A workshop at the other end of town now!This one does not revolve just around reading; it's about word-building. How good is your vocabulary? How quickly can you think of words everyone knows? How easily can you express yourself?Join me for a weekend workshop at JustBooks, Aundh!Dates: 23rd and 24th August, 2014 Time: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Registration fee: Rs. 500 Age-group: 8-12 years Contact: (020)69336944 or 7385022201 … [Read more...]
Arangetram – Chaitrali, Diaspina and Purvi
"How was the Arangetram? How did Chaitrali do?" my mother asked.I had one word in response, "Moving."And it was moving for more reasons than one.When Chaitrali, despite her hearing and speaking disability made her speech, many of us were in tears. "I thank the didis," she said, painstakingly. "Varsha didi ... Nisha didi ... Resham didi ..." I pursed my lips to hold back the tears. When she finished her solo, many of us were crying again. Those of us who have our five senses intact should be ashamed of erring on stage when she managed. Somehow, she managed. Sure, she looked at us for confirmation that she was doing it right. She wanted us to be there to support her. But what's so strange about that?But equally, I was moved by Diya and Purvi.How did Chaitrali do? What time is Chaitrali's Arangetram? Diya and Purvi did not have the right to make mistakes because they were doubly … [Read more...]
Arangetram
The Academy of Indian Dances welcomes you to the Arangetram of Chaitrali, Diya and Purvi.Chaitrali is a special girl with a hearing disability despite which she has persevered and come to this stage. Her Arangetram is a proud moment for her parents, her guru, and somehow by extension, all of us. Diya and Purvi - hats off to them for their cooperation and support. Things have been different for them because they have the overwhelming responsibility of being better than ever and making no mistakes at all.This Arangetram is certainly going to be memorable.Venue: Tilak Smarak Mandir Date: 10th August, 2014 Time: 5:30 pm … [Read more...]
Storytelling on Independence Day
I'm conducting a free storytelling session on Independence Day!Venue: Friends Library, Salunke Vihar Road, Pune Time: 6 pm to 7 pm Age-group: 5-8 years … [Read more...]
Esty’s Gold
I never stay up reading. I love books and I enjoy reading, but staying up beyond my bed-time? No, that's not me. I remember when I was reading the fifth Harry Potter, I had one chapter left to finish and I went to sleep, to the horror of some of my friends. Maybe that was because I wanted to hold on to my fictional friends a little longer.Esty's Gold forced me to stay up reading. I read page after page. Just one more chapter. And one more. This chapter was too short to count. So just one more. And I stopped when I finished the book.The characters grew and changed. The story was layered with unselfconscious girlish giggling and the singularly quirky humour. I experienced each of the class struggles and felt the starkness of life in Ireland and Australia.It is difficult to create a character like Esty. In some ways, she is a shadow of Scarlett from Gone with the Wind. Yet, she is … [Read more...]
Tilly’s Moonlight Fox
When I started reading Tilly's Moonlight Fox, I did not quite like it. Both the story and the writing style seemed outdated. The kind of finish that so many new books have was not there.But the book grew on me. It's the kind of book that you should read when you are eight or nine years old, growing up on books like Anne of Green Gables and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. There are no complex twists in the plot. There is nothing that keeps you waiting with bated breath. But it is a charming book nonetheless.The story of a girl who finds it difficult to fit in, Tilly's Moonlight Fox is one that is perhaps easily forgotten, but charms you while you are reading it. Just like a fairy-tale. … [Read more...]
Rainbow!
For so long, for so many years, I've been looking at the sunshine and the rain and thinking, "The sky owes me a rainbow. It is too hot to wear a raincoat, but if I don't wear one, I'll get wet. The sky owes me a rainbow." But I didn't see one. For years.And then, suddenly yesterday, arching its way across the eastern sky, I saw one! As I watched, a small double rainbow emerged. My skin tingled. I watched it until it faded away, wondering how the people in the building far away felt - the ones who were in the rainbow.My heart was full. Somehow, I kept singing, "Will we have rainbows day after day? ... Here's what she said to me: Que sera, sera Whatever will be, will be ..."Happily, I hummed and sang. My day was made.And then, today, I saw one that was even more beautiful! A true, complete rainbow, with all seven identifiable colours, curving its way across the sky! Almost close … [Read more...]
The Lost Island of Tamarind
The first word that comes to mind while reading The Lost Island of Tamarind is 'vivid'.I don't usually like descriptive stories. I feel, "Sure, things around look like that; the weather is like that; the people look like that. Get on with the story!"The Lost Island of Tamarind was not one of those. It was probably the first book I have ever read where my eyes widened at the descriptions. The richness of detail and texture astounded me. I could feel the humidity, see the blue fireflies and hear all the sounds of the jungle. It was fabulous. Sometimes, during the book, I had to close the book just for a few seconds and then peek at the next sentence, dreading what author Nadia Aguiar was going to do next. No, no, that can't be happening! I gasped, held my breath, and felt the characters' fears and doubts.The Lost Island of Tamarind. I am waiting to read the … [Read more...]
Read Something New!
Back to British Library with my next reading workshop!Dates: 17th August, 24th August, 7th September and 14th September Time: 3 pm - 5 pm Age-group: 9-12 Registration fee: Rs. 1,200 for members; Rs. 2,200 for non-members (You get a complimentary Gold 6-month membership free when you register)See you there! … [Read more...]
Monsoon!
I love the rain. It's magical.My mother got three stems of lavender hibiscus from my grandmother and we dumped them in a mug of water. Days passed. Finally, when the leaves were wilted and the twig was mouldy, we felt guilty enough to stick them into a pot of mud. The next day, there were two bright green new leaves.And we have something else coming up, apart from our pink lilies and our spider lilies and our bamboo that thinks it's Jack's beanstalk.Brahmakamal buds! Monsoon makes everything rejoice in being alive! … [Read more...]