There, I met the wonderful R's Mom. This was a long awaited meeting. I've been reading her work for many months now, bumping into her at many friends' blogs, but had connected with her as one book-loving-mommy-blogger to another quite recently. She was all that I had imagined and much more. We met at a mall near my parents' place, she being so sweet as to make the longer journey from her home. What began as a couple of hours' meeting in the morning stretched far beyond the afternoon as we yakked away, until our rumbling stomachs got us to go get some lunch. There was of course a bit of book-shopping thrown in.

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CROCUS 2012 has just ended, and has thrown up a wonderful mix of Math and Eco-Science books that are now added to my wish-list. It has been six wonderful years of Saffron Tree, of which I have been a contributor for the last two-and-a-half years. During CROCUS, we had sent out a call for book donations for a cause- for an NGO KRANTI that works for a marginalised section of society, children of sex-workers.

Speaking of anniversaries, PaperTigers has a wonderful10th anniversary giveaway: a drool-worthy set of books. Do visit them and check out how you can win these books for yourself / your library. The giveaway is open for entry until midnight PST of Saturday, 10th November.

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A few of my articles were published on Women's Web. An article on Handling Parenting Peer Pressure that speaks of the pressure parents feel when faced with anther's parenting style that somehow feels better or cooler. An article about 5 family rituals for diwali that could be fun times with the kids. And this review of a book that deals with a women's issue that is not unknown to urban women. Quoting:

"We are often led to believe in the myth of innocence and simplicity in rural life. Our movies and popular literature often perpetuate this myth; but P. Sivakami debunks it in The Taming Of Women.

A gritty, hard-hitting and relentlessly abrasive novel, the book is a very realistic portrayal of life in a village on the way to developing into a town. The violence is just below the surface, boiling over at times, and overwhelming the reader.

The book offers a striking insight into the minds of the women – who are often pitted against each other in their battle for supremacy, yet co-operate at the unlikeliest of places to stand up against the man who leaves no stone unturned to subdue them."

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One last thing before I conclude- November is celebrated internationally as Picture Book Month. You may want to check out the wonderful posts over at Zoe's blog Playing by the Book all through this month.

Do check out these lovely picture book giveaways there, too.

Even though our reading here has moved beyond picture books, there are a few classics that we keep revisiting. As also some newer ones that are still relevant. Do check out the stuff in your own book-shelves that is worth re-reading!

The Harry Potter Chronicles 11

A's bookshelves that I had included in this virtual tour on my collection of books have featured today on Papertigers under their Around the World in 100 Bookshelves feature. Please take a look.

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Today is the day for HP 6. Check out this review by A over at Zealot Readers.

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A new school year. Prefect badges. Harry is Quidditch captain. Having done well in their OWL, the trio is all set to take subjects of their choice. A new Potions teacher who accepts 'Exceeds Expectations' in Potions leads Harry and Ron to return to Potions. Books? Well, they just pick up old books from the cupboards.

A master stroke by Rowling, which puts an unusual book into Harry's hands. Now Harry is not only 'the boy who lived', he is also a potions whiz! Making him the top candidate for Professor Slughorn's page 3 ...err... gallery of collectible stars.

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All seems well, though it apparently is not. What about the strange actions of Draco Malfoy? Has he really been inducted among the Death Eaters? The recruits certainly seem to be getting younger- a comment on terrorism and the way very young children get pushed into it. Pawns in a war not of their choice. Certainly it is cause for worry for Draco's mother, who ropes in Snape to protect and assist him.

What makes Snape take on this responsibility? Is he a double agent? Pretending to be loyal to Dumbledore and acting for Voldemort? There is also the fact of his having overheard the prophecy, that Harry comes to know of purely by chance. Doesn't that make him blacker than he is, since it would undoubtedly be he who went to Voldemort with that information?

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Romance. How can we have a story involving 16-17 year olds without it? It blossoms in every heart. Dark theme or not. There is love, longing, infatuation, kissing, jealousy, hatred- the full range. There is also love potion and the brewing of it-
Amortentia: It smells differently to different persons, based upon their individual likes. Quoting from the Harry Potter wikipedia:


"It has a different aroma for everyone who smells it, reminding each person of the things that they find most attractive, even if the person themselves don't acknowledge or are unaware of their fondness for the object of their affection e.g. Hermione Granger smells fresh cut grass, new parchment and spearmint toothpaste. Harry Potter smelled treacle tart, a broomstick, and 'something flowery that he thought he might have smelled at the Burrow' (which he later realized as the smell of Ginny Weasley's hair). Ron Weasley smelled his mother's cooking, bacon and the perfume he gave Hermione in their 5th year for Christmas."

A question to my readers- what would it smell of to you?

For me- New books, jasmine and the first rains on parched earth.

The Harry Potter Chronicles 1

It is the long awaited Harry Potter week over at one of the other blogs I write for, Zealot Readers. We shall be tackling the 7 HP books over the next 7 days, from 11th August- 18th August. We have thoughts by the adult contributors, as well as by children who contribute. Check out this review of HP 1 by my daughter A.

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The first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, begins with the sentence: "Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." The ordinariness of the Dursleys is the perfect foil, the main counter-point to the magical world of Harry and Hogwarts. Making the wizarding world larger than life. The 'other' to our Muggle lives. The perfect adventure for children who are wont to believe in magic.

Harry carries the echos of the muggle world with him into the wizarding world. When he is unaware of things (like Quidditch, the gateway to platform 3/4, etc.) that a wizard would take for granted. When he gets startled by the moving pictures on the Chocolate Frog Cards. When he receives the 50 pence that the Dursleys send him for Christmas 'sellotaped' to the note.

When he is not intimidated by Voldemort's name, as it is just another name to him. Even if he is told that Voldemort is the one who killed his parents, he is not weighed down by the collective memory of terror that everyone in the wizarding world is.

"'...and until Hagrid told me, I didn't know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or Voldemort-'
Ron gasped.
'What?' said Harry.
'You said You-Know-Who's name!' said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. 'I'd have thought you, of all people-'
'I'm not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name,' said Harry. 'I just never knew you shouldn't'"

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The protagonists of this book are at just the right age. Not only does the age match with that at which children in the UK start grade school, but it is ideal for the premise of the book. 11 is an age when children are able to be without their parents. It is also the age when they are able to handle the strangeness of a new circumstances on their own. As it certainly would be for children which came from muggle backgrounds. It is also the age when children haven't yet come out of their childhood, and there is yet a belief in the possibility of magic. Again ideal for those from muggle households.

HP1 is very much in the mold of the school stories like Tom Brown's Schooldays, What Katy Did At School or the various school books by Enid Blyton. This appeals a great deal to children who find it familiar ground.  With a difference, of course!

Cross-posted at Zealot Readers..

The Books: a virtual tour

My very first feature on Women's Web. Please read and comment, folks!

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Here are some of my treasures that I would like to share. Pardon the relative disarray: I haven't got around to making bookshelves yet. These are housed in wardrobes that were cleansed of any clothes and other inconsequential stuff.

The teaser in the living room. Note the book on 'basic computer skills', declaring my lack thereof!:)

Books at hand that A has earmarked as 'to be read over the next few weeks'. Note the Bill Bryson book at the far right in the upper row: 'A Really Short History of Nearly Everything'.

Most of those that have already been read or to be read.

The other half of the same shelf. Harry Potter books and Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series are behind these. As is our collection of picture books by the Indian publishers. The thin red and white books obscured by the issue of Tell Me Why are our collection of the Amelia Bedelia books.

A mix of my books and her books. 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' that you see here has been earmarked for our next read-aloud session.

Some more of the mix of books. Needs some organizing.

OK, most of these are my books. Except for a few. Notably the 'Big Book of Paradoxes, Puzzles and Problems' which is a must have for those who want to indulge in some lateral thinking exercise. For all age groups. We have had many an enjoyable afternoon racking our brains over these!

A mix again, and this, too needs some organizing. The big reference books are in a row behind these.

Leave no doubt as to my interests, do these?

My first love among writers. Enid Blyton. If she had been alive, she would have been 115 years old tomorrow, 11th August 2012. Quite a few of these are copies I have owned since I was A's age or younger. Will be my bequest to her, after the love of reading and books, of course. A bird's-eye view of the open drawer. Can't bear to have them higgeldy-piggeldy on shelves. Same for the books in the next picture, which are...

...the husband's beloved collection of vintage Agatha Christies and PG Wodehouses. I never lend these to anybody.

And of course, those by the inimitable Bill Bryson, as also the twin volumes of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister, and a peek at Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Part of the husband's collection.

There are a whole lot more, that haven't been organized yet. Also those that you cannot see in the back rows. And of course, my Marathi collection, which I haven't put up here.

Do you see any favourites here?

Sports, feminism and tradition...

Why do we, as a nation, favour cricket over all other sport? Why do cricketers get elevated to demi-gods? Why is a disproportionate amount of money and adulation expended on cricket? Isn't it unfair that other sports do not get their fair share of funds? India is doing fairly well at the Olympics, despite the the bureaucratic malaise and mishandling of all things non-cricket. Why do sportsmen willingly devote lives to sports other than cricket if not for the love of the game?

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Watched bits of a movie, Yentl. Set in the 1850s Poland, Yentl is the story of a Jewish woman 'with a man's soul in a woman's body.' She wants to study the Talmud, but cannot, as women are excluded from serious studies. Her father, recognizing her thirst for knowledge, teaches her the scriptures in secret. After his death, Yentl has no choice but to pretend to be a boy, dressing in male clothing, so that she can follow her dream of continuing her studies. Circumstances force her to reveal to her study partner that she is a woman. In the book, she then rejects his proposal of a marriage, and prefers to continue to masquerade as a man, so that she is not stripped of her right to study. 

There has been a lot of controversy over Barbra Streisand's interpretation of the book. The book, Isaac Bashevis Singer's Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy, written in the 1960s, is supposed to be about the question of being a transgender. A man trapped in a woman's body, wearing a man's clothes to enable her to continue with her studies. Her rejection of her study-partner's marriage proposal is seen as proof of her being a transgender.

I wonder. I would lean towards Streisand's interpretation. A more feminist view of the whole thing. Yentl's sharp intellect and love of the written word, denied to women, would be reason enough for her to continue the status quo. For what guarantee could she have, once society knows her to be woman, to be able to continue to have her place in the scholarly world? In the movie, she rejects the marriage proposal, but embraces her womanhood, preferring instead, to leave the land of her birth, and go to America, the land of dreams and opportunities.

I was struck by her study-partner's reaction (in the movie) when she reveals her identity to him. He is just cannot get the idea, even calling her a demon in disguise. His refusal of the fact that she could have the capability to study what supposedly only men could-  women considered good enough only for the house and kitchen. Then, the capitulation and his recognition of who she was- a woman who also had the brains.

Both the book and the movie are worth exploring.

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Rakshabandhan.

I wish it was more about just love between brothers-and-sisters rather than an expectation that a brother would always protect a sister. For, the flip side of this is that sisters grow up with a false sense of security and a belief in the white knight brother, rather than learning to fend for themselves. I am being disillusioned more and more by our 'traditions' every day, traditions that seem to exist to establish the skewed male-female hierarchy than anything else.


              

In which we wish Harry and JKR a Happy Birthday

Before we go on to the topic of our post, let me also tell my readers that today is also the birthday of another literary great, Munshi Premchand a.k.a. Dhanpat Rai,born on 31st July 1880 in a village near Benaras.

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In my mind, there is clearly a before Potter and after Potter.

Rowling is one of those beautiful people who think of humanity beyond the me-and-mine, and for that, she is my hero. Every Potter reader knows the story of how it all happened. Not many know of the rest.

1990: The idea for the Potter books came to Joanne, a single, impoverished mother of a daughter.

1997: Seven years later, the first Potter book was published by Bloomsbury in June 1997. The consecutive books were published in June 1998, July 1999, July 2000, June 2003, July 2005, July 2007. The release of each book saw unprecedented frenzy at book-stores the world over. JK Rowling had truly wrought a miracle: reading had become cool!

2001: Rowling wrote : Quidditch Through The Ages and Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Both purport to be curriculum books followed at Hogwarts, and contain interesting back stories about Hogwarts, the game of Quidditch, and detailed references to magical beasts, most of them from actual mythology. Both books are supposedly copies belonging to Harry, with a lot of amusing marginalia by Harry, Ron and Hermione. Worth picking up for a true aficionado.

All proceeds from these books until 2009, and a percentage of all published after that goes to Comic Relief, a UK based charity working for eradicating poverty.

2008: Tales of Beedle The Bard was published. Initially published as a limited edition of 7, six were given away to persons closely associated with the Potter books, and the seventh was auctioned to raise a whopping 1.95 million pounds for LUMOS, a UK based charity founded by Rowling herself, that works towards bettering the lives of disadvantaged and institutionalized children. The book was then published for the public by Bloomsbury in collaboration with LUMOS, and a percentage of the sales goes to the charity.

She has also set up the Volant Charitable Trust, named after her her French great-grandfather Louis Volant a decorated WW1 hero. Quoting from the objectives of this trust:
The Trust has two broad areas of funding:
1. Research into the causes, treatment and possible cures of Multiple Sclerosis.
J K Rowling is supporting major research into neuroregeneration and Multiple Sclerosis at the University of Edinburgh. The Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic is being set up in Edinburgh with the substantial donation J K Rowling made in 2010. The Trust is therefore not considering any health care applications, including other medical research, for the foreseeable future.
2. Charities and projects, whether national or community-based, at home or abroad, that alleviate social deprivation, with a particular emphasis on women’s and children’s issues.
At present the Trustees consider the funding of major disaster appeals and this is the focus of the Trust’s International support; therefore, applications for other projects overseas are not being considered for the foreseeable future.

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Over the years, JK Rowling has been the recipient of a multitude of honours and awards, notable among which are the OBE, 2001, for services to Children's Literature and Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award, 2010, which is given to a writer of enduring and rich children's literature.

Come September 2012, Rowling will be releasing her first book after the Hogwarts books, this one for adults. The Casual Vacancy, published by Little, Brown, promises to be quintessentially British.

Other than all of this, there have been the Harry Potter movies that have spread the magic of the Potter books further. I know of at least six of my daughter's friends who are not big-time into reading, but who have been inspired by the movies (and the constant nudging by A) to pick up the books and read them through. Enjoy them thoroughly too.

The spell of Potter has gone to enchant the online world, too. A and I are members at Pottermore, which gives one an insider's experience of Harry's world. This is a safe site for your children, where one joins, gets a wand, gets sorted into houses, all based on questions one answers about what one would do given a particular situation. One then goes on to discover exclusive and intriguing back stories on the various characters, places, spells, events, etc., that comprise the wizarding world. No personal information is asked, and one is even given a magical username, so that one can be anonymous.

There will be much more that happens around JK Rowling in the future. I leave you here with the Commencement Address given by her to Harvard Graduates of 2008, the full text of which can be read here: The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and The Importance of Imagination.

For those who would rather listen to it directly from JK Rowling, here is the video link..

One is struck by the honesty, humour and humanity of feeling.

"So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

Think not just of the books she has created and the charities she has given so generously for. Think of the worldwide phenomenon that has created so many jobs, fed so many mouths, and interested people again in the art of reading. She is truly a hero.


Have a very Happy Birthday, Joanne Kathleen Rowling! And a very Happy Birthday to Harry, too, the Boy Who Lived!

Dear Veena

This is an open letter to you. I have never met you. But I feel, since you are a friend of a friend, and fellow book lover, I can take this liberty. This is also a pretty longish letter, so please make yourself comfortable while you read it. 

pic courtesy goodreads

First, this has been a wonderful read. A book tailor made for the likes of me. Ever since Sangi recommended this book, I had wanted to lay my hands on it. I ordered it from flipkart. None of the book stores I visited had it on stock. They still don't. It is their loss, in my opinion.

Spoiler alert for readers other than the author: Do not read this post if you would rather read the book first.

You had me at chapter one. To Kill a Mockingbird is a favourite here too. I must have first read it around the age of 12. I got it out of the school library. (I wonder now, why I was not prevented from issuing it out in my 6th grade!) Sure, some of it went over my head at the time, but I loved it for the holiday 'adventures' of Scout and Jem. Something about it intrigued me, though, and I picked it up again when I was older, in my late teens. I understood the nuances much more then. I have revisited it a few times since, and each time, I have learnt something new, noticed something I had missed earlier. Actually, I could say this about many books I have had the good fortune to read. As it is truly said, “A classic is a book that always remains fresh, and yields something new at every reading.”  But that is more relevant to your last chapter- Read. Rinse. Repeat.

The latest in these are the Harry Potter books- books that have fascinated my daughter as much as me, and which, I am sure, we will be re-visiting many times over.

Of course, it goes without saying, as far as To Kill a Mockingbird is concerned, that I have watched the movie many times, too. As much for Harper Lee's story as for Gregory Peck, I must confess!

Let me now go from chapter to chapter. Completely agree with the curiosity about the birds and bees in chapter 2. All I came across in my innocent past were the books that a college student who would come to our house every day to oversee our homework, as my parents would not be at home in the evenings. She was an ardent fan of all things Mills & Boon, along with the auxiliaries- Barbara Cartland, Danielle Steele, and the like. She was also big-time into best sellers like Sidney Sheldons, Perry Masons, etc. Not what I'd pick up now, but then- I was fascinated by the stuff she read. I was in my 9th then, and I must admit that she was not the most scrupulous of persons, and she would let me borrow her books. I would then read them behind my school books. Curiosity did kill the cat to an extent, colouring my world-view for a long time. Somehow, I regret reading those books then. I should have put my time to better use- there were so many more wonderful books to choose from in my world. But then I was unfortunate at the time, in that I did not have much guidance on the subject.

Paper v/s Pixel? Yes, any visitor to my home will vouch for my leanings. My home is drowning in books. They are everywhere. Somehow I have never been able to adapt myself to digitized versions of books. They might have the same stuff on them, but they are just not the same. As even my 11 year old know, (thanks to Inkheart) books and characters are made up of paper and printer's ink. I agree completely with Hermione Granger when she says that one of the smells that comprise her perception of the love potion is that of freshly printed books!

Have to admit that we, too, wonder sometimes about the erstwhile owners of some of the books we pick up at used book shops. Inscriptions like- "Dear Jenny, Hope this book is something you always wanted. Love, Walter." - bring to mind The Wonder Years.

Love in the aisle- Wonderful. Escapism at its best. OK, I'll admit to being a bit different on this one. Of course I had my fantasies, but they were always, always, about having my book up there on the shelves. Mundane, I know, but true. I still have these.

The chapter about books read in Mumbai trains tickled my funny bone the most. I was laughing uncontrollably as I read it. Why? First-hand experience. As a true blue Mumbaikar, I have done my share of travelling by the local trains in amchi Mumbai.

The running on to the platform as the 7.13 fast local thundered on to the platform, dodging the oncoming crowd, to be straightaway swallowed up by the motley group desirous of getting into the already packed ladies compartment. The split second pause to allow for the commuters being regurgitated from the compartment and the rushing in to fill up the vaccum created. Quick, practiced movement towards potential seats, and asking those seated where they would be getting off- I know it is an irksome practice, but I look at it as a necessary evil. Necessary in a city where survival of the fittest matters, and I think most people living in it understand this. I look at the journeys in a Mumbai local train as an environment of networking that works wonderfully well in maximum city. Complete with friends, friends of friends, social updates, status updates, pokes and multitasking.:) 


Have been there, done that, however. Rushed, pushed, been the social climber up to the window seat, sat/stood with a book in hand, (yes!) getting lost in a book in the midst of the enveloping chaos. Yes, laughed and giggled, too, much to the chagrin of co-travellers. Made friends over the books read- much like in the blogosphere. Hidden books, too, covering the clandestinely read ones with newspaper. Actually, the covers served only the purpose of hiding the title; the very fact of having the book covered screamed out the inappropriateness of the book being read.:)


And the story about Belfast- very Brysonesque indeed!

I won't say much about chapters 6, 7 and 9, except that they sent shivers up my spine, and that I can fully understand the paranoia. When I was expecting my baby, I was in my mid-30s, and everything that I had learnt about complications of late pregnancies kept playing on my mind. I drove my obstretician- who is also a dear friend- up the wall with my worries, until she had to threaten me with dire consequences if I did not shut up and stop being such a worry wart till the end of my pregnancy.

The joy of reading- that has been a project in progress since the past 11 years. 11 wonderful years, in which i have tried every variety of rhyme book, story book and every other kind of book. As Maria says in 'The Sound of Music', I must have done something right, because, gloriously, happily, thankfully, I have managed to pass on my love of reading the printed word to my daughter. I am content.

Ah- the whodunit! Love, love, love the books by Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins. Would love to read books by Henning Mankell and Dorothy L Sayers. But the one I started off with as a young teen was Alfred Hitchcock with his Three Investigators- oh, that is nostalgia!

Cookbooks and books by food writers- I don't agree with you on the point that only men can stir our senses with their descriptions of all things culinary. I can name one kitchen goddess at least, whose books and shows are to die for- Nigella Lawson. More than can be said of her non-dessert recipes, though. We didn't like a single one we tried out in the throes of our gustatory desires. I would like to recommend one book to you here. Try Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray. I can guarantee you'll love it.

Arabia- the land of a Thousand and One Nights. I would fantasize in my Mills and Boon days about Arab sheikhs and such, but the adult me is completely disillusioned. Combine the reading of books like Not Without My Daughter, In the Land of Invisible Women, and the horrifying books by Jean Sasson with the media coverage of the Gulf War over the years, and Arabia no longer has me in its thrall.

Hide the author- yes, sometimes there is something called too much information. I have always regretted reading the biography by Barbara Stoney of my favourite childhood author- Enid Blyton. My idol had feet of clay, and I didn't like it one tiny bit. It hasn't stopped me from reading the biographies or autobiographies of favourite authors, however. I like to know what makes them tick, and what is it that drives them to pen their particular kind of books. So I tried to undo some of the damage to my psych by reading this newer biography of Enid by Duncan Mclaren, in which he discusses the whys and hows of her life as it is reflected in her books. Portraying her as a human being capable of mistakes just as much as you or I, instead of the villian of the piece!

And re-reading-? What do I say of that? Yes, I do love to go back again and again to my favourite books. Love all of them!

A wonderful read, Veena, full of a lot of nostalgia for me. I hope to meet you someday, though it is likely that like most readers who write, you'll find me quite tongue-tied at first. I express myself better in writing, of course. I hope you will see beyond that, and maybe find a kindred reader.

Also hoping to read much more from you.

warmly,
Sandhya

On reading!

First- a warning. This post has a bit of 'patting-my-own-back' flavour to it. So read on only if you love reading as much as we do here!

I recently came upon this article that speaks at length about the love of reading, and goes on to give many tips on how to get children enjoy reading books.

The writer speaks about inculcating a love of reading in a child, and how that helps in its development. A must read. (Pun unintended!) Some of the points she makes made me smile, and look back on our journey of reading at home until now. I'm glad I did quite a few things right there, purely by instinct. I hope I continue doing that!

Some points from the article that I would like to highlight- her words in quotes, in red, followed by my comments.

"What this means is that adults and caregivers should be working at home to develop a child's  motivation to read rather than teaching her how to read." - wish more people thought of reasons they could have TO READ instead of just teaching the kid to read.

"Pretty soon, your child will make the connection between the pleasure of undivided attention and the pleasure of reading." All kids like parental attention. So if you give it to them associating it with positives like reading, they won't try to get it with negatives like bad behaviour.

"Young children love rhyming words. They are fascinated by the rhythm and repetition of sounds contained in them." Dr Seuss certainly knew what he was doing. So did Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear and Spike Milligan.

"In addition to regularly reading to your child , keep books readily accessible to them at home.
If you can afford it, work slowly on building a good library at your own home." -maybe the reason my home has more books than anything else, everywhere possible?

"Read books that you personally like. Your enjoyment can be infectious."- Oh, yes, WE know about THIS! We're book mad, we are!

"Continue reading to your child occasionally even after she is an independent reader. She will love the interaction and it will help add to that special relationship you already have with your child. Use that opportunity to assess and steer introductions of new books." - So now you know the secret of my reading aloud the Harry Potter series to A! This is something that most parents lose sight of, once the child is off reading on its own. Oh, I wouldn't trade those times for anything!

Of school, friends, and Woman-Fridays

It is now almost the end of our second week of back-to-school. We are thrilled to be one grade up, and the children of the earlier grade seem like little kids. A la first chapters from any of Enid Blyton's school stories- "she couldn't believe how little the first formers seemed to her now!"

A fresh new year means a new set of the uniform, new books, new classrooms, new class-teachers, new classmates, a new sitting arrangement, new rules, new extra-curriculars,...the list could go on.

We have a size issue with our uniform, as A falls into a size between the one assigned for her age, and the one below it. So we have to necessarily make do with a size a tad too large for a few months until the inevitable growth spurt combined with the (also inevitable) shrinkage of the fabric finally makes it fit over the second half of the year. I have a bone to pick with this year's set, though. What prompted the school to introduce formal trousers a certain grade onwards, when they already had such comfortable and serviceable track-pants till now? And why the change in the design of the skirt? The earlier one was smarter, IMO. And what's with the sweater in place of the jacket? Now one has to choose between shivering without it, or cooking with it, on days that are pleasantly cool. With the jacket, one could just put it on and keep it unzipped if it wasn't so cold. :(

The books seem interesting, with more focus on 'think and answer' and research oriented questions in the exercises. We recognised quite a few of the chapters and poems from the English books as excerpts from books we already have/ have read. Math is getting interesting now, as is science. There is certainly going to be more work this year, but it promises to be interesting. We just need to start focusing. Something that has been a work-in-progress for a long time now.

The problem of peers. That, too, has been a work-in-progress for a long time, now. As A tends to put it, she isn't cool enough for her peers, what with her propensity to prefer reading over all the other pursuits of the cool gang. We have a self-esteem issue here that we have been tackling for over half-a-decade now. Keeping fingers crossed.

Extracurriculars seem interesting with theatre and violin classes in the offing. As also the Indian classical vocals after school classes.

Reading? Yes, we plan to a lot of that this year too. Some of it as an adjunct to the curriculum, but most of it not.

Looking forward to a new year of learning and living life.

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Met UTBT, fellow blogger and a wonderful and hugely talented co-contributor at Saffrontree. Finally. This was her second visit to my city. Choxbox managed to meet her the first time she was here. I missed her then on account of the kid's birthday party.

She is an elfin lady, and every bit as lively and witty as she comes across online. Have just received a gift sent by her through flipkart. Seems like she has taken the hugo-mungous hint I gave here! The parcel was grabbed by both hands and ripped open immediately...

...and immediately browsed through!

Thank you, UTBT! We love the thoughtful gift! Cannot wait for the kid to come home from school and show it to her.

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My house-help had been ill for the past two weeks. She had been ill on-and-off for a couple of days at a time over the past two  months. I kept urging her to go to her doctor and get some treatment, to which she would say yes and ignore my advice. So this time when she became ill enough to not come for three days at a stretch (Amma is a dedicated, conscientious worker, who has been with me for many years now, and is my Woman Friday), I decided to take things into hand. I took her to the clinic we go to for minor maladies, one which has a reasonably well-equipped path lab.

After I spent a good half-hour acting translator between a Malayalam-Hindi-English speaking doctor and a Kannada-Telagu speaking Amma, miming some medical arguments my pidgin Kannada couldn't express, we got her to agree to a blood and urine test that she was mortally frightened of. The doctor gave her some tablets for symptomatic relief while we waited a day for the lab results.

Amma disappeared from the next day. There was no response to my phone calls to her home- the phone consistently happened to be 'out of reach'. Finally, I made my way to her house, and found an Amma who was now asymptomatic, but very weak. Her lab results and the doctors diagnosis mandated a course of antibiotics- it was a low-grade infection, that nevertheless popped up intermittantly, and was curable by a suitable course of antibiotics: an opinion with which I concurred.

Amma just could not be convinced as to the need for further medication. After all, she no longer had the symptoms, though still weak from hypoglycemia as she had not eaten properly over the last few days due to a lack of appetite and fear of throwing up. I finally made her see sense after enlisting the help of two other ladies at whose homes she works as well as at mine. We now see that she has her morning dose at my place, as she eats lunch here, and hope that she has the other dose at home after dinner! Doing some of her work myself for some time, until she has recovered completely!

Again, fingers crossed. I owe much of my free time to her attention to my home.

A once-in-a-lifetime day!

Met Ruskin Bond yesterday. The great man had come to Landmark, Bangalore for celebrating the joint 25th anniversary of Penguin India and Landmark, by launching his book on poems. It was an opportunity not to be missed after our failed attempt to meet him at his hometown of Mussoorie a while back. Re-posting this from that post of mine:


Last year, we had been to Mussoorie during the Christmas vacation, and A had looked forward to meeting one of her favourite (OK, one of my favourite too) writers Ruskin Bond. She had made a booklet of a few of her own stories. We wanted to meet him and present him with this booklet, and get our favourite books ( The Blue Umbrella for A and A Flight of Pigeons for me) signed. Unfortunately, he was out of town, and was to return only after we left Mussoorie. So we requested Mr Arora, who owns a bookstore where Ruskin Bond regularly signed books for his readers, to hand over the booklet to him to sign, and gave him our address. We were extremely disappointed on not being able to meet him in person, but there was nothing we could do about that!


Imagine our delight when, after a few weeks, an envelope arrived at our home, containing the booklet, duly signed by Mr Bond, with a few encouraging words from him. Her book, (never mind that it was an unpublished, handwritten one) signed by Ruskin Bond!

So when I got the mailer announcing the event, I marked it on my calendar. School day or not.

So yesterday we proceeded to Landmark, armed with our copies of The Blue Umbrella and A Flight of Pigeons.

As expected, there was quite a crowd. What was not expected, was the utterly inane comments by the MC, who was also quite rude in the way he kept saying- "OK, now that the cake is cut, kids get off the stage!" He also kept making cliched comments like "Mr Bond is here- not James Bond!" and kept nudging us to clap every few minutes, when all of us were hanging on to every word uttered by Mr Bond. And he kept calling him Ruksin Bond! Couldn't Landmark and Penguin get someone better between them? The photographers were also quite rude, pushing and shoving the kids around. Choxbox has described what happened, in this post of hers.

OK, now that I've got that off my chest, let me say that it was lovely hearing him speak. He first launched his new book, and with the kids present, cut the cake for the occasion, then read a poem from his new book. He was a gentle giant with the kids, most of who asked him questions, and he answered them without talking down to them. The hallmark of a great person. He was also very gracious with questions and comments from the rest of the crowd. To A's question as to what the inspiration for her favourite book-The Blue Umbrella was, he replied that he had once seen a local girl walking with a similar umbrella, and had wondered about what her story was. So now we have a little girl mulling on the many interesting things around her, and wondering what the story of that incident might be. Had quite an interesting discussion on that on the way back home.

When we all lined up to get our books signed, they called for the children first. I went with A as then we could get away- school night and all. She took her book and went up to him, and said,
"Do you remember the story 'The Rainbow Bird' that I had written and sent to you?"
And he looked at her and said,"Oh, yes, I remember. Was it you who had written it?"
"Yes," she said, as he signed first her book and then mine.
I thanked him for taking the effort to send it back to us by post, and then we had to move away to make way for the next person who wanted to have his copy signed. I wish we could have interacted with him for more than those few moments, but A was ecstatic. "He remembered my story!"

It will be an encounter that we'll remember always. Hoping to be able to meet him some time again.

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Yesterday was also once-in-a-lifetime because of the Venus Transit. A rare celestial incident that occurs just twice in a century, at a gap of 8 years. It happened in 2004, and yesterday. It will now occur again in 2117, 105 years from now- probably in the lifetime of our great-great grandchildren. So we got up early and went out to an empty ground near our home, armed with solar protection glasses, to try and catch it at 7am, before the school bus arrived.

Unfortunately, it was overcast for most of the morning, the sun peeping out from behind the clouds for just fleeting moments. The kid saw the sun, but not venus, as there wasn't enough time to focus. However, later in the morning, around 9.45, the clouds shifted for long enough for me to see it from my balcony, where I had parked myself for most of the morning.