Is it true that the most moving books must be placed during wartime? How strange that the moments of greatest human kindness come during the cruelest of times! Toro! Toro! is not like the other Morpurgos that I have read, insomuch that it is not about the second world war at all. Yet, it is about cruel, incomprehensible war. I have never liked the idea of bullfights, not even when I was too young to know that the bull is killed and bleeds to death. I found the idea of a bullfight unnecessarily violent. I couldn't (and still can't) understand what the thrill is. How much stronger the feeling of revulsion would be for a child who has watched the birth of a bull and become its friend! Paco, a bull, pushes the young boy Antonito to do something that he would never dream of doing. And because of that one act, Antonito's life - in fact, his whole world - turns upside down. In true … [Read more...]
Winding Up – Creepy House Reading Challenge
Today, I will be part of the award distribution, the final get-together of all the participants of the Creepy House Reading Challenge at the British Library, Pune. Four workshops over the course of two months with children aged anywhere between 5 and 13. What fun it was! We'll talk about what we learned, how we can take things forward and what we can do with books in our lives ahead. And then, I have the honour of having been invited to give certificates and medals to the children who successfully completed the challenge. Looking forward to another lovely morning! … [Read more...]
Parents and Kids Choice Awards
Do you like The Story-Catcher? If you're a parent or a child who likes my collection of short stories, do nominate it for the Parents and Kids Choice Awards! The idea of the award is lovely - an award that is not inspired by sales and popularity, but by the place it holds in your heart. Nominate The Story-Catcher by clicking here! … [Read more...]
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips
The best stories are the simplest ones of all. And who better than Michael Morpurgo to write simple stories so simply that they charm you? Boowie receives a letter from his grandmother, not very long after the death of his grandfather. It is undoubtedly the most remarkable letter of his life. As part of the letter, his grandmother sends him sections from her childhood diary. Slowly, little bit by little bit, she reveals the amazing story of her cat Tips. Part of the story is how Tips graduates to her grand name 'Adolphus Tips'. And most remarkable of all is what happens in the end. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is not just the story of a cat. It's the story of love, spirit and relationships that stretch way beyond the scope of literature. Michael Morpurgo - his stories are timeless. … [Read more...]
The Great Escape
The story of two dogs and a cat during the second world war brought to mind an aspect of war that I had never considered. What happened to all the animals, particularly pets, during the war? Startling statistics that Megan Rix has included after the novel reveal that there were far more animals killed during the war than civilians. By far more, I mean, if I remember correctly, seven times the number. The Great Escape is a take on this idea, albeit a lighthearted take. The three animals escape from cruelty and danger, making an incredible journey from the city to the country. Adventures are plentiful; pitfalls expose them to human kindness and cruelty. A tale for children, I think it is a particularly charming read for animal-lovers who want to wear rose-tinted glasses, but want, at the same time, to be aware that that their glasses are tinted! … [Read more...]
Luck
Why are publishers so diffident about revealing the fact that a collection of short stories is just that - a collection of short stories and not a novel? I started reading Luck by Dhruba Hazarika with the distinct impression that it was a novel. I finished the first 'chapter' feeling deeply disturbed. I finished the second with a lump in my throat, expecting the 'chapters' to be linked in the third one. Then I finished the third one and then it dawned on me, finally, that it was not a novel after all but a collection of short stories. So I shifted gears in my head and started reading it again. Starkly simple stories, Luck is a collection that left me squirming uncomfortable with the question of who is more humane - man or beast. I smiled wryly, I shook my head, and then I thought, why, why, why do people believe that there's a limited market for short stories? Each one is a … [Read more...]
Twelve Minutes to Midnight
I'm still chuckling as I think about Twelve Minutes to Midnight. It's been a while since my mind was so absorbed in a book that I kept waiting to get back to it. I even took it with me to the Writers' Club at St. Mary's School and pored over it. I felt a little like a school-girl again as I read, for I could not help remembering all the times I would sneakily pick up a book between classes, reading it slyly in the few spare seconds I had, before hastily putting it away deep into my bag. (When I was in school, there was a rule I hated - we were not allowed to bring books that were not from the school library. A book that did not belong to the school could be CONFISCATED. This meant that in addition to being answerable to everyone at home and school, I would never find out what happened in the story!) Twelve Minutes to Midnight was a crazy book that kept me hooked; I could not … [Read more...]
Veda the Guitarist
Guitar through the Ages Where does the guitar we know and love come from? Unlike the piano and violin, it's been around in different shapes and sizes, belonging equally to wandering folk musicians and to formal classical concert halls. The guitar grew up in the courts of Europe, lived through the Rennaisance and Industrial ages, and finally came into its own in the mid 1800s. From the Kithara of ancient Egypt, to the minstrels and their lutes, to French 'Sun King' Louis XIV used the guitar to serenade women, to salons of Europe, folk music all the way until the 20th century when it got electric, Veda Aggarwal will take you through the journey of the guitar in time. Sunday, March 23rd 4pm-6pm The Cultural Centre, Pune Plot No. 20 Survey 20/2/B and 20/3/B Behind Bharat Gas Koregaon Park Annexe / Mundhwa +91 20 3047 2948 … [Read more...]
Yellow Shoes
Today is World Storytelling Day. Here is a story to celebrate the day! If you like it, use it. Read it out to children. Make them imagine and colour - spread the joy of storytelling! Alka sat down on the floor to tie her shoelaces. Weekends were fun. She could meet everyone, play Lock and Key and Polo and Crocodile-Crocodile and Zoop and... “It's time to throw away this terrible pair,” said Alka's mother, looking down at Alka's blue shoes – her favourite pair for running. “No, Mamma, please!” said Alka, looking up, alarmed. “Please, Mamma, it's my favourite pair, really! I'll never ever get a pair like this again! How will I play?” Her mother smiled. “But look at the state they're in, Alka, they're falling to bits. You can barely see that they were once blue, and the sole is completely torn!” “But they're my favourite pair ...” “All right, baby, I'll tell you what,” … [Read more...]
Waterslain Angels
When I was about ten, I read British Folk-Tales (not linking this to a place where you can buy it because Amazon is selling it at an incredible price of 11,000 rupees) by Kevin Crossley-Holland and enjoyed it. I had my favourite stories in the collection and I read them over and over again.A few years later, I read The Seeing Stone and loved that too, even though the story was familiar, the old tale of King Arthur retold. And because I still enjoyed the experience of reading a story I knew, I picked up Waterslain Angels. I liked the essence of the story. I liked the idea of a quest rooted in the place to which one belongs. I liked the notion of bringing history back to life. Yet, I found the telling overly dramatic for the proportions of the story. Sure, the quest for angels is beautiful as an idea. The moment in history when the angels were 'slain' must have been powerful, but … [Read more...]
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