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?

*******************************

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

As I contemplate writing my 200th post...

...I think of all the things that have changed for me since I began blogging. It hasn't all been plain sailing: there have been many hiccups, but I've recovered, dusted off, and continued from where I had left off.

I have indulged in my first love- reading and writing- something that had almost been eclipsed by the passing of time and the nitty-gritties of everyday life.

I have re-visited many childhood favourites, some that I had almost forgotten about, and others that I just had to dust the surface of.

I have found another way of connecting with my fast-growing and book-discerning daughter. I had always read to her and with her through all these years...my blogging about the books we enjoy together has made me something of a hero in her eyes. Something that I'll always be thankful for and cherish.

Not just her, my nephews- my siblings' sons, to whom I was 'just the pesky aunt that visits every year', have of late been looking at me through new, respectful, eyes. It is almost as if I had suddenly become worth taking seriously. They're tweens, too: grown-ups begin to become persona non-grata beginning now. How refreshing for things to look the other way! Of course, I have to thank my ruminations about Harry Potter for that.

I have found new and wonderful friends past my 40s. Choxbox, Sangi, Starry, Veena, Zoe, the Saffrontree gang specially the mad momma, utbtkids, Artnavy, Vibha, Ranjani, Sheela and Arundhati. There are many others - bloggers and non-bloggers, both- Swapna, Subhashree, Suranga, Abha, Shankari (where are you?), Monika, IHM, R's Mom, TGND, Shruti, Simran, Rashmi, Aparna, Padmini,...some of whom I've met and others whom I've only ever interacted with online. Any names that I may have missed- consider yourself tagged. All of you have enriched my life in your own special way. Some of you have been pillars of strength when I needed it- you know who you are.

I've participated in some fun activities and competitions online, notable of which are the Tulika blogathons. Won some, lost some. A prestigious award on IHM's blog- this is something I cherish.

I've been a participant and raised my voice in some awesome drives- Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Month and Violence Against Women Awareness Month. One may call it armchair activism, but even that has its uses: and if that is all I can contribute, that is what I will.

You will find my work (other than this blog) at Saffrontree (my online family), Book Reviews, Zealot Readers, Women's Web and Mom's Diaries. Maybe in a small way at each place, but it's me.

I read the writing of all the aforementioned friends, and some more, as also the awesome stuff shared by every one of them. All of which has slowly pulled me out of the deep well I was in. I've learnt a lot from all of them, and hope to continue learning. My reading also has gone places, much more than it would have if I had  been just a reader.

I've challenged myself now and again, and have loved the experience. My writing, too, has evolved over the past two-and-a-half years, and I see the road opening in front of me.

Wish me luck as I end this 200th post. Looking forward to many more such posts where I can interact with like-minded friends. For you guys make it all worthwhile.

ANNE FRANK :the diary of a young girl- on occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day

I have started to re-read an old favourite 'Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl' for the past few days. Why?

First, for the sheer pleasure of it.

Second, I had last read this book as a teenager, in fact read it 3-4 times throughout my teens, and wanted to revisit it. I had been deeply affected by it. 25 years back there weren't many books available to me that dealt with the topic of teenage angst as also with a topic that interested me very much- the Holocaust.

Pic courtesy Penguinbooksindia

Third, I came across this wonderful Penguin Edition in a comfortable, kid-friendly font, and I just had to pick it up for my daughter, although I am not sure she will be truly able to appreciate all of it yet. Maybe in 2-3 years' time. In the meantime, there was no harm in me reading it for old times' sake. My old copy was no longer with me, as I had left it behind with much else when I moved away from my hometown.


ANNE FRANK
The Diary of a Young Girl
Edited by Otto H. Frank and Mirjam Pressler
Translated by Susan Massotty
Ages 12+

Anne Frank was an ordinary thirteen year old, who kept this diary from her thirteenth birthday for the next two years. She penned all everyday happenings, her feelings about everything and everyone around her. We have her account of her growing-up pains and joys, a lowdown on her relationships, all the yo-yo-ing typical of adolescence, her darkest, deepest secrets and her hopes for the future.

So how is this any different from something that anyone else might have written? Just this, that Anne was a Dutch Jew in hiding from Nazi persecution with her family and four other people. Other than the turmoil normal for her age, there was the fugitive existence, living life on the edge, in constant fear of discovery, and the chaos of having to live in close quarters with family and strangers, with no end to their troubles in sight.

Even in this situation, the diary is so full of life, and of hope, that the reader sometines forgets that this immensely talented girl died before her 16th birthday, and the world lost someone who could probably have been a prolific writer, and an original thinker who believed in the goodness of humans. The future that Anne herself had envisioned for herself.

Some lines of note from her diary-

5th April 1944 : "I don't want to have lived in vain like most people ... I want to go on living even after my death! And that's why I'm so grateful to God for having given me this gift (a talent for writing), which I can use to develop myself and to express all that's inside me."   

11th April 1944 :"One day this terrible war will be over. The time will come when we'll be people again and not just Jews!"

11th May 1944 : "...my greatest wish is to be a journalist, and later on, a famous writer."

6th July 1944 : "We have many reasons to hope for great happiness, but ... we have to earn it. And that's something that you can't achieve by taking the easy way out."

15th July 1944 : "It's twice as hard for us young people to hold on to our opinions at a time when ideals are being shattered and destroyed, when the worst side of human nature predominates, when everyone has come to doubt truth, justice and God...Yet I cling to (my ideals) because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." 

After around two years in hiding, on 4th August, 1944, their hiding place- The Secret Annexe- was discovered, and they were arrested by the Gestapo and deported. The afterword gives details of the eight members' fate. They were first taken to Westerbork, a transit camp, and then on to Auschwitz. There, the group was separated, and in late October, the two Frank girls were sent to Bergen-Belsen. Anne and her sister were together till their end, dying of typhus in early March 1945, at Bergen-Belsen, a few weeks before the surrender of Germany and the end of WW2 in April 1945. Otto Frank, the girls' father, was the only survivor, and he was handed Anne's diary along with other papers by Miep Gies, one of the non-Jews who helped them while they were in hiding.

Otto Frank decided to publish the diary in deference to the wish Anne expresses in it to be a famous writer, and to go on living after her death. He also hoped that it could be instrumental in holding up a mirror to the horrors that can be perpetrated due to prejudice about the 'other', so that these things may happen "never again!" An optimistic and foolish hope!

A first edition of the diary was published in 1947, after Otto Frank had edited out what he thought were the more 'private' matters- Anne's thoughts on her relationships with the members of her family, and her growing sexuality, something that he was not comfortable with revealing to the world. This latest, definitive edition has the complete text of the diary, and we get a comprehensive picture of society and of Anne's life before and after going into hiding.

Recommended. I will certainly hand this to A as soon as I think she can handle it. In fact, she read a few entries before I realised it, and was enchanted. We have to take topics like the Holocaust slowly, though, and we are working on it.

Edited to add: I am entering this book for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge under Europe.

Re-edited to add: Also entering under the Reading the world challenge 2011 under Holland and non-fiction.

Crossposted at Bookreviews.

Of a charity, challenges, and promises to be kept!

Here is a call for charity. Zoe at playingbythebook.net has listed some of her favourite book charities, and will be donating one GB pound per comment, up to a max of 30 pounds to one of these charities, or books worth the same to her daughter's school. So do click on this link to go to her post.

Also, back home, Spastics Society of Karnataka  is holding a Christmas Carnival on the 18th of December. Please visit, and have fun while supporting the cause. You may donate in cash or kind. Items should be in a saleable condition. A friend has a differently-abled child, and regularly volunteers at this NGO. Please do donate!

It is that time of the year when we look back and introspect. I have had my good, bad and ugly moments, contributing altogether to a kaleidoscope of experiences. Here's hoping that the next year will be better than this one.

I began blogging in March this year, and this is my 67th post. It opened up a completely new world for me, one in which I made new friends. My blog gives me a platform to write about anything that interests or touches me, book-related and other talks with my daughter A, and most importantly, a space where I can share my thoughts on a book that really interested me. Along the way, I also joined my favourite kid-lit-blogging site Saffrontree as a contributor, and have learnt much there. I also joined another site, bookreviews, where one can access a whole lot of reviews of books on myriad topics, in all genres.

I took part in the International Postcard Swap for families and the
Perfect Picture Books by post hosted by my good friend Zoe, at playingbythebook.net.

Also took part in a reading challenge, the Flashback Re-reading Challenge. I joined quite late in the year, so I could manage only the basic challenge.

For next year, I would like to join two challenges. Both of which are very interesting.

One is the 2011 Global Reading Challenge. I will be joining in at the easy level. The rules for this are as follows.

Read one novel from each of these continents in the course of 2011:

Africa
Asia
Australasia
Europe
North America
South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)

The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).

From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.

The second challenge is the 2011 South Asian Challenge. Read about it first at Monika's World.

The rules for this are as follows.

(1) A book must be by a South Asian author.  For these purposes, South Asia includes the following countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives.  There are no limitations on what the book can be about.

(2) A book must be about South Asia.  In this case, it can be set in a South Asian country or be about South Asians living abroad.  It can also be a biography or memoir of a South Asian, or of a non-South Asian traveling or working in South Asia.  In this case, the author does not need to be South Asian, as long as the subject matter focuses on the region, peoples, or cultures in some way.

Any type book qualifies, as long as it meets one of the two guidelines above - a cookbook, short story or essay collection, travel guide.

I would be aiming for the South Asian Explorer level, which requires me to read at least 5 books under the rules.

There are also a couple of promises to myself that I would like to declare here.

One is that I need to do more of reading than I have managed in this year. I have been doing fine as far as reading with A is concerned, but need to invest more time in reading just for myself.

Two is that I need to start on an exercise regimen ASAP. I've become pretty lazy on that front. There was a time when I was quite regular, but of late I seem to have become more of a couch potato. It has begun to tell on my knees (twinges of pain now and then, problems getting up from a low seat-just won't do. I have miles to go yet- A is just 9!) and lungs (huffing after having climbed a few flights of stairs- NOT good!) The weighing scales too have their own tale to tell. So- exercise, and WATCH THAT PLATE!

Other resolutions- well, let's just say that they'll keep.

Will be taking off for the rest of the year, and will probably post only in the new year. We're travelling over the Christmas vacation. Where to? Well, all I'll say here is that we'll probably have a white Christmas, and A will be able to indulge in her wish for a snowman. She has taken to wondering if Santa will deliver away from home. Speaking of which, we have already received one gift- a book from Zoe! Thanks, Zoe. I'm sure we'll enjoy it. Will post about it after we've been through it.

So have a good vacation, and a great New Year!